General Education Curriculum

(For students matriculating in fall 2024 and later; pending Board of Governors approval)

The general education curriculum is designed to ensure that every undergraduate student graduates as an informed citizen through participation in rigorous general education courses that equip students with the academic tools they will need to succeed, not only as undergraduates in their degree programs, but also as responsible citizens in a complex world. Click here for more information.

Students must complete a minimum of 36 credit hours of general education coursework. This requirement includes a minimum of 15 credit hours mandated by the State of Florida General Education Core and up to 21 credit hours of General Education Institutional requirements, distributed as indicated in five subject areas.

Subject Area

[Group A] State of Florida General Education Core 

[Group B] General Education Institutional Requirements* Total
Communications 3 3 6
Humanities 3 3 6
Social Science 3 3 6
Natural Science 3 3 6
Mathematics 3 3 6
Additional Enrichment** 0 6 6
Total 15 21 36

*Students may satisfy [Group B] General Education Institutional Requirements with [Group A] State of Florida General Education Core courses from the same subject area

** Choose 6 credits from Humanities, Social Science, or Natural Science

Some majors require or recommend specific General Education courses. Make sure to check with your academic advisor.

Students who enter FAU without an Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree from a Florida state school must fulfill the University's general education requirements. A course may be used to simultaneously satisfy a general education curriculum requirement and a requirement of the student’s major program. All course selections should be made in consultation with an academic advisor.

For students who enter FAU holding the Associate in Science (A.S.) degree from a Florida public community or state college: The Associate in Science degree prepares students for entry into employment, but it is also a transfer degree and basis for admission to a related baccalaureate degree program at FAU. Courses taken as part of the Associate in Science degree at a Florida public community or state college to meet the general education requirements will transfer and apply toward the thirty-six (36) general education credits required for the baccalaureate degree at FAU. Since Associate in Science degrees typically require 15 credits of general education coursework, students must complete the remaining credits of general education coursework at FAU.

General education core courses implement the required principles, standards, and content in accordance with section 1007.55, Florida Statutes. Each general education core course option contains high-level academic and critical thinking skills and common competencies that students must demonstrate to successfully complete the course. Prior to the award of an associate in arts or baccalaureate degree, a student entering a state university as a first-time-in-college student in the fall term 2015 and thereafter must complete at least one course from each of the general education subject areas listed in this section.

  I. Communication (6 credit hours required; a grade of "C" or higher is required in each course)

Communication courses afford students the ability to communicate effectively, including the ability to write clearly and engage in public speaking. Students who complete the Communication requirement will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills by exhibiting the control
    of rhetorical elements that include clarity, coherence, comprehensiveness and
    mechanical correctness.
  2. Analyze, interpret and evaluate information to formulate critical conclusions and
    arguments.
  3. Identify and apply standards of academic integrity.

Communication Courses
(6 credits required; a grade of "C" or higher required in each course)
Students must choose two of the following courses, one of which must be from Group A.
[Group A] State of Florida General Education Core
ENC 1101   College Writing 1 (required) (WAC)  3 credits
Or a course with an ENC prefix for which ENC 1101 is a direct prerequisite
[Group B] General Education Institutional Course Options
ENC 1102   College Writing 2 (WAC)  3 credits
The following courses may be substituted for ENC 1102:

  • ENC 1930   University Honors Seminar in Writing (WAC) (for Wilkes Honors College and University Honors Program students only)  3 credits
  • ENC 1939   Special Topics: College Writing 2 (WAC)  3 credits
  • HIS 2050   Writing History (WAC)  3 credits

Note 1: Upon successful completion of ENC 1101 with a grade of “C” or higher), students will earn a badge for “Fundamentals of Written Communication,” transferable across all Florida institutions of higher education. 

