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Kent Core (general education requirements) PDFDownload to print

The Kent Core is the foundation of the university's mission to prepare students to live in today's complex, global society. It broadens intellectual perspectives, fosters ethical and humanitarian values and prepares students for responsible citizenship and productive careers. Through this learning experience, students develop the intellectual flexibility they need to adapt to an ever-changing world. Kent Core courses enable students to:

  • Acquire critical-thinking and problem-solving skills
  • Apply principles of effective written and oral communication
  • Broaden their imagination and develop their creativity
  • Cultivate their natural curiosity and begin a lifelong pursuit of knowledge
  • Develop competencies and values vital to responsible uses of information and technology
  • Engage in independent thinking, develop their own voice and vision and become informed, responsible citizens
  • Improve their understanding of issues and behaviors concerning inclusion, community and tolerance
  • Increase their awareness of ethical implications of their own and others' actions
  • Integrate their major studies into the broader context of a liberal education
  • Strengthen quantitative reasoning skills
  • Understand basic concepts of the academic disciplines

Although not every Kent Core course will address all these goals, learning within the Kent Core as a whole enables students to acquire the tools for living rich and meaningful lives in a diverse society.

Guidelines

  • As part of the requirements for any baccalaureate, all students must complete a minimum 36-37 semester credit hours of the Kent Core distributed as indicated with the specific categories.
  • Colleges or degree programs may augment the university's minimum Kent Core, and they may specify for their students certain courses in fulfillment of the requirements. It is essential, therefore, that students consult that section of the catalog  for their college and degree program.
  • The Kent Core should normally be completed within the 60 semester hours that immediately follow the first date of enrollment in a baccalaureate program.
  • Honors equivalents shall satisfy the Kent Core.
  • None of the courses on the Kent Core list may be taken pass/fail.

Kent Core Coursework (36-37 credit hours)
 

I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
    Composition (6 credit hours)
Mathematics and Critical Reasoning (3 credit hours)
Humanities and Fine Arts (9 credit hours)
Social Sciences (6 credit hours)
Basic Sciences (6-7 credit hours)
Additional Courses (6 credit hours)

Transfer credit, proficiency testing and other options in meeting the Kent Core

Kent Core course listing in PDF format

LEGEND

TM Transfer Module   G Global Diversity
LAB Laboratory D Domestic Diversity

Students majoring in a program in the College of Arts and Sciences must adhere also to that college's general requirements for the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science. None of the courses on the Kent Core list may be taken with a pass/fail grade.

I.   COMPOSITION (6 credit hours)
    Please see information on proficiency in meeting this category.
    English (ENG)
TM   11011 College Writing I (3)
TM     or 11002 College Writing I–Stretch (3)
TM   21011 College Writing II (3)
    Honors (HONR)
    10197 Freshman Honors Colloquium I (4)
    10297 Freshman Honors Colloquium II (4)
     
II.   MATHEMATICS AND CRITICAL REASONING (3 credit hours)
    Please see information on proficiency in meeting this category.
    Computer Science (CS)
    10051 Introduction to Computer Science (4)
    Mathematics (MATH)
    11008 Explorations in Modern Mathematics (3)
    11009 Modeling Algebra (4)
    11010 Algebra for Calculus (3)
    11012 Intuitive Calculus (3)
    11022 Trigonometry (3)
    12001 Algebra and Trigonometry (5)
    12002 Analytic Geometry and Calculus I (5)
TM   12011 Calculus with Precalculus I (3)
TM   12012 Calculus with Precalculus II (3)
    14001 Basic Mathematical Concepts I (4)
    14002 Basic Mathematical Concepts II (4)
    Philosophy (PHIL)
TM   21002 Introduction to Formal Logic (3)
     
III.   HUMANITIES AND FINE ARTS (9 credit hours)
    At least one course must be selected from the Humanities in Arts and Sciences area, and a least one course must be selected from the Fine Arts area.
    Humanities in Arts and Sciences
    Classics (CLAS)
G TM   21404 The Greek Achievement (3)
G TM   21405 The Roman Achievement (3)
TM   English (ENG)
TM   21054 Introduction to Shakespeare (3)
TM   22071 Great Books I (3)
TM   22072 Great Books II (3)
TM   22073 Major Modern Writers: British and United States (3)
TM   History (HIST)
G TM   11050 History of Civilization I (3)
G TM   11051 History of Civilization II (3)
D TM   12070 History of the United States: The Formative Period (3)
D TM   12071 History of the United States: The Modern Period (3)
    Pan-African Studies (PAS)
G TM   23001 Black Experience I: Beginnings to 1865 (3)
D TM   23002 Black Experience II: 1865 to Present (3)
    Philosophy (PHIL)
G TM   11001 Introduction to Philosophy (3)
G TM   21001 Introduction to Ethics (3)
G TM   21020 Comparative Religious Thought I (3)
G TM   21021 Comparative Religious Thought II (3)
    Humanities in Communication and Information
    Communication Studies (COMM)
D TM   26000 Criticism of Public Discourse (3)
    Fine Arts
    Architecture (ARCH)
TM   10001 Understanding Architecture (3)
TM   10011 Survey of Architectural History I (3)
TM   10012 Survey of Architectural History II (3)
    Art History (ARTH)
TM   12001 Art as a World Phnomenon (3)
TM   22006 Art History I: Ancient and Medieval Art (3)
TM   22007 Art History II: Renaissance to Modern Art (3)
G TM   22020 Art of Africa, Oceania and the Americas (3)
    Dance (DAN)
G TM   27076 Dance as an Art Form (3)
    Music (MUS)
TM   22111 The Understanding of Music
G TM   22121 Music as a World Phenomenon (3)
    Theatre (THEA)
G TM   11000 The Art of the Theatre (3)
     
