About the Global Citizenship Program

The Global Citizen Program will have a phased implementation, beginning with brand new college students pursuing BA and BS degrees in the Fall of 2012 and in 2013. In later years, transfer students and students pursuing other degrees (such as the BFA, BSN, and BM) will be included, as well. Until 2014 or later, those students will participate in the General Education Program.

To complete the Global Citizenship Program, students will take two seminars, the First-year Seminar as new students and the Global Keystone Seminar as juniors. In addition, students will complete eight courses of at least three credit hours each in the general education portion of the program.

These courses are designed both to help students learn content knowledge and also to help students develop the skills they need for 21st century success.

• General Requirements
• GCP worksheet
• GCP courses
• 27 hour/12 hour General Education Requirements
• List of courses for 27/12 model
• General Education Requirements for School of Communications Majors
• Frequently Asked Questions about General Education/GCP

Webster University requires all baccalaureate students to complete a general education program in addition to the major and elective requirements. These requirements are intended to provide a general framework for the degree outside the major, providing course requirements to ensure that university graduates have a broad field of knowledge and skills.

Students who possess an Associate of Arts Degree (AA) from a regionally accredited community college will have met Webster’s General Education/GCP requirements. 

In 2011, the faculty of Webster University approved the Global Citizenship Program (GCP) to replace the previous General Education Programs. The mission of the Global Citizenship Program is to ensure that every undergraduate emerges from Webster University with the core competencies required for responsible global citizenship in the 21st century. Starting with the 2012-2013 academic year, the new program began to apply to some students.

What are the different models of general education/GCP?

12/27 credit hour general education model

36 credit hour School of Communications model

Global Citizenship Program

Which requirements should I follow?

2012–2014:

New freshmen students, that have not completed coursework as degree seeking students at another institution, pursuing Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees will fall under the GCP requirements.

Freshmen and Transfer BFA students will continue to complete 12 credits/four categories of the 27 credit hour model.

Transfer students outside the School of Communications will continue to complete the 27 credit hour model.

Transfer students majoring in the School of Communications (Audio Production, Electronic and Photographic Media, and Communications and Journalism departments) will continue to follow the 36 credit hour model.

2014–2015:

Beginning with the 2014-2015 academic year, the GCP will also apply to new BA and BS degree-seeking transfer students with fewer than 75 credit hours. Transfer student with more than 75 accepted credit hours will remain on the previous models of general education.

2015:

All new students will enter the university with GCP requirements.

For coursework to fulfill either general education or global citizenship requirements, students must earn a grade of C- or better.

Global Citizenship Program

If your requirements fall under the Global Citizenship Program, you will complete 30 credit hours. http://www.webster.edu/ugcatalog/policies.shtml#gen_ed

Degree requirements –6 credit hours as indicated below:

FRSH 1200 First Year Seminar 3 credit hours

Global Citizenship Program Keystone Seminar 3 credit hours 

General Course Requirements: 24 credit hours of knowledge/skills courses. Each GCP course is coded for a knowledge area and a skill. You need:

Knowledge Areas:

1. 6 credit hours from courses with two different prefixes designated 'Roots of Cultures.'
2. 6 credit hours from courses with two different prefixes designated 'Social Systems and Human Behavior.'
3. 3 credit hours from courses designated 'Physical and Natural World.'
4. 3 credit hours from courses designated 'Global Understanding.'
5. 3 credit hours from courses designated 'Arts Appreciation'
6. 3 credit hours from courses designated for 'Quantitative Literacy.'

Skills Requirements

1. All students must complete three credit hours in courses coded for each of the following skills:
   1. Written Communication
   2. Oral Communication
   3. Critical Thinking
   4. Intercultural Competence
   5. Ethical Reasoning
2. Students will usually complete the Skills Requirement with courses in the GCP Course Requirements but may also complete it with appropriately coded courses within their major, or within other coded courses not part of the GCP.

