2012-2013 Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2012-2013 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

General Education Requirements (LAS)


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The college requires all students to complete an English writing requirement, a reasoning proficiency requirement, area requirements, and cultural diversity, oral communications, and global awareness requirements. Assuming that a student does not test out of the writing and reasoning requirements, the total number of credit hours needed to complete the college general education requirements is 45.

The College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences will accept transfer courses from the community college “general education core” and substitute these credits for credits required within the 120 hours needed for the BA or BS degree in whatever manner is most advantageous to the student. The College will also accept non-core academic courses in transfer, i.e., courses that are not considered to be vocational or technical in nature.

 

English Rhetoric and Writing and Writing Portfolio Requirements


To qualify for a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, a student must complete C01 and C02 core writing requirements and demon­strate writing competency by passing the junior-level writing portfolio assessment.

Placement into English 99: Students who are admitted to UCCS  but do not meet enrollment requisites for placement into core ENGL 1300 + ENGL 1305 Stretch or ENGL 1310, are required to complete ENGL 99. Placement criteria for ENGL 99 are: ACT of 10-13; SAT below 400. Contact LAS Extended Studies, Columbine 4007, 719-255-4071, to enroll in ENGL 99.

 ESL or ELL students enrolled in engl 1300 + 1305 or engl 1310: The Rhetoric and Writing Program advises ESL students to enroll in ENGL 1310 sections with faculty who are qualified for ESL writing instruction for non-native speakers. Please contact the Rhetoric and Writing Program, Columbine 1041 for ESL placement and enrollment consultations and advising.

 Students may meet core C01 and C02 writing requirements in the following ways:

 1.             Successfully complete ENGL 1300 + ENGL 1305 Stretch (C01 ENGL 1310 equivalent) and ENGL 1410 at
                  UCCS and then pass the junior-level portfolio assessment.

                                a. To be admitted to ENGL 1300 Stretch, students must meet one of the following requirements:

                                                1) Score 14-18 on the English ACT.
                                           2) Score 400-440 on the verbal SAT.
                                           3) Complete ENGL 99 with a C- or an approved ENGL 99 equivalent in transfer with a C-.
                                           4) Early College or high school concurrent enrollment students must present an ENGL
                                               ACT score of 14-18.   (UCCS on site ENGL ACT testing is available)

            b. To be admitted to ENGL 1305 Stretch, students must meet the following requirement:

                                                1) Complete ENGL 1300 Stretch with a C- or better.

       2.          Successfully complete ENGL 1310 and ENGL 1410 at UCCS and then pass the junior-level portfolio assessment.        

                                a. To be admitted to ENGL 1310, students must meet one of the following requirements:

                                                1) Score 19-28 on the English ACT.
                                           2) Score 450 to 640 on the verbal SAT.
                                           3) Complete ENGL 99 with a C-, or approved ENGL 99 equivalent with a C-.
                                           4) Students with high school diplomas or GEDs, but without ENGL ACT or SAT scores 
                                                may submit a writing sample to the Rhetoric and Writing Program, Columbine 1041, for 
                                                placement.
                                           5) Early college or high school concurrent students without high school diplomas or GEDs
                                                must present an ENGL ACT score of 19-28 (UCCS on site ACT testing is available) or
                                                a SAT score of 450-640.

                                 b. To be admitted to ENGL 1410, students must meet one of the following requirements:

                                                1) Complete ENGL 1300 - 1305 Stretch with a C- or better, or ENGL 1310 at UCCS.    
           
                                    Not an option for Engineering majors. 

                                       c.  To demonstrate writing competency after course completion, students must pass the writing 
                                       portfolio competency exam administered by the Writing Program. 

        The “final” composition course for each undergraduate program is listed below:

            i.      For LAS and Nursing students: ENGL 1410
            ii.     For BUS students: ENGL 2080
            iii.    For EAS students: ENGL 2090 or INOV 2100

 

Students may transfer C01 and C02 writing courses if approved as equivalents by successfully completing one or two semesters of writing at an accredited college or university with a C- or better.  Transfer students must also demonstrate writing competency by passing the junior-level writing portfolio assessment after completing their final writing course at UCCS or upon transfer of their complete C01 and C02 writing requirement from an accredited college or university.

 

Students must demonstrate competency by passing the writing portfolio assessment as rising juniors—within the 60-90 credit hour enrollment window. Students who choose not to demonstrate competency by earning a ‘pass’ on their writing portfolio may alternatelymeet the competency requirement by successfully completing a 3000-level, advanced rhetoric and writing course at UCCS with a grade of C- or better. Students who do not submit a portfolio within the 60-90 credit hour window, and ultimately by the 90 credit hour limit, will alternately complete an additional writing course at the 3000-level. Transfer students with 90 credit hours in transfer are required to submit a portfolio upon transfer to UCCS, or alternately enroll in an advanced rhetoric and writing course as advised.  

  

     3.             Qualify for a waiver of writing coursework through the CEEB Advanced Placement Examination.

                            a. Score 4 to receive credit for ENGL 1310, successfully complete ENGL 1410, and then pass the
                                 portfolio assessment.

                            b. Score 5 to receive credit for both ENGL 1310 and 1410, and then pass the portfolio assessment.

    

4.             4.             Qualify for a waiver of composition coursework through the International Baccalaureate higher-level English exam.

                           a. Score 5 to receive credit for ENGL 1310, successfully complete ENGL 1410, then pass the 
                                portfolio assessment.

                           b. Score 6 or 7 to receive credit for ENGL 1310 and 1410, and then pass the portfolio assessment.

