General Education Course Proposals and Recertifications

The Faculty Senate General Education Committee (FSGEC) reviews new course proposals and recertification applications on a rolling basis. Applications are submitted through the Curriculog course management system. Once submitted, your course proposal enters an approval workflow. If additional information is required, your submission may be returned for revisions. Please review the comments and make any necessary updates before resubmitting.

The following sections outline the process for proposing new and existing courses for General Education designation, as well as for recertifying currently approved General Education courses.

Course Proposals

The FSGEC strives to maintain a well-balanced portfolio of General Education courses to ensure the program remains relevant, adaptable, and aligned with the established learning outcomes. 

General Education Certification may be sought for new and existing undergraduate courses. To be approved for General Education designation, a course must address a specific gap or unmet need within the existing general education curriculum. The proposal should clearly articulate how the proposed course enhances the existing curriculum.

Proposals to have an existing course considered for General Education designation must be submitted using the General Education Course Proposal Form in Curriculog. The proposal must include a copy of the course syllabus, which should specify the general education learning outcome the course will address and the assignment to be used to evaluate student achievement of the outcome. 

Please submit proposals as early as possible, as the review process may take 2-3 months to complete. New courses require additional time as they must first be approved through the college curriculum committees before being reviewed by the FSGEC for General Education designation.   

A course must reach final approval by March 1 to appear in the published catalog for the following Fall semester.  The course proposer and the department chair will be notified by email once a course is approved for General Education designation.

Course Recertifications

The FSGEC conducts the recertification process to ensure every course approved for General Education credit continues to meet the associated program learning outcome. This process allows course instructors an opportunity to reflect on assessment data from previous years and, where possible, identify opportunities for improvement to enhance student learning.

Please refer to the  Recertification Guide for more information about the recertification process.  The FSGEC makes recommendations to the Provost on courses that should be listed for general education credit in the catalog.

Material changes to an approved General Education course that affect the course’s catalog listing – such as the course title, description, credit hours, or prerequisites – require a de novo review by the FSGEC. 

The General Education Assessment Coordinator publishes the Recertification Schedule each fall, and notifies units due for recertification of upcoming deadlines. The schedule also identifies units scheduled for recertification the following academic year. 

Course Decertification

A course may lose General Education certification if it no longer meets the program's goals and criteria, or it fails to meet recertification requirements. Additionally, the offering department may request to decertify a course if it is being placed into abeyance or undergoing material changes that shift its focus away from the General Education program.  

Recommendations for course decertification, following review by the FSGEC, will be forwarded to the Provost for final consideration. If the Provost concurs, the course will be removed from the list of approved General Education courses.     

Criteria for General Education Courses

• With few exceptions, the core is limited to lower division courses that are broad and open to the widest audience of students
• Courses may have no more than one prerequisite and that prerequisite should be open to all students
• Courses must be offered at least once a year
• Each general education course must align with and clearly address at least one general education learning outcome

For questions regarding Curriculog, contact the Registrar's Office: Registrar@ucmo.edu