General Education Program Guide

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General Education Philosophy:

The mission of Florida SouthWestern State College’s General Education Program is to provide students with trans-disciplinary learning experiences that empower them to be active, informed and ethical citizens. Our innovative curriculum promotes collaboration and communication in diverse settings, encourages greater understanding of the relationship between individuals and their natural surroundings and cultivates intellectual curiosity that leads to independent research, creative problem-solving and meaningful engagement with the global community. We provide the framework for students to acquire both discipline-specific professional skills, necessary to make a living and a broad spectrum of skills in critical, creative and scientific problem-solving that will allow them to contribute in multiple real world settings.

In compliance with Florida Administrative Code 6A-14.0303, Florida Statute 1007.25, and Florida State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.02413 all degree-seeking students who successfully complete Florida SouthWestern State College’s General Education Program will demonstrate literacy in the following five required categories of General Education Competencies:

Communications
Humanities
Social Sciences
Mathematics
Natural Sciences

General Education Courses:

General Education Core courses differ from traditional survey courses by integrating a breadth of knowledge and skills essential to a complete education and are the foundation of knowledge upon which all degrees are built.

General Education Competencies:

Communicate clearly in a variety of modes and media
Research and examine academic and non-academic information, resources, and evidence
Evaluate and utilize mathematical principles, technology, scientific and quantitative data
Analyze and create individual and collaborative works of art, literature, and performance
Think critically about questions to yield meaning and value
Investigate and engage in the trans-disciplinary applications of research, learning, and knowledge
Visualize and engage the world from different historical, social, religious, and cultural approaches
Engage meanings of active citizenship in one’s community, nation, and the world

Required General Education Courses for the Associate in Arts or Baccalaureate degree: minimum 36 credits

ENC 1101 - Composition I , must complete with a “C” or better¹3 credits
ENC 1102 - Composition II , must complete with a “C” or better 3 credits
Additional Communication General Education Course 3 credits
Humanities General Education Courses²6 credits
Social Sciences General Education Courses³ 9 credits
Core Mathematics General Education Course, must pass with a “C” or better⁴ 3 credits
Any Mathematics General Education Course , must pass with a “C” or better 3 credits
Core Natural Sciences General Education Course⁵ 3 credits
Any Natural Sciences General Education Course 3 credits
Natural Science Laboratory Course⁶

According to Florida Administrative Code Rule 6A-14.0303 and 6A-10.030

Each student must successfully take twelve (12) semester hours of writing intensive coursework demonstrating college level writing skills with a grade of ”C” or better. Six (6) credits must be taken in English Composition and Communication, and six (6) credits in the Social Sciences and/or Humanities.

¹ Any student who successfully completes a course with an ENC prefix for which ENC X101 is an immediate prerequisite shall be considered to have completed the Communication Core.

² Must include one (1) Humanities Core course.

³ Must include one (1) Social Science Core course. Additionally, the State Civics Requirement must be satisfied in this discipline.

⁴ Any student who successfully completes a mathematics course for which one (1) of the general education core course options in mathematics is an immediate prerequisite shall be considered to have completed the Mathematics Core.

⁵Any student who successfully completes a natural science course for which one (1) of the general education core course options in natural science is an immediate prerequisite shall be considered to have completed the Natural Science Core.

⁶ The lab course must correspond to either of the two selected Natural Science General Education courses; it may be a standalone course (courses with an “L” suffix, e.g. CHM 1045L) or combined within a course (courses with a “C” suffix, e.g. BSC 1051C).

Complete list of all FSW General Education Courses

COMMUNICATION CATEGORY

Required Core Communication General Education Courses

ENC 1101 - Composition I 3 credits , writing intensive - must complete with a “C” or better
ENC 1102 - Composition II 3 credits , writing intensive - must complete with a “C” or better
Note: Transfer students with quarter system credits may be required to take LIN 1670 or ENG 2061
LIN 1670 - Basic English Grammar 1 credit
ENG 2061 - English Grammar: Usage and Mechanics 2 credits