Nov 21, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

UNLV General Education Core Requirements


General Education Core Requirements: 17-21 Credits

First-Year Seminar…………………….2-3 credits

A required first-year course, the First-Year Seminar (FYS) introduces students to the University Undergraduate Learning Outcomes (UULOs) through reading, writing, and critical thinking. This course will provide a foundation for students’ general education experience and introduce integration of the UULOs into any major field of study. It will introduce through the Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: inquiry and critical thinking, written and oral communication, citizenship and ethics, global and multicultural issues, and intellectual breadth and lifelong learning.
All students are required to satisfactorily complete a designated FYS before completing 30 credits. To meet this requirement, students can take and complete any approved FYS that is offered by any college or department. The University FYS requirement is for a minimum of 2 credits. A college or department may elect to require an additional 1 credit of material specific to a particular major. Students changing majors need not repeat the 2-credit University FYS requirement, but may be required to complete the additional 1 credit college or department requirement for their major. Approved FYS courses currently include: BUS 103 CFA 100 CFA 101 CFA 102 COE 103 COLA 100E , COLA 100I COLA 100LA EGG 101  in combination with EGG 202  or ME 202 GSC 100 GWK 100 HMD 100 , HON 105 HSC 100 , HSC 100B  , and SCI 101 

 

English Composition…………………..6 credits

English 101 and 102 or their equivalents. These courses should be successfully completed during the student’s first year at UNLV, and must be completed prior to the end of the second year. Please see the catalog Admissions Section, the UNLV English composition program website or the UNLV Class Schedule website for current ACT/SAT placement test scores that will guide placement in the appropriate English composition class. Students with ACT English scores of 30 or higher, or SAT Writing or Critical Reading scores of 660 or higher place out of ENG 101   and need only take and successfully complete ENG 102  . Minimum CLEP scores and Advanced Placement scores that satisfy the ENG 101 requirement are listed in the Admissions section of the catalog under the heading Nontraditional Credit. Students interested in alternate placement testing should contact the English composition program. Students whose first language is not English may take and successfully complete ENG 113  as an alternative to ENG 101 and ENG 114  as an alternative to ENG 102. All students must take and successfully complete ENG 102 or ENG 114; there is no exemption at UNLV.

 

Second-Year Seminar………………..3 credits
A required second-year course, the Second-Year Seminar (SYS) engages students more intensively with the learning outcomes through extensive reading, writing, and critical thinking.  These seminars explore issues relevant to contemporary global society within their larger contexts, including but not limited to aspects of literature, history, politics, economics, philosophy, and scientific discovery. They reinforce the UULOs of global awareness, ethics, civic engagement, oral and written communication and critical thinking introduced in the First-Year Seminar.
All students must satisfactorily complete a designated SYS before completing 60 credits. Students from any college or major may take any approved SYS to meet the requirement. Students who have already successfully passed an SYS course do not need to retake an SYS course, even if they declare or change their majors. Approved SYS courses currently include: BIOL 207 BIOL 217 , COE 202 COE 303 ENG 231 ENG 231E ENG 231S ENG 232 ENG 232A GSC 300 PBH 205 PHIL 242 , and SCI 201 .

The following are prerequisites for SYS courses: FYS, ENG 101 and ENG 102 (or equivalent).

 

Constitutions……………………………..3-6 credits
All students must satisfactorily complete courses examining the Constitutions of both the United States and the State of Nevada. Transfer students who have already successfully completed a satisfactory 3 semester-credit U.S. Constitutions course from a regionally-accredited institution must successfully complete a satisfactory Nevada Constitutions course. Current UNLV courses that satisfy the Constitutions requirements are:

 

Mathematics Requirement…………..3 credits
Any 100 or 200-level MATH course except MATH 115   or MATH 122  . 

MATH 120E , MATH 124E , and MATH 126E  satisfy the requirement only when completed in combination with the appropriate co-requisite support course (MATH 20B, MATH 24B, or MATH 26B, respectively). Mathematics course requirements are college-specific; therefore, students should check with the Advising Center of their major to determine what mathematics course is required. This course should be satisfactorily completed during the student’s first year at UNLV and must be completed prior to the end of the second year. Please see the Student Success Math Placement web page at https://www.unlv.edu/studentsuccess/math-placement for information on placement in the appropriate MATH class or for placement testing options.

 

Please check the Faculty Senate General Education Committee web page at https://www.unlv.edu/facultysenate/committees/gen-ed and the UNLV Class Schedule for up-to-date lists of all approved courses to fulfill the UNLV General Education Core Requirements.

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