General Education Program and Requirements

Foundations (14-18 hours)

Breadth of Knowledge (31-33 hours)

Public Affairs (12 hours; four different course codes)

Appeals for Exceptions

The General Education Program of the University is administered by the Associate Vice President for Student Success. Appeals for exceptions to the General Education Program requirements should be made to the Associate Vice President for Student Success. Students who are unsatisfied with the Associate Vice President’s decision may appeal to the Degrees Committee. Students who are unsatisfied with the Degrees Committee decision may appeal to the Provost.

42-hour General Education Transfer Block

In accordance with the transfer policy of the Missouri Coordinating Board of Higher Education, Missouri State has identified the following 42-hour block of general education classes. Upon completion of this block, a student may submit a request through the Office of the Registrar for a 42-hour block notation to be entered on the student’s transcript. If the student then transfers to another participating school in the state, the receiving institution should accept the Missouri State 42-hour block as equivalent to their own general education block. In a similar manner, if a student transfers to Missouri State with certification of a completed 42-hour general education block from another participating institution, the student will not be required to take any of the following classes at Missouri State unless they are needed to fulfill a requirement of the student’s major, minor or degree.

Foundations (14 hours):

1. First Year Seminar (2)
2. Focus on Written Communication and Information Literacy, ENG 110 (3)
3. Focus on Oral Communication, COM 115 (3)
4. Focus on Quantitative Literacy (3)
5. Focus on Written Communication and Integrative and Applied Learning (3)

Breadth of Knowledge (28 hours):

1. Knowledge of Human Cultures (12)
   1. Focus on Social and Behavioral Sciences (6)
   2. Focus on Humanities (3)
   3. Focus on the Arts (3)
2. Knowledge of the Natural World (7)
   1. Focus on Life Sciences (3)
   2. Focus on Physical Sciences (3)
   3. Life or Physical Sciences Lab; separate or embedded (1)
3. Public Affairs (9)
   1. Focus on Constitutions of U.S. and Missouri and American History and Institutions (3)
   2. Focus on Cultural Competence (3)
   3. Focus on Public Issues (3)

CORE 42 - Missouri Higher Education Core Transfer Curriculum

CORE 42 is a statewide transferable general education lower-division core curriculum of 42 semester credit hours among all Missouri’s public Institutions of Higher Education (IHE). The courses are designed to ensure that all graduates from Missouri IHE possess a common core of college-level competencies, skills, and knowledge. Completion of all 42 semester credit hours will result in completion of general education at any Missouri IHE. Upon completion of this CORE 42, a student may submit a request through the Office of the Registrar for a CORE 42 notation to be entered on the student’s transcript. If the student then transfers to another participating school in the state, the receiving institution will accept the Missouri State CORE 42 as equivalent to their own general education block. In a similar manner, if a student transfers to Missouri State with certification of CORE 42 from another Missouri IHE, the student will not be required to take any of the Missouri State General Education requirements unless they are a requirement of the student’s major, minor, or degree.

View the list of approved MOTR courses offered at Missouri State University at: CORE 42 at MSU website. For approved MOTR courses at other Missouri public colleges and universities go to: Missouri Department of Higher Education CORE.

CORE 42 is comprised of at least 42 semester credit hours of courses distributed across five knowledge areas. Courses that are approved for CORE 42 contain a Missouri Transfer (MOTR) course number in the undergraduate catalog.

CORE 42 Knowledge Areas and Requirements:

1. Communications (minimum of 9 MOTR credit hours)
   1. Written Communications (minimum of 6 MOTR credit hours)
   2. Oral Communications (minimum of 3 MOTR credit hours)
2. Mathematical Sciences (minimum of 3 MOTR credit hours) *MTH courses that use one of the MOTR MATH courses as a prerequisite will meet requirement for this area(i.e. Trigonometry, Calculus, etc.).
3. Social and Behavioral Sciences (minimum of 9 credit hours)
   1. Must include minimum of 3 credit hours Civics course (MOTR POSC 101, MOTR HIST 101, or MOTR HIST102)
   2. Must include at least 2 disciplines (e.g., MOTR PSYC 100, MOTR HIST 101; discipline designation four letters after MOTR before the number)
4. Natural Sciences (minimum of 7 credit hours from 2 disciplines; one MOTR course with a lab component)
5. Humanities and Fine Arts (minimum of 9 credit hours; from at least 2 disciplines)
6. Additional MOTR Courses (select from any knowledge area MOTR courses to make at least 42 MOTR credit hours; approximately 5 MOTR credits).

Eligibility for CORE 42 completion instead of Missouri State University General Education is determined using the following criteria:

• Student has transferred to Missouri State University in the spring 2019 semester or later from a Missouri public college or university.
• Student has earned 12 or more transferable credit hours at a Missouri public college or university following graduation from high school (credits earned through dual credit do not count in eligibility).

Changing your General Education Placement

• A transfer student that has been initially placed on CORE 42 because of meeting the eligibility requirements above may request to be placed instead on the Missouri State University General Education requirements. A student may submit a request through the Office of the Registrar for this change.
• A student who initially enrolls at Missouri State as a degree-seeking student during or after the Fall 2018 semester and who has transfer credits from a Missouri public institution, but who does not meet the above criteria for eligibility (i.e., and is placed under Missouri State general education requirements) may appeal to be placed under Missouri CORE 42 requirements instead (appeals made to the Associate Vice President for Student Success).

Contact

Contact

Administrator

Kelly S. Wood, PhD, Associate Vice President for Student Success

Office                                                             

Meyer Library 116                                       

Phone       

417-836-8346 

Website

MissouriState.edu/GeneralEducation