 

CLEP College Composition MODULAR Exam WITH ESSAYS: Students who would like to earn CLEP credit for ENGL 1310 may take the College Composition Modular Exam with essays at PPCC Testing Center. For testing information, contact the University Testing Center in MH 105C, 719-255-3354. Not an option for Engineering.

 

Junior Level Writing Portfolio Competency Exam: For information and applications, walk into the Portfolio Office in COB 1046. A $15.00 assessment fee will be billed to all students who submit a portfolio to demonstrate writing competency.

 

Computer-mediated Instruction: All composition courses are taught in computer classrooms. Students are billed $10.00 per course to cover technological support for the classrooms and materials for these courses. All students may take or retake the ENGL ACT exam on site in the UCCS Testing Center. To retake the ACT, contact the University Testing Center in MH 105C, 719-255-3354.

 

English Requirements and Prerequisites: English 1310 (and in some cases English 1410) is required for all advanced writing courses and those in the Professional Writing Program.  All students must have taken ENGLISH 1310 (or qualified transfer course) in order to take any literature course offered in the English Department.  Students may take English 1310 during the same semester that they take English 2000.  Note that, starting with majors declared in fall 2010, English 2000, English 2010 (formerly English 190) are prerequisites to almost all upper division English courses, and English 3000 is a prerequisite to all 4000-level literature seminars.  Students are billed $10.00 for online literature course lab fees.

Students interested in taking ENGL 1450 as a lab course should contact the Writing Center Director at 719-255-4335, or visit the Writing Center, Columbine Hall 316.

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Reasoning Proficiency Requirement


Well-educated people should be able to think at a certain level of abstraction and to manipulate symbols. The quantitative and qualitative reasoning proficiency requirement has two principal objectives. The first is to provide students with the analytical tools used in core curriculum courses and in their major areas of study. The second is to help students acquire the reasoning skills necessary to assess adequately the problems that confront them in their daily lives.

Students completing this requirement should be able to do the following:

  • construct a logical argument based on the rules of inference
  • analyze and interpret numerical data
  • obtain exact results when appropriate
  • apply mathematical methods to solve problems in their university work and in their daily lives.

There are four ways in which students can fulfill this requirement, described as follows:

  1. Pass the UCCS Qualitative and Quantitative Reasoning Exam. This exam is offered by the testing office (719) 255-3255. A $20.00 test fee must be paid in advance. Credit hours are not awarded to those who meet the requirement by passing the proficiency examination.
  2. Successfully complete I D 1050 Quantitative and Qualitative Reasoning Skills OR I D 2000 Mathematics: A Human Endeavor OR MATH 1200 Reasoning about Data.
  3. Successfully complete MATH 3010 and MATH 3020.
  4. Successfully complete College Algebra (MATH 1040) or a mathematics course that has college algebra as a prerequisite, OR score a 20 or above on the Algebra Diagnostic Exam AND complete a course in statistics or a course in symbolic logic.  Choose from the courses below.

Area Requirements: Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences


Each prospective LAS graduate is expected to have completed 12 semester hours in each of three areas—humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The total requirement is 36 hours, and, with the exception of the core humanities course, can be satisfied entirely by lower division (freshman/ sophomore) courses.  Any cross-list for the courses listed below will also satisfy the relevant requirement.

Specific Limitations:


  • No more than two courses from any one discipline may be applied to the area requirements.
  • With the exception of Distributed Studies, courses in a student’s primary major may not be applied to the area requirements.
  • Courses may not be taken pass/fail.

Humanities Courses—12 Credit Hours:


The humanities course requirement must be satisfied in part by successful completion of one UCCS 3000 level humanities courses. The remaining nine hours may be selected from the list below or may be satisfied by community college humanities courses that are equivalent or similar in content to those listed below.

Social Science Courses—12 Credit Hours:


The 12-hour social science area requirement may be met by the lower and upper division courses that are listed below. Students who transfer to UCCS from community colleges may fulfill this area requirement by substituting courses that are equivalent or similar in content to those listed below.

Natural Science Courses—12 Credit Hours:


The 12-hour natural science area requirement must include at least one laboratory science course and may be satisfied by the lower and upper division courses listed below. (Laboratory science courses are indicated by an asterisk.) Community college students transferring to UCCS may fulfill this requirement by substituting courses that are equivalent or similar in content to those listed below.

Interdepartmental Studies


Cultural Diversity Requirement


While fulfilling their general education requirements, LAS students are required to take a course which also increases their awareness of cultural diversity in the United States. Approved courses for the cultural diversity requirement are as follows:

Note:


Please check with the college or the Student Success Center for additional approved courses.

Note:


Please check with the college or the Student Success Center for additional approved courses.

Global Awareness Requirement


While fulfilling their general education requirements, LAS students are required to take a course which increases their awareness of global issues. Approved global awareness courses are as follows:

Note:


Please check with the college or the Student Success Center for additional approved courses.

Foreign Language Requirement


As of January 1, 1993, the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences no longer has a foreign language requirement. However, a variety of language classes will continue to be offered for students who wish to study a foreign language. Students contemplating graduate school should be aware that many graduate schools require proficiency in a foreign language.

Newly admitted freshmen are still required to have completed two units of foreign language at the high school level. Freshmen admitted who are deficient in this requirement may make up the deficiency as outlined in the beginning of the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences section of this Catalog. The foreign language placement examination will continue to be administered for those students wishing to determine their level of placement in a foreign language course. For information, contact the Language Technology Center on the second floor of Dwire Hall at (719) 255-3691.

Students are urged to continue language study in a timely manner, as proficiency declines rapidly without application of skills.

Note:


If course work in a foreign language taken at other institutions is repeated at the same level at UCCS, academic credit for any hours duplicated will not be counted toward graduation.

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