General Education (Overview)

Definition of General Education

General education comprises that core of knowledge and skills that educated people possess regardless of their particular careers or vocations. The university has adopted the following definition of an “Educated Person” as a guide to its approach to general education:

The collective result of a college experience, through both the curriculum and the co-curricular activities, will be an educated person. Ideally, an educated person can acquire, understand, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and communicate information and knowledge; can think critically, solve problems, and create original work; is proficient in at least one discipline, having familiarity with a broad range of knowledge in other disciplines; and has an ongoing desire to learn, to acknowledge and respect diversity, to appreciate aesthetic values and to maintain a commitment to the improvement of local and global communities. [August 2005]

The university’s general education requirements have been designed to ensure that all students possess the kind of broad education described in the above definition.

General Education Outcomes

The university has identified twelve outcomes that inform the general education component of its degrees. Each outcome describes a competency that all graduates of LSUA’s degree programs are expected to have attained. The outcomes are listed below:

1. The ability to read with comprehension at the college level.
2. The ability to communicate effectively in writing.
3. The ability to communicate effectively through speech.
4. A basic competency in the use of computers.
5. A basic understanding of mathematical and statistical concepts and their applications.
6. A basic understanding of the scientific method and its application.
7. The ability to find, analyze, and synthesize information logically.
8. An awareness and an appreciation of the cultures of the United States and the world.
9. An understanding of the methods of inquiry in the humanities, arts, and social sciences.
10. A basic understanding of the American political and economic system in a global perspective.
11. An appreciation for further education and selfimprovement.
12. A proclivity towards personal responsibility and ethical integrity in academic, professional, and personal situations.

Students seeking associate or baccalaureate degrees are required to take the general education exit exam during their semester of graduation. Detailed information about the exit exam is available from each academic department and from the Office of Academic Affairs.

General Education Requirements

LSUA considers that students should complete a substantial core of general education courses, regardless of their particular program of study. The minimum number of general education courses required by the university’s associate and baccalaureate degrees is presented below. These requirements conform to the general education requirements of the Louisiana Board of Regents.

Associate of Arts

Associate of Science

Baccalaureate Degree

¹ Humanities must include 3 hours of communication studies.

² Natural Sciences must include either six hours of biology and three hours of physical science or six hours of physical science (in a single discipline) and three hours of biology.

Individual degree programs frequently require that students take specific courses to meet the general education requirements presented above. To become familiar with those more specific requirements, students should consult the sections of the catalog that present the curricula of the university’s degree programs.

General Education Courses

1. Every general education course must address one or more of the university’s general education outcomes, not including the reading outcome.

2. In addition, general education courses should provide an overview or introduction to a discipline rather than focus on a narrow aspect or sub-component of a discipline.

3. Finally, general education courses should typically make use of more than one pedagogy or approach to learning. They might, for example, incorporate collaborative learning, group discussion, and team-based projects as well as the traditional lecture format.

The courses that meet these criteria and that, therefore, have been assigned general education status are presented below. The courses are classified in seven broad curricular areas.