Note 2: Students must take four Writing-Across-the-Curriculum (WAC) courses, two of which must be taken from the Communication subject area to comply with the State Board of Education college level communication and computation skill requirement (also known as the Gordon Rule) 

  II. Humanities (6 credit hours required) 

Humanities courses afford students the ability to think critically through the mastering of subjects concerned with human culture, especially literature, history, art, music, and philosophy, including selections from the Western canon. Students fulfilling the humanities requirement will:

  1. Demonstrate understanding of various forms of human expression.
  2. Reflect critically on subjects concerned with human culture. 

Students must take two of the following courses, one of which must be from group A. The second course may be from group A or group B.

[Group A] State of Florida General Education Core

ARH 2000  Art Appreciation
MUL 2010  History and Appreciation of Music
PHI 2010    Introduction to Philosophy (WAC)
THE 2000   Appreciation of Theatre
HUM 2020    Honors Introduction to Humanities (for Wilkes Honors College and University Honors Program students only)
LIT 2000        Honors Introduction to Literature (for Wilkes Honors College and University Honors Program students only)

[Group B] General Education Institutional Course Options

ARC 2208     Culture and Architecture: The Master Builder
DAN 2100    Appreciation of Dance
FIL 2000       Film Appreciation or Honors Film Appreciation (for University Honors Program students only)
JST 2452      Global Jewish Communities
LAS 2000      Introduction to Latin American Studies or Honors Introduction to Caribbean and Latin American Studies (for University Honors Program students only)
LIN 2607    Global Perspectives on Language
LIT 2100     Introduction to World Literature
LIT 2010       Interpretation of Fiction (WAC)
LIT 2030       Interpretation of Poetry (WAC)
LIT 2040       Interpretation of Drama (WAC)
LIT 2070       Interpretation of Creative Nonfiction (WAC)
LIT 2931       Special Topics in Literature (WAC)
MUH 2121    Music in Global Society

SPC 2608     Public Speaking
WOH 2012   History of Civilization 1 (WAC)
WOH 2022   History of Civilization 2

 III. Social Science (6 credit hours required) 

Social science courses afford students an understanding of the basic social and behavioral science concepts and principles used in the analysis of behavior and past and present social, political, and economic issues. Students who satisfy the Social Science requirement will demonstrate the ability to:

  1. Describe patterns of human behavior.
  2. Describe how institutions influence human behavior and how humans influence these
    institutions.
  3. Apply appropriate disciplinary methods to the analysis of social, psychological,
    ethical, political, technological, or economic issues. 

Students must take two of the following courses, one of which must be from group A. The second course may be from group A or group B.

[Group A] State of Florida General Education Core

AMH 2010 & D   United States History to 1877*
AMH 2020 & D   United States History Since 1877*
ANT 2000 & D    Introduction to Anthropology (WAC)
ECO 2013           Macroeconomic Principles
POS 2041            Government of the United States*
PSY 1012             General Psychology

* Fulfills partial requirements for civic literacy

[Group B] General Education Institutional Course Options

ANT 2410            Culture and Society
CCJ 2002            Law, Crime, and the Criminal Justice System
DIG 2202            Digital Culture
ECO 2023           Microeconomic Principles
ECP 2002            Contemporary Economic Issues
EDF 2854            The Educated Citizen in a Global Context
EEX 2091            Disability and Society (or EEX 2091 RI: Disability and Society)
EME 2620           Digital Literacy in a Globally Connected World 
EVR 1110            Climate Change: The Human Dimensions
EVR 2017            Environment and Society
GEA 2000           World Geography
INR 2002             Introduction to World Politics
LIN 2001             Introduction to Language
MAR 2142           Culture, Consumers, and the Global Marketplace
PAD 2081            Risk, Resilience, and Rising Seas
PAD 2258            Changing Environment of Society, Business & Government
POT 2000            Global Political Theory
SOW 1005           Global Perspectives of Social Services
SYG 2010            Social Problems
SYG 1000            Sociological Perspectives
SYP 2450             Global Society
URP 2051             Designing the City

  IV. Natural Science (6 credit hours required)

Natural science courses afford students the ability to critically examine and evaluate the principles of the scientific method, model construction, and use the scientific method to explain natural experiences and phenomena. 

