2020-2021 Catalog

Institutional Academic Requirements

I. FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

Students may be required to complete the following:

UNIV 100 Freshman Seminar 1
  Total Credits 1

This course is required for all incoming freshman (including transfer students) with 23 hours or less who have not completed an equivalent course at another institution.

This course must be taken during the first semester of the freshman year at Dickinson State University unless the student is a mid-year transfer, then the course will be taken during the second semester of the freshman year.

The skills and knowledge imparted through this course will help students survive the freshman year successfully and provide a firm foundation for their future academic career.

The course will help students adjust to college in their academic, personal, and social lives. It will help to develop and strengthen decision-making, problem solving, critical thinking, and career exploration skills.

II. GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

In alignment with Dickinson State University's mission, the General Education Program both complements and transcends individual academic emphases. Through the General Education curriculum, students demonstrate the following proficiencies: effective communication, critical and creative thinking, citizenship, and integrative learning. In meeting these proficiencies, students mature into independent life-long learners.    

In addition to major and minor requirements, all four-year degree students are required to complete a minimum 39 credits of general education course work within the three curriculum groups outlined below. Selected lower division courses numbered 100 and 200 are used to fulfill general education requirements. Exceptions to this rule are the upper division courses numbered at the 300 level approved in the general education curriculum.

Note: Students seeking a degree from Dickinson State University, who have already earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, will be considered complete with respect to their general education requirements. However, specific general education classes which are also considered program requirements with respect to specific majors for licensure or certification program requirements will need to be completed before the degree will be granted.

Any course substitutions/waivers related to general education requirements must be approved by the Department Chair that supervises the specific course or group.

General Education Learning Outcomes

Communication

Definition: Communication is the sharing of ideas through written, oral, and symbolic language. It involves the active expression and reception of ideas through multiple technologies, physical and spoken language, mixed texts, data, and images.

Goal Statement: Students will apply multiple conventions of expression to achieve shared understanding of meaning.

Student Outcomes:

  • Adapt modes and styles of writing to different purposes, audiences, media, and contexts
  • Develop effective pre-writing, researching, drafting, revising, proofreading, and editing processes
  • Utilize writing technologies crucial to performance in today’s writing-intensive professions
  • Organize and convey a central message via oral communication, using supporting evidence and adapting language and delivery for audience
  • Initiate and negotiate in a collaborative setting by listening to, building upon, verifying, or challenging others’ ideas and conclusions

 Citizenship

Definition: Citizenship involves individuals attuned to the multiple perspectives inherent in our socially and culturally diverse world. Citizens are cognizant of their own health and well-being, demonstrate an understanding of the impact one has on the arenas outside of the self, and engage with complex, authentic issues both locally and globally.

Goal Statement: Students will progressively maintain their personal health and well-being and consider diverse social-cultural perspectives as they integrate and evaluate approaches to local and global issues.

Student Outcomes:

  • Identify and incorporate strategies leading to individual health and well-being
  • Predict and analyze the effects that one’s decisions have on the well-being of others
  • Integrate political, social, and cultural structures, utilizing multiple viewpoints, to contribute to a community’s values and practices
  • Apply technology effectively, safely and ethically in an evolving society

 Critical and Creative Thinking

Definition: Critical and creative thinking are intellectual skills in which knowledge and literacy are used to process information, construct understanding, apply knowledge, solve problems, and conduct inquiry.

Goal Statement: Upon completion of the General Education curriculum, students integrate critical and creative thinking skills while gaining knowledge of the Arts and Humanities, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.

Student Outcomes:

  • Process information by collecting, generating, organizing, retrieving, recognizing underlying assumptions, or validating evidence.
  • Construct understanding by analyzing, synthesizing, revealing meaning, or validating knowledge.
  • Apply knowledge by performing, modeling, being creative in a new context, or validating results.
  • Solve problems by identifying components, structuring information, anticipating consequences, or creating and improving solutions.
  • Conduct inquiry by formulating research questions, obtaining evidence, explaining knowledge, depicting knowledge, validating or evaluating scholarship.

Group I - Communications

Students must complete the following:

Students are required to complete nine credits of communication coursework with at least one course from lists A, B, and C.

List A. English Composition I

ENGL 110College Composition I

3

ENGL 111HHonors Composition I

3


List B. English Composition II

ENGL 120College Composition II

3

ENGL 121HHonors Composition II

3

List C. Public Speaking

COMM 110Fundamentals Of Public Speaking

3

COMM 111HHonors Public Speaking

3

Total Credit Hours:9

Group II - Citizenship

Students must complete the following:

Students are required to complete 11-12 credits of citizenship coursework with at least one course from lists A, B,  C, and D.

List A. Technology

CSCI 101Introduction To Computers

3

Total Credit Hours:3

 

List B. Global Perspectives

COMM 216Intercultural Communication

3

GEOG 121Physical Geography

3

GEOG 161World Regional Geography

3

MUSC 201World Music

3

SPAN 101First Year Spanish I

4

SPAN 102First Year Spanish II

4

Total Credit Hours:3-4

 

List C. Human Behavior and Governance

POLS 115American Government

3

PSYC 111Introduction to Psychology

3

SOC 110Introduction to Sociology

3

SOC 115Social Problems

3

Total Credit Hours:3

List D. Well-being

HPER 100Concepts of Fitness and Wellness

2

NURS 240Fundamentals of Nutrition

2

Total Credit Hours:2

Group III - Critical and Creative Thinking

Students must complete the following:

Students are required to complete a minimum of three credits from lists A, B, C, and D and at least four credits including a laboratory science from list E.