27/12 hour General Education Requirements

If your major requires 27 credits of GE, you will complete 3 credit hours toward each of the following nine categories:

1. Critical Thinking (CRI)
   A systematic method of examining and evaluating arguments
2. Communications (COM)
   Writing and speaking which are clear, concise and accurate when conveyed to a broad audience
3. Historical Consciousness (HST)
   Recognition of causes, relationships, and sequences within seemingly random social and historical events
4. Humanities (HUM)
   Analysis of the themes of human experience through the legacy of great works and ideas
5. Values (VAL)
   Critical reflection on the attitudes and beliefs relevant to individual and social choices and actions
6. Cultural Understanding (CUL)
   Examination and comparison of international and/or diverse cultures
7. Arts Appreciation (ART)
   Recognition of artistic expressions gained through analysis, reflection, or practical experience
8. Scientific Understanding (SCI)
   Analysis of concepts of a scientific discipline and its methods, limitations, and impact in the modern world
9. Mathematics (MTH)
   Recognition of the value and beauty of mathematics as well as the ability to appraise and use quantitative data

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Bachelor of Music (BM) students must meet at least four goal areas. Students pursuing a B.M.Ed have specific defined GE requirements (see current Undergraduate Catalog).

Students pursuing a B.S. degree in Information Management, Information Systems, and Computer Science with an emphasis in Information Technology are required to complete four of the nine GE goals.

List of General Education Courses

• Alphabetical list
• List by goal

General Education requirement for students with majors in the School of Communications

Students with majors in the School of Communications (SOC) must instead complete 36 credits of general education distributed in three categories.

Frequently Asked Questions about General Education/Global Citizenship Program

Global Citizenship

Can I use courses form my major in the GCP?

No, courses from the major will not count to fulfill GCP requirements, with the exception of double majors.

If I double major, how many courses can I use toward GCP from each major?

No courses used to fulfill the course requirements of a student's first major may be used to satisfy Global Citizenship Program Course Requirements.

Courses in a second major or in a minor or certificate program may be used to satisfy Global Citizenship Program requirements. Special accommodations are made adjusting this requirement for a small number of majors with high credit-hour requirements, as indicated in the description of the specific major.

Will a grade of D in my general education course fulfill the requirement?

Only courses with grades of C minus or better will count toward general education. A course with a grade of D may count as an elective.

How are my transfer credits evaluated for GE?

Transfer credit is evaluated by the Registrar’s office upon full acceptance. General education equivalencies are also evaluated at that time. Should transfer credits come in as fractional hours, those hours are rounded to the nearest whole number. Therefore, 2 2/3=3, 3 1/3=3, etc.

What if I have a course that I believe meets GE but was not transferred in as such?

Transfer students who wish to appeal a specific course decision may do so by submitting a course description and/or syllabus with a written appeal to the Academic Advising Center.

What general education requirement would I fulfill if I pursue a second (sequential) undergraduate degree?

Students pursuing sequential bachelor’s degrees have already completed general education through the completion of their first degree program.

General Education

If I double major, how many courses can I use toward GE from each major?

• For a double major, four courses from the required major coursework may count toward general education if no prefix is repeated.
• We accept two courses from each major so long as there are two separate prefixes represented in each major.
• We will take four courses with four different prefixes for a double major so long as there is a maximum of two for each major.

EXAMPLE: A student double majoring in International Relations and Social Science may use four courses, two from each major:
INTL 1500 The World System Since 1500 – HST
POLT 1070 Introduction to Political Theory – HUM or VAL
SOCI 1100 Introduction to Sociology – VAL or CUL
PSYC 2750 Introduction to Statistics – MTH or SCI

What if I double major within the School of Communications and another School or College?

A student pursuing a double major when one major is from the SOC may meet either set of general education requirements, that is either the three category SOC requirements or the nine academic goal general education requirements.

What if I would like to take one or two credit hour courses toward my general education requirement?

Each goal must be addressed by completing at least three credit hours of coursework coded for general education. A student may combine one and two credit courses to meet this three-hour requirement for a particular goal as long as each course has been coded for that goal.

Can I use one course to fulfill two areas of GE?

One course may carry up to two general education codes but may be used to satisfy only one goal.  For example, ANSO 1010 Sociology may fulfill either Values or Cultural Understanding but not both.

How many courses from my major can fulfill GE?

• Up to two courses within the student's major department may be used to satisfy general education goals, so long as the courses have different prefixes.
  EXAMPLE: A BA in Cultural Anthropology - ANTH 1100 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology may count for Values or Cultural Understanding and PSYC 2750 Introduction to Statistics may count for Scientific Understanding or Mathematics. The student may not count two ANTH courses or two PSYC courses toward general education requirements.
• All other courses used to satisfy the general education requirement must be taken outside of the student's major department.
• Students pursuing any state education certification may also be required to complete specific general education coursework. Students should see their advisor for additional details.