General Education Program & Requirements

UNH College of Professional Studies-Online Division, Undergraduate Degree Programs

The general education program is founded on fostering intellectual curiosity and preparing people to realize their full potential in a complex and changing world. Students explore major fields of knowledge and engage with ideas through action and application. With commitment to and respect for adults of all ages, the general education program will offer students opportunities to:

Communicate, particularly

  • Write with clarity.
  • Create digital or visual content.
  • Communicate interpersonally.

Think critically and comprehensively, particularly

  • Evaluate information.
  • Reason with numbers.
  • Think analytically.
  • Define complex problems.

Apply knowledge to workplace and community, particularly

  • Engage with diverse individuals, groups, and cultural frameworks.
  • Participate in citizenship and community.
  • Solve challenging problems using disciplinary knowledge.
  • Reflect on learning to guide professional practice.

Communicate

Three required courses.

In transfer, a minimum of 3 credits is required to meet each course requirement.

ENG 420The Writing Process4
COM 460Interpersonal Communication and Group Dynamics4
COM 480Visual Communication4
Total Credits12

Think Critically and Comprehensively

Three required courses.

In transfer, a minimum of 3 credits is required to meet each course requirement.

CRIT 501Introduction to Critical Inquiry4
CRIT 602Advanced Critical Analysis and Strategic Thinking 14
MTH 402Math for Our World4
or MTH 504 Statistics
or MTH 510 Pre-Calculus
Total Credits12
1

CRIT 602 Advanced Critical Analysis and Strategic Thinking is not required at the associate level. CRIT 602 Advanced Critical Analysis and Strategic Thinking will not be waived for transfer students holding  associate degrees but will be waived for students with an earned bachelor’s degree in another field. CRIT 602 Advanced Critical Analysis and Strategic Thinking must be taken at Granite State College and cannot be satisfied through transfer credit, testing, or other forms of prior learning assessment.

Apply Knowledge to Workplace and Community

Four required courses. Select one course from each of the below areas.

In transfer, a minimum of 3 credits is required to meet each course requirement.

Knowledge of Human Behavior and Social Systems: Social Sciences Disciplines

Courses in this area recognize how changes occur in human development, behavior, social values, groups, and/or institutions.

CRIM 410Introduction to Criminology4
CRIM 425Juvenile Justice4
CRIM 555The Criminal Justice System4
CRIM 600Crime Prevention and Control4
CRIM 645Crime Victim Rights and Remedies4
CRIM 680Corrections, Probation and Parole4
CRIM 707Constitutional Law4
ECO 470Principles of Economics4
ECO 580International Economics4
ECO 635Economics of Artificial Intelligence4
POL 450American Government and Politics4
POL 554Law and Society4
POL 690The US in World Affairs4
PSY 410Introduction to Psychology4
PSY 470Child Development4
PSY 480Infant and Toddler Development4
PSY 525Human Development4
PSY 530Social Psychology4
PSY 602Theories of Personality4
PSY 603Crisis Intervention4
PSY 626Educational Psychology4
PSY 630Psychology of Adulthood4
PSY 646Psychology of Occupational Stress4
PSY 654Counseling Theories4
PSY 665Principles of Assessment4
PSY 685Principles of Psychopathology4
PSY 725Cognitive Psychology4
SLA 506Language Acquisition4
SOCI 410Introduction to Sociology4
SOCI 601Society and the Individual4
SOCI 603Work and Society4
SOCI 675Child Abuse and Neglect4
SOSC 445Race & Diversity in the U.S.4
SOSC 602Men and Women in Cross-Cultural Perspectives4
SOSC 630Aspects of Aging in a Modern Society4
SOSC 675Dynamics of Family Relationships4
SOSC 680Stress and the Family4
SOSC 710Social Stratification and Inequality4

Knowledge of Human Thought and Expression: Humanities Disciplines

Courses in this area allow students to ask and explore a variety of questions about human thought and experience.

ART 401Introduction to Drawing4
ART 403Introduction to Watercolor4
ART 512Fundamentals of Design4
ART 515Digital Photography4
ART 550Art History: Western World4
ENG 450Introduction to Literature4
ENG 505Introduction to Language and Linguistics4
ENG 545The Media and Its Messages4
ENG 555Children's Literature4
ENG 565Modern American Writers 1865 to the Present4
ENG 585Short Fiction4
ENG 604Creative Writing4
ENG 610War Writing in the 21st Century4
ENG 615Young Adult Literature4
ENG 620Multicultural Perspectives through Literature4
ENG 625Readings in World Literature4
ENG 645Disability in Literature and Culture4
ENG 675Survey of Classic Literature Through Film4
ENG 730The Graphic Novel4
HIS 402Great Civilizations4
HIS 410United States History to 18654
HIS 411United States History: 1865 to the Present4
HIS 512European History: Renaissance through the Industrial Revolution4
HIS 590Historical Methods4
HIS 602History of New England4
HIS 611Themes in World History4
HIS 718History of World War II4
HIS 727Vietnam War: An Historical Perspective4
HUMN 470World Religions4
HUMN 480Introduction to Ethics4
HUMN 502American Popular Culture4
HUMN 560Introductory Spanish I4
HUMN 565Introductory Spanish II4
HUMN 625Introduction to Cultural Theory4

Knowledge of Physical and Natural World: Natural Sciences Disciplines

Courses in this area allow students to develop an understanding of the basic facts, principles, theories, and methods of physical and/or biological science.

PSY 710The Biology of Addiction4
PSY 740Biopsychology4
SCI 412Introduction to Astronomy4
SCI 470Physical Geography4
SCI 480Introduction to Oceanography4
SCI 490Human Biology4
SCI 502Nutrition and Health4
SCI 508Issues in Women's Health4
SCI 509Disease Prevention and Health Promotion4
SCI 528Natural History of Northern New England4
SCI 541Introduction to Environmental Science4
SCI 550Wellness and the Human Body4
SCI 604Principles of Exercise Science4
SCI 610Contemporary Issues in Personal and Global Health4
SCI 615Fitness and Health4

Interdisciplinary Seminar

This upper-level seminar’s specific topic varies by individual course section.

IDIS 601Interdisciplinary Seminar 14
1

Note: IDIS 601 Interdisciplinary Seminar should be taken after all other general education requirements are completed. IDIS 601 Interdisciplinary Seminar is not required at the associate level. IDIS 601 Interdisciplinary Seminar will not be waived for transfer students holding associate degrees but will be waived for students with an earned bachelor’s degree in another field. IDIS 601 Interdisciplinary Seminar must be taken at Granite State College and cannot be satisfied through transfer credit, testing, or other forms of prior learning assessment.

Transfer Policy

Students with a conferred Associate Degree from a regionally accredited post-secondary institution will have their lower level General Undergraduate Education requirements waived.