List A. Creative Expressions

ART 110Introduction To The Visual Arts

3

ART 122Two-Dimensional Design

3

ART 130Drawing I

3

ART 250Ceramics I

3

ART 281Introduction to Digital Photography

3

COMM 211Oral Interpretation

3

COMM 280Understanding Film and Television

3

ENGL 211Introduction to Creative Writing

3

MUSC 100Music Appreciation

3

MUSC 102American Popular Music

3

MUSC 110Foundations of Music

3

MUSC 240Chorale

1

MUSC 241Concert Band

1

THEA 110Introduction to Theatre Arts

3

THEA 161Acting I

3

THEA 201Theatre Practicum

1

THEA 301Theatre Practicum

1

Total Credit Hours:3

List B. Literature

ENGL 220Introduction to Literature

3

ENGL 232Mythology

3

ENGL 236Women And Literature

3

ENGL 240Masterpieces of World Literature

3

ENGL 250Masterpieces of British Literature

3

ENGL 260Masterpieces of American Literature

3

ENGL 265Native American Literature

3

Total Credit Hours:3

List C. Mathematics

MATH 103College Algebra

4

MATH 104Finite Mathematics

4

MATH 107Pre-Calculus

4

MATH 110Liberal Arts Mathematics

3

MATH 146Applied Calculus I

3

MATH 165Calculus I

4

MATH 305Probability and Statistics

4

Total Credit Hours:3-4

List D. Social Science

ECON 106Global Economics

3

ECON 201Principles Of Microeconomics

3

ECON 202Principles Of Macro-Economics

3

HIST 103United States To 1877

3

HIST 104United States Since 1877

3

HIST 211World Civilizations To 1500

3

HIST 212World Civilizations Since 1500

3

Total Credit Hours:3

List E. Natural Science

BIOL 111Concepts of Biology

3

BIOL 111LConcepts of Biology Lab

1

BIOL 112Exploring Human Health in Our Environment

4

BIOL 150General Biology I

3

BIOL 150LGeneral Biology I Lab

1

BIOL 151General Biology II

3

BIOL 151LGeneral Biology II Lab

1

CHEM 111Fundamentals of Chemistry

3

CHEM 111LFundamentals of Chemistry Lab

1

CHEM 115Introductory Chemistry

3

CHEM 115LIntroductory Chemistry Lab

1

CHEM 121General Chemistry I

4

CHEM 121LGeneral Chemistry Lab I

1

CHEM 122General Chemistry II

4

CHEM 122LGeneral Chemistry Lab II

1

GEOL 100Earth Science

3

GEOL 100LEarth Science Laboratory

1

GEOL 105Physical Geology

3

GEOL 105LPhysical Geology Lab

1

GEOL 106The Earth Through Time

3

GEOL 106LThe Earth Through Time Lab

1

PHYS 110Introductory Astronomy

3

PHYS 110LIntroductory Astronomy Lab

1

PHYS 211College Physics I

3

PHYS 211LCollege Physics I Lab

1

PHYS 212College Physics II

3

PHYS 212LCollege Physics II Lab

1

PHYS 251University Physics I

4

PHYS 251LUniversity Physics I Lab

1

PHYS 252University Physics II

4

PHYS 252LUniversity Physics II Lab

1

SCNC 105Physical Science

3

SCNC 105LPhysical Science Lab

1

Total Credit Hours:4-5

General Education Elective

Select one additional General Education Elective:

Students are required to take one additional course of three or more credits from the General Education curriculum   (3 SH)

Total Credit Hours:39-41

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENT TRANSFER AGREEMENT (GERTA)

NORTH DAKOTA UNIVERSITY SYSTEM GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENT TRANSFER AGREEMENT (GERTA)

General Education courses above in Groups I, II, and III, with the exception of those listed below, are GERTA approved courses. Be aware that any course identified below as an exception to GERTA will not count toward meeting the GERTA regulations.

CHEM 111Fundamentals of Chemistry

3

CHEM 111LFundamentals of Chemistry Lab

1

HPER 100Concepts of Fitness and Wellness

2

MATH 110Liberal Arts Mathematics

3

NURS 240Fundamentals of Nutrition

2


GERTA-approved general education courses in the areas of communications, arts and humanities, social sciences, mathematics, science, and technology taken at any North Dakota University System (NDUS) institution count upon transfer toward the general education requirements at all NDUS institutions in one of the following two ways:

If the general education course work includes courses from each of these areas totaling at least 36 semester hours and completes the general education requirements of the institution from which the student transfers then the student is deemed to have completed the lower division general education requirements of the institution to which the courses are transferred.

In all other cases the general education courses from the indicated areas are applicable to an appropriate general education requirement of the institution to which they are transferred. In these cases the number of credits required to complete the general education requirement in each area is determined by the policies of the institution to which the courses are transferred.

Within the stipulated areas, each institution shall indicate in its catalog and other student advisement materials its courses which are approved for general education. NDUS institutions may establish program/institute specific requirements. A student should consult the institution to which he/she intends to transfer relative to these program/institution requirements.

Transfer of Associate Degrees

Transfers of Associate in Arts and Associate in Science Degrees

If a student transfers to Dickinson State University from a regionally accredited college and has earned and Associate in Arts degree and has completed six credit hours of freshman composition courses and also three credit hours in a public speaking course, the student will be considered complete with respect to his/her general education requirements. Similarly, if a student transfers to Dickinson State University from a North Dakota University System institution and has earned an Associate in Science degree and has completed six credit hours of freshman composition courses and also three credit hours in a public speaking course, the student will be considered complete with respect to his/her general education requirements. However, some Dickinson State University majors require very specific courses as part of their general education program. If those specific courses were not completed as part of the associate’s degree, those specific courses would need to be completed at Dickinson State University.