IV.   SOCIAL SCIENCES (6 credit hours)
    Courses must be selected from two curricular areas.
    Anthropology (ANTH)
G TM   18210 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3)
G TM   18420 Introduction to Archaeology (3)
    Center for Applied Conflict Management (CACM)
D TM   11001 Introduction to Conflict Management (3)
    Economics (ECON)
TM   22060 Principles of Microeconomics (3)
TM   22061 Principles of Macroeconomics (3)
    Geography (GEOG)
TM   10160 Introduction to Geography (3)
G TM   17063 World Geography (3)
D TM   17064 Geography of the United States and Canada (3)
G TM   22061 Human Geography (3)
    Gerontology (GERO)
D TM   14029 Introduction to Gerontology (3)
    Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC)
D TM   20001 Media, Power and Culture (3)
    Justice Studies (JUS)
TM   26704 Issues in Law and Society (3)
    Political Science (POL)
G TM   10004 Comparative Politics (3)
D TM   10100 American Politics (3)
D TM   10301 Diversity in American Public Policy (3)
G TM   10500 World Politics (3)
    Psychology (PSYC)
D TM   11762 General Psychology (3)
D TM   20651 Child Psychology (3)
D TM   21211 Psychology of Adjustment (3)
D TM   22221 Multicultural Psychology (3)
    Sociology (SOC)
D TM   12050 Introduction to Sociology (3)
G TM   22778 Social Problems (3)
     
V.   BASIC SCIENCES (6-7 credit hours)
    At least one laboratory course (marked "LAB") must be selected. Beginning "major sequences" courses in biological sciences (BSCI 10110, 10120) and (11010 and 11020), chemistry (CHEM 10060, 10061, 10062, 10063, 10960, 10961) and physics (PHY 23101, 23102) may be substituted for those courses listed below.
    Anthropology (ANTH)
TM   18630 Human Evolution (3)
LAB TM   18631 Issues in Human Evolution (1) (Pre/corequisite 18630)
    Biological Sciences (BSCI)
TM   10001 Human Biology (3)
TM   10002 Life on Planet Earth (3)
LAB TM   10003 Laboratory Experience in Biology (1) (Pre/corequisite 10001 or 10002)
LAB TM   20020 Biological Structure and Function (5)
    Chemistry (CHEM)
TM   10030 Chemistry in Our World (3)
LAB TM   10031 Chemistry in Our World Laboratory (1) (Pre/corequisite 10030)
TM   10050 Fundamentals of Chemistry (3)
TM   10052 Introduction to Organic Chemistry (2)
LAB TM   10053 Inorganic and Organic Laboratory (1) (Corequisite 10052)
TM   10054 General and Elementary Organic Chemistry (5)
    Geography (GEOG)
TM   21062 Physical Geography (3)
LAB TM   21063 Physical Geography Laboratory (1) (Pre/corequisite 21062)
    Geology (GEOL)
TM   11040 Earth Dynamics (3)
LAB TM   11041 Earth Dynamics Laboratory (1) (Pre/corequisite 11040)
TM   11042 Earth History (3)
LAB TM   11043 Earth History Laboratory (1) (Pre/corequisite 11042)
TM   21062 Environmental Geology (3)
TM   21080 Oceanography (3)
    Nutrition and Dietetics (NUTR)
    23511 Science of Human Nutrition (3)
    Physics (PHY)
TM   11030 Seven Ideas that Shook the Universe (3)
TM   11660 Physical Science (3)
TM   13001 General College Physics I (4)
TM   13002 General College Physics II (4)
TM   13011 College Physics I (2)
TM   13012 College Physics II (2)
LAB   13021 General College Physics Laboratory I (1) (Corequisite 13001 or 13011)
LAB   13022 General College Physics Laboratory II (1) (Corequisite 13002 or 13012)
TM   21040 Physics in Entertainment and the Arts (3)
LAB TM   21041 Physics in Entertainment and the Arts Laboratory (1) (Pre/corequisite 21040)
TM   21430 Frontiers in Astronomy (3)
LAB   21431 Frontiers in Astronomy Laboratory (1) (Pre/corequisite 21430)
     
VI.   ADDITIONAL COURSES (6 credit hours)
    Select courses from above (no more than one course per category). One or both of the following courses may also be selected:
    Communication Studies (COMM)
TM   15000 Introduction to Human Communication (3)
    Philosophy (PHIL)
    11009 Principles of Thinking (3)
     
    DIVERSITY
    All students must complete a two-course diversity requirement, consisting of one with a domestic (U.S.) focus and one with a global focus. At least one course must be taken from the Kent Core, marked above as "G" (global) or "D" (domestic). This course may count both for the diversity requirement and for the Kent Core category in which it is listed. Visit the diversity requirement page for a complete course listing.