Students who satisfy the Natural Science requirement will be able to:

  1. Explain important scientific concepts, principles and paradigms.
  2. Use the scientific method to explain how principles of scientific inquiry and ethical standards are used to develop and investigate research questions.
  3. Critically evaluate scientific claims, arguments and methodology.
  4. Analyze resulting data and draw appropriate conclusions from such data.

Students must take two of the following courses, one of which must be from group A. The second course may be from group A or group B. One of the courses must have a lab.

[Group A] State of Florida General Education Core

For Non-Science Majors

AST 2002          Introduction to Astronomy 
BSC 1005 & L   Life Science (3 cr. w/Lab, Research Intensive lab is also available)
CHM 1020C     Contemporary Chemical Issues
ESC 2000            Blue Planet (online)
EVR 1001            Environmental Science and Sustainability
GLY 2010C          Physical Geology/Evolution of the Earth (4 cr. w/Lab)
OCE 2001           Introduction to Oceanography or Honors Introduction to Oceanography (for Wilkes Honors College and University Honors Program students only)

For Science Majors

BSC 1010 & L       Biological Principles (4 cr. w/Lab & Dis)
BSC 2085 & L       Anatomy & Physiology 1 (4cr. w/Lab)
CHM 2045 & L     General Chemistry 1 (4cr. w/Lab)
PHY 2048 & L       General Physics 1 (5cr. w/Lab)
PHY 2053             College Physics 1 
Or any course in the Natural sciences for which one of the above general education core course options in Natural Science is the direct prerequisite

Note: PHYX020 is not offered at FAU, but may be transferred in from a Florida public institution

[Group B] General Education Institutional Course Options

For Non-Science Majors

ANT 2511 & L    Introduction to Biological Anthropology (4cr. w/Lab)
ETG 2831           Nature: Inter. of Sci., Eng., & the Humanities
GLY 2100            History of Earth and Life
IDS 2382             Human Mission to Mars
MET 2010           Weather, Climate and Climate Change
PSC 2121            Physical Science

For Science Majors

BSC 1011 & L         Biodiversity (4 cr. w/Lab & Dis)
CHM 2032 & L       General Chemistry for Health Sciences (4 cr. w/Lab)

  V. Mathematics (6 credit hours required; a grade of "C" or higher required in each course)

(For students entering in the 2024-25 academic year and thereafter)

Mathematics courses afford students a mastery of foundational mathematical and computation models and methods by applying such models and methods in problem solving. The Mathematics requirement is intended to give students an appreciation of mathematics and prepare them to think precisely and critically about quantitative problems. Students who satisfy the Mathematics requirement will be able to:

  1. Identify and explain mathematical theories and their applications.
  2. Determine and apply appropriate mathematical and/or computational models and methods in problem solving.
  3. Display quantitative literacy.

Students must take two of the following courses, one of which must be from Group A. The second course may be from Group A or Group B.

[Group A] State of Florida General Education Core

MAC 1105          College Algebra
MAC 2311          Calculus with Analytic Geometry 1 (4 cr.)
MGF 1130          Mathematical Thinking in Context 1
STA 2023            Introductory Statistics
Or any mathematics course for which one of the above general education core course options in Mathematics is the direct prerequisite

[Group B] General Education Institutional Course Options

COP1031C         Computer Programming and Data Literacy for Everyone (For Non-College Engineering & Computer Science majors)
MAC 1114          Trigonometry
MAC 1140          Precalculus Algebra
MAC 1147        Precalculus Algebra & Trigonometry (4 cr.)
MAC 2210        Introduction to Calculus with Applications (4 cr.) (Permit Only)
MAC 2233        Methods of Calculus
MAC 2241        Life Science Calculus 1
MAC 2312        Calculus with Analytic Geometry 2 (4 cr.)
MAP 2491           Mathematics for Biological Sciences 1
MGF 1131        Mathematical Thinking in Context 2
PHI 2102           Logic