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 total credits, B.S. Child Development Dual Concentration minimum 50 total credits)

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 or 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 two 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
(6-week)
or
ENGL 1001e*
(12-week) 		 English Composition
Required of all undergraduate students 		 5 
ENGL 2002  Professional Writing for Successful Communication  5 

*Starting December 2012

Humanities

(Minimum of two 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 two courses)

Course Code  Course Title  Credits 
BIOL 1001
(6-week)
or
BIOL 1001e
(12-week) 		 Introduction to Biology  5 
BIOL 2320  Nutritional Sciences  5 
BIOL 3020
(6-week)
or
BIOL 3020e
(12-week) 		 Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology  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 two 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
(6-week)
or
PSYC 1001e
(12-week) 		 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 courses. 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
or
STAT 3001* 		 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.