General Education Requirements
All students pursuing bachelor’s degrees must complete the following requirements:
General Education Model
Background:
The goals of this general education model are: (1) to integrate the Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) into a curriculum, (2) to give students exposure to a broad range of courses as well as choices from a variety of liberal arts disciplines to serve as a foundation for life-long learning, (3) to provide ease of transfer from other IAI participating institutions, and (4) to allow Rockford University students to be immersed in the local community, become globally aware citizens, and learn how to make connections between disciplines for insightful analysis and action. Every course approved for General Education credit must meet the designated criteria for at least one of the Student Learning Outcomes.
Foundations for Life-Long Learning
All students pursuing bachelor’s degrees must complete the following requirements:
- First-Year Seminar: 3 credits (required of new students or students with 20 credits or less in transfer)
- Writing Sequence: 6 credits – RHET 101, RHET 102
- Arts and Humanities: 12 credits – at least 1 studio course and 1 humanities course, and no more than 6 credits from any one discipline. Bachelor of Arts students who have fulfilled the 12-credit foreign language requirement may take additional foreign language courses to fulfill this requirement.
- Lifetime Wellness: 2 credits, includes Wellness (PHYP 110) and an activity class
- Science, Math, and Technology: 10 credits – including one science with a lab and one math class.
- Social Sciences: 9 credits – no more than 6 credits from any one discipline.
Each of the Student Learning Outcomes below will be met with courses from the 42 foundational credits above:
- Creative Thinking
- Critical Thinking
- Global Learning
- Quantitative Literacy
- Written Communication
In addition, students must meet the following degree-specific requirements:
- For the Bachelor of Arts degree – an additional 0-12 credits in a single foreign language (achieving intermediate proficiency) following placement testing.
- For the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees – an additional 4 credits in science, mathematics, computer science, or social science.
- For the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree – an additional 6 credits in arts courses (either fine or performing arts).
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
1. Written Communication Skills
Students will communicate in writing clearly and effectively for a given purpose, audience, and context using a variety of media across a range of disciplines and purposes.
2. Critical Thinking
Students will consider ideas from different disciplines in new contexts, evaluate others’ arguments as well as create and develop their own arguments in response, based on an informed and critical evaluation of available evidence.
3. Global Learning
Students will gain awareness of differences in global perspectives by analyzing diverse societies, including their own, and considering social, political, economic, historical, cultural, and environmental and other aspects.
4. Quantitative Literacy
Students will use quantitative analysis tools and evidence to understand problems in social, cultural, or scientific contexts and propose creative solutions.
5. Creative Thinking
Students will develop the capacity to combine existing ideas, images, or expertise in original ways while harnessing innovation, divergent thinking, and risk-taking for their own thinking and working.