General Education Requirements
Our diverse and comprehensive general education curriculum gives you the foundation to connect ideas and apply concepts across disciplines.
- Enhance your creativity as you build real-world problem-solving skills.
- Prepare for 21st-century challenges and opportunities with courses that emphasize social responsibility.
- Take courses in your major while you complete general education requirements.
Read the general education learning outcomes.
General Education Areas and Requirements
(Minimum of 45 cr. total, B.S. Child Development Dual Concentration minimum 50 cr. total)
Note: A minimum of 55 quarter credits must be completed at the 3000 or 4000 level in order to meet program requirements. In some cases, this means that students will need to select 3000 0r 4000 level courses as either general education or elective options. Students should consult their academic advisor if they have questions about individual program requirements.
Written and Oral Communications
(Minimum of 2 courses; COMM 1001 and ENGL 1001 required)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| COMM 1001 | Contemporary Communications
Required of all undergraduate students |
5 |
| COMM 1002 | Group Presentation and Discussion |
5 |
| COMM 1003 | Introduction to Mass Communication | 5 |
| COMM 1004 | Interpersonal Communication | 5 |
| COMM 4001 | Intercultural Communication | 5 |
| ENGL 1001 | English Composition
Required of all undergraduate students |
5 |
| ENGL 2002 | Professional Writing for Successful Communication | 5 |
Humanities
(Minimum of 2 courses)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| ARTS 1001 | Introduction to Fine Arts | 5 |
| ARTS 2001 | Fundamentals of Photographic Arts | 5 |
| ENGL 2050 | Women’s Literature and Social Change | 5 |
| ENGL 2110 | Creative Writing: Fundamentals of Short Fiction | 5 |
| ENGL 3110 | Creative Writing: Contemporary Nonfiction and Poetry | 5 |
| HMNT 3001 | Modern Popular Culture | 5 |
| PHIL 1001 | Introduction to Philosophy | 5 |
| PHIL 2001 | Ethics | 5 |
| PHIL 3010 | Science and Spirituality | 5 |
| RELG 2001 | World Religions | 5 |
Mathematics/Natural Sciences
(Minimum of 2 courses)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| BIOL 1001 | Introduction to Biology | 5 |
| BIOL 2320 | Nutritional Sciences | 5 |
| CHEM 1001 | Introduction to Chemistry | 5 |
| MATH 1030 | College Math‡ | 5 |
| MATH 1040 | College Algebra Concepts† | 5 |
| NASC 1001 | Environmental Science | 5 |
| PHSC 1001 | Earth Science | 5 |
| SCNC 4001 | Analyzing Contemporary Scientific Controversies | 5 |
| STAT 3001 | Statistical Methods and Applications*† | 5 |
*May be taken as an alternative to MATH 1030 in the B.S. in Health Studies
†Required in the B.S. in Accounting, B.S. in Business Administration, B.S. in Computer Information Systems, B.S. in Information Technology, and B.S. in Public Health degree programs.
‡Required in all other B.S. degree programs
Social Sciences
(Minimum of 2 courses; SOCI 4080 required)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| ANTH 3001 | Indigenous Peoples in the Modern World | 5 |
| GEOG 1001 | World Regional Geography | 5 |
| HIST 2005 | World History 1900–1945 | 5 |
| HIST 2006 | World History 1945–2000 | 5 |
| POLI 1001 | American Government | 5 |
| PSYC 1001 | Introduction to Psychology | 5 |
| SOCI 1001 | Introduction to Sociology |
5 |
| SOCI 2001 | Multicultural Dimensions of Society | 5 |
| SOCI 4080 | Social Responsibility
Required of all undergraduate students |
5 |
| IDST 1035 | Self in Society: An Interdisciplinary Approach | 5 |
| IDST 1050 | Interdisciplinary Experience: Identity in a Global Society | 5 |
| IDST 2050 | Interdisciplinary Experience: Sustaining Quality of Life in the City | 5 |
Elective Course
Take at least one additional general education course you have not already completed to meet the minimum requirements of 45 credits. (50 credits for B.S. in Child Development Dual Concentration)
Foundation Course
Many university students find they need to refresh their skills in mathematics before taking college-level. The College of Undergraduate Studies offers a foundational course in mathematics to prepare students for success in their degree programs. This preparatory course has a much lower tuition rate than college-level courses. The course does not apply to graduation and is not transferable to other institutions of higher education.
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| MATH 0090 | Basic Algebra | 5 |
Elective Writing and Math Courses
The following courses are designed to prepare students for their required composition or mathematics general education requirements. Course credit applies toward degree completion as elective credit, but will not fulfill general education requirements.
| Course Code | Course Title |
| ENGL 1000 | Academic Writing |
| MATH 1010 | Intermediate College Math |
| MATH 1020 | Intermediate Algebra |
Courses That Must Be Taken at Walden
WLDN 1000 is a required course that must be taken at Walden University with COMM 1001 in the first term.
The following general education courses are required for Bachelor of Science programs. COMM 1001 and SOCI 4080 must be taken at Walden University. The other courses in this table are eligible for transfer credit. Also see the Transfer Maximum by Program table in the Walden University Student Handbook.| Program | Required Communications Courses | Required Math Courses | Required Social Science Courses |
| B.S. in Accounting | COMM 1001 ENGL 1001 |
MATH 1040 | SOCI 4080 |
| B.S. in Business Administration | COMM 1001 ENGL 1001 |
MATH 1040 | SOCI 4080 |
| B.S. in Child Development | COMM 1001 ENGL 1001 |
MATH 1030 | SOCI 2001 SOCI 4080 |
| B.S. in Communication | COMM 1001 ENGL 1001 |
MATH 1030 |
SOCI 4080 |
| B.S. in Computer Information Systems | COMM 1001 ENGL 1001 |
MATH 1040 | SOCI 4080 |
| B.S. in Criminal Justice | COMM 1001 ENGL 1001 |
MATH 1030 | SOCI 4080 |
| B.S. in Educational Studies | COMM 1001 ENGL 1001 |
MATH 1030 |
SOCI 2001 SOCI 4080 |
| B.S. in Health Studies | COMM 1001 ENGL 1001 |
MATH 1030 |
SOCI 4080 |
| B.S. in Healthcare Management | COMM 1001 ENGL 1001 |
MATH 1030* | SOCI 4080 |
| B.S. in Information Technology | COMM 1001 ENGL 1001 |
MATH 1040 | SOCI 4080 |
| B.S. in Instructional Design and Technology | COMM 1001 ENGL 1001 |
MATH 1030 | SOCI 2001 SOCI 4080 |
| B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies | COMM 1001 ENGL 1001 |
MATH 1030 | SOCI 4080 |
| Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) | COMM 1001 | STAT 3001 | SOCI 4080 |
| B.S. in Political Science and Public Administration | COMM 1001 ENGL 1001 |
MATH 1030 Or MATH 1040 |
SOCI 4080 GEOG 1001 |
| B.S. in Psychology | COMM 1001 ENGL 1001 |
MATH 1030 | SOCI 4080 |
*Note: Required math is MATH 1030 (College Math). Students who wish to pursue graduate school should also consider taking STAT 3001 as an elective.
