The general education core allows you (the student) to reaffirm your common experiences, to redefine your common goals, and to provide a foundation for confronting your common problems. The courses selected for inclusion in the general education core emphasize communication and techniques of creative inquiry that are used in all disciplines.
Students planning to transfer to another institution before completing Northern’s General Education Core would be well advised to take courses from the MUS Transferable Core.
All students seeking an associate of arts, associate of science, or bachelor’s degree at Montana State University-Northern are required to fulfill course work within each of seven General Education categories. The categories, the outcomes and the courses for each category are listed below.
If general education core classes are required in a program area, they can be counted towards fulfilling the general education core as well as the program requirement. (However, the number of the credits for the course only counts once toward the total credits of the degree). Students who transfer course work to MSU-Northern will have general education courses counted in the same category as the transferring institution, even if the course is not offered at MSU-Northern. NOTE: Different departments and academic units specify particular courses within a category to meet degree requirements. Students are urged to consult their academic advisor and the course requirements for their degree prior to selecting courses in General Education.
You (the student), upon successful completion of course(s) within this category, should be able to:
Write clear, accurate sentences and paragraphs in standard American English
Write extended papers which effectively develop and support theses, tell stories, describe events, and/or express feelings, insights and personal values
Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively in written form through the forms of writing most common in the student’s chosen career area
Identify and incorporate research materials into informative and analytical writing
Demonstrate the ability to select, develop and deliver an effective oral presentation to a target audience for specific purposes
Demonstrate an awareness of the oral communication process, including critical listening skills
You (the student), upon successful completion of course(s) within this category, should be able to:
Describe the processes of observation, problem identification, hypothesis formulation, experimentation and verification which underlie scientific advancement
Systematically develop principles for comprehension of the natural world
Demonstrate an appreciation for Laboratory Practice:
Demonstrate the ability to design an experiment
Identify a properly designed experiment
Study physical objects in a direct manner which yields verifiable knowledge
Utilize laboratory equipment in a way that helps one appreciate both the power of technology and the dependence of contemporary scientific insight on the technology
Category/Discipline
Minimum Credits
Courses
Category III (CAT III)
Natural Sciences Students must take one science course that includes a lab. See course descriptions to verify this requirement.
You (the student), upon successful completion of course(s) within this category, should be able to:
Describe the diversity of focus, methodology and intention among the social sciences
Discuss the role and impact in daily existence of such major social institutions as the family, education, business, government, and religion
Analyze how institutions and traditions are born, evolve, and die, and how they shape the lives of individuals
Identify how the social sciences study human development, behavior, and health (sickness), and set forth influential psychological and sociological theories about these issues
Gather information, analyze data, and draw conclusions in selected areas of the social sciences
Recognize processes of continuity and change which have shaped events up to the present
Identify and describe the characteristics of a major era in world history or international relations, thereby providing a framework for comprehending aspects of human experience
Explain how human experiences give rise to movements, institutions, traditions, and ideas which have a subsequent influence
Analyze factors leading to the dominance or suppression of selected racial, gender, ethnic, class, and religious groups
Analyze of the extent to which individuals (in contrast to physical or social forces) are able to influence events, making reference to illuminating examples
Use factual and interpretive data to support historical or political hypotheses
You (the student), upon successful completion of course(s) within this category, should be able to:
Describe and compare the political, socio-economic, philosophical-spiritual, historic, scientific and literary-creative perspectives of various ethnic groups or cultures
Analyze social problems, social structures and human behaviors of ethnic groups and cultures
Examine how generalizations are developed and how stereotyping and prejudice are being addressed currently and historically
You (the student), upon successful completion of course(s) within this category, should be able to:
Discuss great works of literature, drama, or visual art which have decisively influenced or been influenced by the course of history
Describe and critically assess prominent theories about the nature of reality, the qualities of the good life, and the ways in which life may be meaningful
Compare the beliefs of different cultures reflected by literature, music, art and language
Articulate a tentative personal philosophy of life informed by experience and study
Demonstrate skills in practice of a fine art such as visual art, performing art, or literary art
Describe the basic elements and practices of a fine art during the important eras of its development
Make informed judgments concerning the aesthetic, entertainment, and intellectual value of a work in an area of fine art
Recognize contributions of literature, music, theatre, and visual arts
Develop an appreciation for the creative process in developing concepts in a fine art work
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