General Education Policies and Other Information
P/N, S/F, S/U Graded Course Work
Students may not choose the pass/nonpass (P/N) grading option for courses they wish to use to complete the General Education Program. Courses approved for General Education may be taken P/N only when they are to be used as elective hours.
Only under special circumstances will courses approved for S/F or S/U grading be approved for General Education. The Educational Policy Committee and the General Education Curriculum Committee must approve S/F or S/U grading for a course approved for General Education.
(See more information on P/N and S/F or S/U in the Grading section.)
Majors, Minors, Certificates, and the General Education Program
Students may use courses approved for General Education that are offered by their major departments to complete the General Education Program, and they may use the same course to satisfy a requirement of the major and to complete the General Education Program. Students may use course work they will apply toward earning a minor to complete the General Education Program. Course work used to complete a certificate program also may be used to complete the General Education Program. However, see the restriction on courses from one department, below.
No More Than Three Courses from One Department
Students may use no more than three courses from any one department in completing the General Education Program. Courses taken to complete the foreign language component of the General Education Program are excluded from this rule.
Repeatable Courses
Courses that may be repeated for credit may be approved in any General Education area. Students may use more than one repeatable course in completing the General Education Program; however, students may use only 3 s. h. of credit from any one repeatable course in completing the General Education Program.
Courses Approved in More Than One Area
A course may be approved in more than one General Education area. Students may use a course to complete any component of the General Education Program for which it is approved, but may not use a single course in more than one area in completing the General Education Program.
Courses Approved for Honors Credit
Students who are admitted as Honors students or who join the Honors Program may enroll in special Honors sections of courses approved for General Education. The Honors Program also offers some Honors seminars that are approved for General Education, which students can use to complete the General Education Program.
Courses in Common
Entering first-year students may enroll in Courses in Common, a program that offers the opportunity to take three courses approved for General Education with the same group of students.
Students with Disabilities
Students with documented learning disabilities or physical disabilities may need accommodation in order to complete the General Education Program. Accommodations are arranged by Student Disability Services in consultation with instructors, departments, and CLAS Academic Programs & Services. Please visit with Student Disability Services as soon as acceptance of admission to Iowa has been made.
Transfer Courses and Credit by Examination and the General Education Program
Students may use transfer course work and credit earned through examinations to complete the General Education Program. Transfer credit is evaluated by the Office of Admissions, and courses accepted for completion of the General Education Program are shown on the degree evaluation.
Students may use credit earned by examination, including Advanced Placement Program (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) tests to complete the General Education Program. For AP, CLEP, and IB exam equivalencies, see visit this site.
The University's Foreign Language Placement Test may be used to complete the foreign language component of the General Education Program.
Students with Degrees from Two Year Institutions
Students who receive degrees from two year institutions participating in articulation agreements with The University of Iowa are considered to have satisfied all requirements of the General Education Program, except foreign language, if the program of study for which the degree was awarded includes the following:
- A minimum of 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of credit acceptable toward graduation (mathematics courses comparable to 22M:001 Basic Algebra I, 22M:002 Basic Algebra II, and 22M:003 Basic Geometry are not accepted toward graduation); and
- Completion of an agreed upon group of courses; and
- A grade point average of at least 2.00.
Representatives from the cooperating institutions and the Regents universities meet periodically to review the provisions of the articulation agreements.
For more information about transfer policies and the General Education requirements, contact Admissions (319) 335-1549.