General Education and Professional Competency Requirements

The 🌐 icon appears in the title of traditional courses that are also available as a set of module courses.  

General Education Literacies

The primary goal of general education requirements is to help ensure you are literate in each of the general education areas listed below. This means you understand and can apply the basic concepts of ethics, critical thinking, research, technology, arts and humanities, communication, mathematics, science, and social science. To help accomplish this goal, general education requirements include six courses within the bachelor's degree programs in communication, mathematics, science, social science, and arts and humanities. A seventh course in professionalism and career development ensures you become a strong, career-focused professional. These courses are designed to introduce you to the basic concepts, terminology, and methodology of each area. Furthermore, each traditional course and each collection of module courses offered at Purdue Global includes a communications assignment and the use of technology, reinforcing the communications and technology literacies. Each traditional course and each collection of module courses also includes a unit of study based on one of the remaining seven literacies. These courses and units of study address practical issues and encourage you to reflect on your personal experience. Through repeated practice and study throughout your program, you will understand the interrelationship of broad fields of human inquiry and how they apply to your personal and professional life.

Refer to the individual program descriptions for more information.

Arts and Humanities Literacy

Outcome

Recognize human potential through a study of human expressions.

Requirement

One course in arts or humanities in bachelor's degree programs.1 A quarter of the elective courses offered at the University will include a unit that applies art concepts to the content of the course.

1

Must be fulfilled by HU200 🌐 Arts and Humanities - Modern Creative Expressions, HU245 🌐 Ethics, HU250 🌐 Humanities and Culture, or their equivalent (via transfer credit).

Communications Literacy

Outcome

Demonstrate college-level communication through a variety of media.

Requirement

Two 100/200-level courses in communications in associate's and bachelor's degree programs.2 Each course offered at the University will also include a communications assignment that will be assessed using a common rubric.

2

Must be fulfilled by CM107 🌐 College Composition I and CM220 🌐 College Composition II or their equivalents (via transfer credit).

Critical Thinking Literacy

Outcome

Apply critical thinking to real-life situations.

Requirement

One-third of the required courses in each program will include a unit that teaches critical thinking and applies it to the content of the course.

Ethics Literacy

Outcome

Comprehend, apply, and evaluate ethical reasoning.

Requirement

One-third of the required courses in each program will include a unit that teaches ethics and applies them to the content of the course.

Mathematics Literacy

Outcome

Apply quantitative reasoning to real-world situations.

Requirement

One 100/200-level course in mathematics in associate's and bachelor's degree programs.3 A quarter of the elective courses offered at the University will include a mathematics unit that applies math concepts to the content of the course.

3

Must be fulfilled by MM150 🌐 Survey of Mathematics, MM207 🌐 Statistics, MM212 🌐 College Algebra, or their equivalent (via transfer credit).

Professionalism and Career Development Literacy

Outcome

Apply skills which support career and professional success.

Requirement

One course in professionalism and career development in bachelor's degree programs, which includes an oral communication component.4

4

Must be fulfilled by CS212 🌐 Communicating Professionalism or its equivalent (via transfer credit).

Research and Information Literacy

Outcome

Apply methods for finding, evaluating, and using resources to undertake research.

Requirement

One-third of the required courses in each program will include a unit that teaches research skills and applies them to the content of the course.

Science Literacy

Outcome

Analyze how scientific principles are applied in real-world contexts.

Requirement

One course in science in bachelor's degree programs.5 A quarter of the elective courses offered at the University will include a science unit that applies science concepts to the content of the course.

5

Must be fulfilled by SC200 🌐 Discovering Science - Current Issues in a Changing World, SC225 Environmental Science, SC235 🌐 Human Biology, SC246 🌐 Fundamentals of Microbiology, SC250 🌐 Fundamentals of Science, or their equivalent (via transfer credit).

Social Science Literacy

Outcome

Critically evaluate social or psychological issues that impact human behavior.

Requirement

One course in social science in bachelor's degree programs.6 A quarter of the elective courses offered at the University will include a unit that applies social science concepts to the content of the course.

6

Must be fulfilled by SS236 🌐 American Government, SS238 🌐 Engagement - Civic- and Citizen-Driven Public Policy, SS250 🌐 Technology and Society, or their equivalent (via transfer credit).

Technology Literacy

Outcome

Use information technology to solve real-world problems and communicate effectively.

Requirement

Technology is included in context throughout each program at the University, in a manner that reflects its use in your professional field of study.

Professional Competencies 

At Purdue Global, we offer a wide array of programs designed to prepare you for success in your chosen career field. We believe that professionalism is the key to career success. Exhibiting professionalism allows you to engage in behaviors that contribute to a positive, productive, and cohesive work environment. In addition to understanding and applying the basic concepts of communication and problem solving and critical thinking, which are part of the general education literacies above, you will have the opportunity to develop competencies in the areas of teamwork, leadership, personal presentation, and multiculturalism and diversity. Through repeated practice and study throughout your academic program, you will understand and learn to exhibit professionalism in your chosen career. Each outcome will be present in one-quarter of all major requirement courses.

  1. Teamwork: Work in teams to achieve collective goals.
  2. Leadership: Demonstrate leadership knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully lead teams within one's profession.
  3. Personal Presentation: Demonstrate professionalism in a variety of situations.
  4. Multiculturalism and Diversity: Leverage the strengths of multiculturalism and diversity for the benefit of the organization and community.