Liberal education in fall 2010:
What continuing students should know
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, has revised the liberal education (LE) requirements for new undergraduates who begin at the University in fall 2010 or later.
What does this mean for students who began their degree programs before fall 2010? Here are some answers to common questions.
- What if I'm finished with my LEs before fall 2010?
- What about the LEs I take before fall 2010? Will they still count?
- Will I have to start following new requirements in fall 2010?
- Will the courses that fulfill LE requirements change?
- Can I still take courses that fulfill more than one requirement at the same time?
- Are the names of some LE categories changing?
- How can I plan ahead if LE courses are changing?
- Is this going to keep me from graduating on time?
- What if I'm finished with my LEs before fall 2010?
- The change in LEs won't affect you at all.
- What about the LEs I take before fall 2010? Will they still count?
- Yes. LE courses fulfill the requirements they are certified for at the time you take them—these are listed in the class schedule when you register for that term. We won't be making any retroactive adjustments to your record in fall 2010.
- Will I have to start following new requirements in fall 2010?
- No. By default, your LE requirements will not change If you were admitted to the University of Minnesota before fall 2010. (By requirements, we mean: 3 cr. of mathematical thinking, 6 cr. of social sciences, and so on.)
- You may, however, elect to follow new requirements.
- What's new about the new requirements? It boils down to this: Instead of taking 6 cr. in social sciences, you would take 3 cr. in social sciences, plus 3 cr. in a new theme called "Technology and Society."
- If you decide to follow the new requirements, you will need to officially notify your academic adviser of that decision (after March 2010).
- Will the courses that fulfill LE requirements change?
- Yes. Right now, a faculty committee is reviewing all LE courses. That means that some courses that fulfill LE requirements now may not after summer 2010. There will also be new LE courses to choose from. New LE courses will be posted on One Stop as they are approved.
- Can I still take courses that fulfill more than one requirement at the same time?
- In fall 2010, you will be able to take courses that fulfill a core, a theme, and a writing intensive requirement at the same time. However, you will no longer be able to take courses that fulfill two theme requirements at the same time.
- Are the names of some LE categories changing?
- Yes. Many revised requirements will have new names that better reflect their purpose. Just remember: courses listed under the new fall 2010 category name will fulfill your pre-fall 2010 requirement. Here's the conversion chart:
- To give an example of how this will work: if you take a course labeled "Global Perspectives" in fall 2010, that course will fulfill your "International Perspectives" requirement.
- Students following the new requirements will have an additional theme to fulfill, called "Technology & Society."
- The other LE categories will continue to have very similar names in fall 2010, as you can see in this chart:
- In all cases, courses listed under the fall 2010 category name will fulfill your pre-fall 2010 requirement.
- How can I plan ahead if LE courses are changing?
- New LE courses for fall 2010 and later terms will be posted on One Stop as they are approved.
- Check periodically to be sure that the LE courses you plan to take in fall 2010 or later terms will meet the requirements you need to fulfill.
- Ultimately, the LE requirements listed in the online class schedule at the time you register are the requirements that the course fulfills; pay attention to that information when you register for fall 2010.
- Is this going to keep me from graduating on time?
- The change in requirements should not affect your degree progress in any way. Contact your collegiate academic adviser as soon as possible if you encounter any issues. Questions or concerns about the transition can also be directed to Laurel Carroll in the Office of the Provost at l-carr@umn.edu.
| Your requirement | New name in fall 2010 |
|---|---|
| Citizenship and Public Ethics (C/PE) | Civic Life and Ethics (Civ) |
| Cultural Diversity (CD) | Diversity and Social Justice in the United States (DSJ) |
| International Perspectives (IP) | Global Perspectives (GP) |
| Other Humanities (OH) | Arts/Humanities (AH) |
| Your requirement | New name in fall 2010 |
|---|---|
| Biological Sciences with Laboratory Core (Bio/L) | Biological Sciences (Biol) |
| Environment Theme (Envt) | The Environment (Env) |
| Historical Perspective Core (HP) | Historical Perspectives (His) |
| Literature Core (Lit) | Literature (Litr) |
| Mathematical Thinking Core (Math) | Mathematical Thinking (Mth) |
| Physical Sciences with Laboratory Core (Phys/Lab) | Physical Sciences (Phy) |
| Social Science Core (Ssci) | Social Sciences (SocS) |