General Education Program

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Guidelines for evaluating completion of general education requirements: second bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and transfer credit

Approved by the General Education Advisory Council October 5, 2005

Students Affected by these Guidelines

All guidelines described here apply to students graduating under the 2004-05 or later ETSU catalog.

Students graduating under earlier ETSU catalogs must meet the general education requirements published in the respective catalogs unless exceptions are approved by Arts and Sciences in the ARC.
Students may change catalogs one time only by written request to the Graduation Office. A free change is acceptable for transfer students who wish to revert from the default catalog year (i.e., the year in which they transferred to ETSU) to the catalog in effect when they began higher education.

ETSU General Education Courses

For a list of ETSU courses that fulfill general education requirements, go to general education requirements for students entering fall 2004.

Second Bachelor’s Degrees

Students with first bachelor’s degrees from regionally accredited institutions seeking second bachelor’s degrees from ETSU will be considered to have met all general education requirements.

Associate Degrees

Students with Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Sciences (AS) degrees from TBR institutions are considered to have completed general education requirements at ETSU. This is true regardless of when the associate degree was awarded. By order of the Tennessee legislature all students must complete two semesters of U.S. history.

Students with AA and AS degrees from non-TBR institutions may apply to Arts and Sciences in the ARC for evaluation of completion of general education requirements. These students’ transcripts will be evaluated for similarity to the TBR’s general education requirements, but individual general education courses and blocks will not be required to match exactly those of TBR institutions. Decisions regarding the degree of similarity will be made by the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences, with appeal opportunities to the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Students with Associate of Applied Sciences (AAS) degrees from any institution, within or outside the TBR system, will have their transfer transcripts analyzed course-by-course to determine equivalencies, if any, to ETSU general education courses. Any ETSU general education requirements not satisfied as a result of this analysis must be met.

Transfer Credit

Students Transferring from TBR Institutions

Effective fall 2004 general education requirements in the TBR system comprise blocks, such as Communication and Natural Sciences. Students who complete general education blocks at TBR institutions before they transfer to ETSU are considered to have met the blocks at ETSU, even when students failed to complete the associate degree and the particular courses taken to satisfy the blocks are not equivalent to courses in ETSU’s general education core.

Students will be considered to have partially completed general education blocks when courses they have taken at TBR institutions are recognized by those institutions as meeting respective blocks. The exception is two semesters of U.S. History, which students must complete by act of the Tennessee legislature.

Students from Non-TBR Institutions

Student transferring from non-TBR institutions must meet all general education requirements at ETSU, regardless of how courses taken at other institutions may have met general education requirements at the previous non-TBR institutions.

Advanced Placement Credit, Course Substitutions and Waivers of Requirements Granted by Other Institutions

ETSU does not recognize completion of general education blocks when previous institutions, within or outside the TBR system, (a) award advanced placement credit, (b) permit general education course substitutions or (c) waive general education requirements. Any advanced placement credit, substitutions or waivers related to general education must meet standards approved by ETSU.

Other Guidelines Regarding General Education and Transfer

Some institutions or particular academic departments within institutions require a minimum grade of “C” in certain general education courses. These minimum grade requirements will also apply to the transfer of general education courses. Even if transfer credit hours are granted for a course, any requirement for a minimum grade of “C” by the receiving institution will be enforced.

Certain majors require students to take particular courses to fulfill general education requirements. Students and their academic advisors should note any major-specific stipulations regarding fulfillment of general education requirements.

This page updated on November 7, 2005