General Education Requirements
At Coker University, general education is part of a larger commitment by the university to provide students with grounding in the liberal arts as well as learning experiences that span academic, reflective, and active forms. General education at Coker University fuses experiences in and out of the classroom, affording students opportunities to increase their intellect, their ability to think critically, and their reflective capacities.
General education should work with a student’s larger educational experience. At Coker University, our general education program develops students’ intentional learning skills as described by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Intentional learners integrate knowledge and apply it to new situations, are empowered through intellectual and practical skills, are informed by deep and broad ideas from many fields, and are responsible for their own values and the values of the larger society. These skills help students to become flexible employees, engaged citizens, and lifelong learners once they leave campus.
While on campus, the learning experiences in general education help students connect foundational and liberal arts learning to more focused disciplinary study. General education courses also afford students opportunities to reflect on their own development and their roles within the variety of communities to which they belong. The General Education Program fulfills Coker University’s mission and encourages students to engage in the Coker University Student Covenant by providing a basis for lifelong learning, personal growth, and service to others.
The General Education Program is organized into the following:
- Foundational Prerequisites (placement exemption available)
- The Intellectual Foundation - essential skill areas required for lifelong learning
- University Success Courses - building pragmatic skills for navigating the Coker University experience
- Liberal Arts Knowledge Area - liberal arts courses designed to foster the qualities and reflect the breadth of the liberal arts.
The distribution of courses and a listing of courses that meet the General Education Program requirements are given below. Courses previously designated or designated in the future as General Education may count in one of the areas listed below, subject to approval of the faculty.
Foundational Prerequisites (placement exemption available)
| Distribution of General Education |
# of credits |
| ENG 110 |
3 |
| MAT 103 |
3 |
| Total |
6 |
Intellectual Foundation
The courses fulfilling this requirement foster skills that are critical for students’ further academic achievement and professional success, as well as encourage lifelong inquiry, learning, and wellbeing.
After completing the Intellectual Foundation requirements, students will be able to:
- write and speak effectively with an awareness of context, purpose and audience
- be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively and responsibly use and share information
University Success Courses
These courses focus on building pragmatic skills for navigating the Coker University experience.
| Distribution of General Education Credits |
# of credits |
| CU 101 |
1 |
| CU 102 or major specific freshman seminar |
1 |
| Coker Wellness Activity* |
1 |
| Total |
3 |
Transfer students who have completed a year on a university/college campus and transfer in as a sophomore (at least 28 hours) will receive credit for Coker University 101 and 102 (or the equivalent major first-year seminar course).
PE 120 and PE 215 may be substituted for the Wellness requirement.
*All Physical Education majors meet the Coker Wellness requirement as a part of their program.
Liberal Arts Knowledge Area
Students take seven Liberal Arts Knowledge Area courses from a variety of disciplines.
Students must select at least one course in each of the following areas: Arts, Behavioral/Social Science, Humanities, Quantitative Literacy, and Natural Science, and two courses in Global
Perspectives and Cultures.
After completing the Liberal Arts Knowledge Area requirements, students will be able to:
- Arts Learning Objective: Gain a broader understanding and appreciation of intellectual/cultural activity and/or develop creative capacities
- Behavioral/Social Science Learning Objective: Identify and understand significant ideas and thinkers in these fields and begin to apply these ideas to specific cases
- Humanities Learning Objective: Understand and articulate some of the ways that human societies construct and reflect ideas and values
- Quantitative Literacy Learning Objective: Utilize appropriate methods of mathematics, statistics, or analytical reasoning to evaluate data, solve problems, and effectively communicate findings.
- Natural Science Learning Objective: Interpret natural phenomena through scientific knowledge, predict outcomes, and apply the scientific method in order to test hypotheses and gain a more complete understanding of the physical and natural world
- Global Perspectives and Cultures Learning Objective: Develop knowledge and understanding of diverse perspectives, global awareness, or other cultures.
| Distribution of Liberal Arts Knowledge Area Credits |
# of credits |
| Arts |
3 |
| Humanities |
3 |
| Behavioral/Social Science |
3 |
| Quantitative Literacy |
3-4 |
| Natural Science |
3 |
| Global Perspectives |
3 |
| Total |
21-22 |
View Liberal Arts Knowledge Area list of courses