General Requirements

A. Communication (12 credit hours)

1. First Year Writing course. English 110 or Humanities 105P. This requirement may be satisfied by scoring 30 or higher on the English subsection of the ACT or 690 or higher on the verbal subsection of the SAT.

2. Sophomore-Level Writing Intensive course. English 225 or Humanities 202P.

3. The UMKC Written English Proficiency Test (WEPT). The WEPT is a prerequisite for all writing intensive courses and should be taken after a student has completed English 225 and 45 credit hours. The WEPT is also a graduation requirement for all students. Those who fail the WEPT twice must take English 299; this course, which does not count towards the degree, will serve as the WEPT for students who earn a C- or better in the course.

4. Junior/Senior-Level Writing Intensive (WI) course. Upper-level (300/400-level) Writing Intensive courses are designated with WI or PW following the course number. Writing Intensive courses should be completed during the junior or senior year and after the completion of the three requirements above.

5. One course in which oral argumentation is a major focus. This requirement is met by the courses
   • Communication Studies 110, 212, 213, 254P, 311, 343,
   • Theater 121 or
   • Humanities 404PW.

B. Mathematical, Symbolic and Logical Reasoning (6 credit hours minimum)

1. Mathematics 110 or higher (except Math 125), or demonstrate competency equivalent to four units (years) of acceptable high school mathematics, beginning with Algebra I or higher.

2. One course requiring extensive use of mathematical, symbolic or logical reasoning. This requirement is met by the courses
   • Any mathematics course at or above the 200 level; or
   • Philosophy 222. (Note: Philosophy 222 may be chosen here only if it has not been chosen as the philosophy requirement below.)

C. Foreign Language and Culture (13 credit hours)

1. Three semesters of the same foreign language (110, 120 and 211) are required for all B.A. degrees (but not for B.S. degrees, as of Spring 2002).
   • Students who have satisfactorily completed two years of a foreign language in high school will be exempt from the 110 college-level course and will be required to complete only two additional (120 college-level and above) courses in that same language.
   • Students who completed four years of the same foreign language in high school must complete only one additional sophomore-level (211 or above) course in that same language.

2. One course that focuses on cultural perspectives of an interdependent global environment. This requirement is met by the courses
   • History 201, 202, 206, 208,
   • Geography 200, 202,
   • Sociology/Anthropology 103,
   • Political Science 220,
   • Economics 412 or
   • Urban Planning and Design 260.

D. Computer and Information Technology (3 credit hours)

• Art 114,
• A&S 100,
• Computer Science 100, 101, 105P or
• A computer application course in the student's major/program.

E. Literature and Philosophy (6 credit hours)

1. One of the following literature courses
   • Classics 210, 319,
   • English 213, 214, 215, 241, 311, 317, 319, 321, 323, 325, 326, 327, 331, 333,
   • Humanities 203P,
   • World Literature 210, 220,
   • French 301, 303, 304,
   • German 301,
   • Spanish 301, 303, 304, 373, 374, 401 or 402.

2. One of the following courses
   • Philosophy 210,
   • Philosophy 221,
   • Philosophy 222, (Note: Philosophy 222 may be chosen here only if it has not been chosen as the symbolic and logical reasoning requirement above) or
   • Humanities 106P.

F. Distribution Requirements for General Education

1. Social and Behavioral Sciences (three courses, 9 hours). The nine hours chosen to complete the social and behavioral sciences distribution requirement in (a.) and (b.) below must come from at least two different departments.

   a. Constitution Requirement:

   Every student must fulfill the Missouri state requirement to take a course covering the United States Constitution and the Missouri State Constitution before graduation. Courses that satisfy this requirement are

   • History 101, 102, 360R (American History),
   • Political Science 210 (American Government), 409P or
   • Social Science 102P.

   b. Distribution Electives:

   Every student must also complete two courses from the social and behavioral sciences. Students may select courses from the following departments/areas:

   • American Studies
   • Anthropology
   • Criminal Justice and Criminology
   • Economics
   • Geography (regional or cultural, which includes 105, 200, 202, 210, 300, 309, 311, 329, 332, 333, 340, 341, 342, 350, 351, 352, 355, 398, 403, 405, 410, 415, 435, 437, 460, 489 or 496 only)
   • History
   • Political Science
   • Psychology
   • Sociology
   • Foundations of Social Sciences 210 or 220

2. Physical and Biological Sciences (two courses, 8 hours minimum). Every student must complete at least two lecture courses in the physical and/or biological sciences. One of the courses must be a lecture/laboratory combination. Students may select courses from the following departments/areas:
   • Chemistry
   • Environmental Science
   • Geography (physical geography only, which includes 150, 203, 215, 314, 317, 319, 335, 336, 360, 401, 402, 404, 406, 426, 430, 435, 442, 444, 448 or 450)
   • Geology
   • Natural Science
   • Physical Science
   • Physics
   • Biology

3. Humanities and Fine Arts (two courses, 6 hours).

   a. Fine Arts:

   Every student must complete one of the following courses:

   • Art History 110, 110P
   • Environmental Design 110
   • Theater 130, 210
   • Conservatory 120

   b. Humanities:

   Every student must complete one additional course from any of the following departments/areas:

   • Art (Studio)
   • Art History
   • Communication Studies
   • English
   • Foreign Languages
   • Humanities
   • Philosophy
   • Theater

4. Interdisciplinary Cluster Course (one course, 3 hours). Every student is required to complete a junior/senior interdisciplinary cluster course. Cluster courses provide opportunities to study special themes or historical periods from the perspective of several different disciplines at once and to show how different disciplines complement each other to form a more comprehensive understanding of a given topic. See the College's previous catalog subsection on "Interdisciplinary Cluster Courses" for additional information and a list of approved cluster courses.

G. Capstone Course

H. Additional Requirements and Restrictions

• A minimum of 120 total credit hours is required for graduation.
• At least 36 credit hours must be at the 300-400 level.
• A 2.0 overall GPA is required for graduation. However, the required major GPA may be higher, as determined by each department individually.
• A maximum of 3 hours of activity courses in physical education may be applied toward the 120 minimum hours required for graduation.