Adult Undergraduate General Education
Note: Foundational Explorations (FE) is PLNU’s designation for Traditional Undergraduate General Education requirements.
Mission Statement
PLNU provides a foundational course of study in the liberal arts informed by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In keeping with the Wesleyan tradition, the curriculum equips students with a broad range of knowledge and skills within and across disciplines to enrich major study, lifelong learning, and vocational service as Christ-like participants in the world’s diverse societies and cultures.
General Education Learning Outcomes (GELO)
Context #1: Learning, Informed by our Faith in Christ
ILO1 #1: Students will acquire knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world while developing skills and habits that foster life-long learning.
GELO 1a. Written: Students will be able to effectively express ideas and information to others through written communication.
GELO 1b. Oral: Students will be able to effectively express ideas and information to others through oral communication.
GELO 1c. Information Literacy: Students will be able to access and cite information as well as evaluate the logic, validity, and relevance of information from a variety of sources.
GELO 1d. Critical Thinking: Students will be able to examine, critique, and synthesize information in order to arrive at reasoned conclusions.
GELO 1e. Quantitative Reasoning: Students will be able to solve problems that are quantitative in nature.
Context #2: Growing, In a Christ-Centered Faith Community
ILO #2: Students will develop a deeper and more informed understanding of self and others as they negotiate complex environments.
GELO 2a. Students will develop an understanding of self that fosters personal well-being.
GELO 2b. Students will understand and appreciate diverse forms of artistic expression.
GELO 2c. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the complex issues faced by diverse groups in global and/or cross-cultural contexts.
Context #3: Serving, In a Context of Christian Faith
ILO #3: Students will serve locally and/or globally in vocational and social settings.
GELO 3. Students will demonstrate an understanding of Christian Scripture, Tradition, and Ethics, including engagement in acts of devotion and works of mercy.
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ILO - Institutional Learning Objective
Committee
Adult Undergraduate General Education is approved and sustained by the faculty under direction of the Associate Dean of Foundational Explorations and a faculty committee. The committee directs an on-going cycle of review and improvement based on established goals and objectives.
Prerequisites
Students are required to demonstrate basic competence in mathematics, which can be satisfied via the PLNU Mathematics Placement Test, previous coursework, or prerequisite class.
Requirements
The specific general education requirements, as established by the faculty, represent a broad-based experience in ideas, skills, and experiences. The following selection of courses is designed to guide the student toward a liberalizing educational experience in the arts and sciences while allowing for substantial choice in the development of that education.
The following 42 units of general education core requirements are required for graduation and it is advised that they be completed prior to beginning upper division-coursework:
- Communication & Writing - 6 units (of which one course must be in English Composition)
- Humanities & Fine Arts - 6 units (at least one course must be from the following: literature, philosophy, art or music appreciation, art or music history, fine arts, or history)
- Natural Science & Math - 6 units (at least one course must be in Math and one course in Natural Science)
- Social & Behavioral Sciences - 6 units
- Bible, Theology & Ethics - 6 units (BST 3004 (B,C,J,L,N)) must be taken from PLNU
- Additional General Education Courses - 0 units required
- An additional 12 units must be earned in any of the above six areas.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Bible, Theology & Ethics | ||
| Choose two (2) courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Old Testament History and Religion (GE) | ||
| New Testament History and Religion (GE) | ||
| Biblical Perspectives (GE) | ||
| Communication & Writing | ||
| Choose two (2) courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Principles of Human Communication (GE) | ||
| Foundations in Communication (GE) | ||
| Writing for Academic and Professional Settings (GE) | ||
| College Composition (GE) | ||
| Humanities & Fine Arts | ||
| Choose two (2) courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Intro to Design Thinking (GE) | ||
| World Civilizations I (GE) | ||
| World Civilizations II (GE) | ||
| Literature and Culture (GE) | ||
| Music Appreciation (GE) | ||
| Art History Survey (GE) | ||
| Diverse Voices in American Culture (GE) | ||
| Elementary Spanish Conversation (GE) | ||
| Natural Sciences & Math | ||
| Choose two (2) courses from the following: | 6 | |
| College Algebra (GE) | ||
| Basic Statistics (GE) | ||
| Chemistry in Our Everyday Lives (GE) and Chemistry in Our Everyday Lives Lab (GE) | ||
| Biotechnology and Society (GE) | ||
| Social & Behavioral Sciences | ||
| Choose two (2) courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Principles of Macroeconomics (GE) | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics (GE) | ||
| Introduction to Sociology (GE) | ||
| Understanding the Political World (GE) | ||
| Additional GE Courses | ||
| Choose an additional 12 units from the following or any of the areas above: | 12 | |
| Personal and Family Financial Management (GE) | ||
| Health and Well-Being (GE) | ||
| Introduction to Nutrition (GE) | ||
| Total Units | 42 | |