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New Mexico State University

University General Education

Many of the university and college requirements overlap, and we encourage students to choose courses that will meet both requirements at the same time whenever possible. These courses do not need to be completed prior to taking upper division courses (with the exception of those needed for the Basic Skills requirement) or prior to starting courses in your major. New courses are always being added to the General Education list, and they don't always follow a logical pattern, so please check with the Advising Center if you have questions about these requirements.

Please note that lower division Honors courses (HON prefix) require a 3.5 cumulative GPA (26 ACT Composite scored for entering freshmen); upper division Honors courses require a 3.2 cumulative GPA.

English Composition - 7 cr.

Students must complete ENGL 111G or 111H before taking any other English class. The second writing requirement must be one of the following courses:

  • ENGL 203G, Business Writing, 3 cr.
  • ENGL 211G, Writing for Humanities and Social Sciences, 3 cr.
  • ENGL 218G, Technical and Scientific Communication, 3 cr.
  • ENGL 311G, Advanced Composition, 3 cr. (junior standing required)
  • ENGL 318G, Advanced Technical and Professional Communication, 3 cr. (junior standing required)

Mathematics - 3 cr.

Students whose major does not require calculus will usually take MATH 210G, Math Appreciation (or equivalent Honors course) to meet this requirement. MATH 142G, a survey of calculus for biology majors, will also meet the requirement, as will any three credits higher than 185 or six credits higher than 115. This means that MATH 185 (3 cr.) and 180 (3 cr.) will meet the requirement, although students usually take those two courses as prerequisites to MATH 191, Calculus/Analytical Geometry I. MATH 191 will also meet the requirement, since it is three credits beyond 185.

Critical Thinking/Analysis - 6 cr.

Students must take two classes, each from a different subject area: Communications, Philosophy, Computer Science, and Experimental Statistics. Choose from the courses below. .

  • COMM 253G, Public Speaking, 3 cr.
  • COMM 265G, Principles of Human Communication, 3 cr.
  • HON 265G, Principles of Human Communication, 3 cr.
  • PHIL 101G, The Art of Wondering, 3 cr.
  • PHIL 201G, Intro. to Philosophy, 3 cr.
  • PHIL 211G, Informal Logic, 3 cr.
  • HON 225G, History of Ethics, 3 cr.
  • HON 226G, Puzzles, Paradoxes, and Truth, 3 cr.
  • HON 227G, Plato and the Discovery of Philosophy, 3 cr.
  • HON 228G, Religion and the State, 3 cr.
  • C S 110G, Computer Literacy, 3 cr.
  • HON 111G, Computers and the Information Society, 3 cr.
  • E ST 311G, Statistical Applications, 3 cr.

 Historical Perspectives - 3 cr.

Any of the courses shown below will meet this requirement and are suitable for freshmen. None have prerequisites.

  • HIST 101G, Roots of Modern Europe, 3 cr.
  • HIST 102G, Modern Europe, 3 cr.
  • HIST 201G, Intro. to Early American History, 3 cr.
  • HIST 202G, Intro. to Recent American History, 3 cr.
  • HIST 211G, East Asia to 1600, 3 cr.
  • HIST 212G, East Asia since 1600, 3 cr.
  • HIST 221G, Intro. to Islamic Civilization, 3 cr.
  • HON 221G, Seeking the Way: Spirit and Intellect in Premodern China, 3 cr.
  • HON 222G, Foundations of Western Culture, 3 cr.
  • HON 224G, God and Nature, 3 cr.
  • HON 241G, Telling American Stories: Society and Culture in Early America, 3 cr.
  • HON 242G, Claiming an American Past, 3 cr.

Basic Natural Sciences (with lab) - 4-8 credits

Any of the "G" courses shown below will meet this requirement in one semester (4 credits). The following two-semester sequences require both semesters (7-8 credits) to fulfill the requirement, and are taken primarily by science majors: CHEM 111/112, CHEM 115/116, PHYS 211/211L/212, PHYS 215/215L/216. Watch for prerequisites on these, CHEM 111 and CHEM 115 require placement in MATH 185, or completion of MATH 115 with a C or better. PHYS 211 requires some trigonometry background (can be high school), and PHYS 215 requires MATH 191.

  • ASTR 105G, The Planets, 4 cr.
  • ASTR 110G, Intro. to Astronomy, 4 cr.
  • BIOL 101G, 3 cr., and BIOL101L, 1 cr., Human Biology and Lab
  • BIOL 111G, 3 cr., and BIOL111L, 1 cr., Natural History of Life and Lab
  • BIOL 211G, 3 cr., and BIOL 211L, 1 cr. Cellular and Organismal Biology (has CHEM 110G or CHEM 111 prerequisite)
  • CHEM 110G, Principles and Applications of Chemistry, 4 cr.
  • CHEM 111 and CHEM 112, General Chemistry I and II, 4 cr. each
  • CHEM 114, General Chemistry for Engineers, 5 cr.
  • CHEM 115 and 116, Principles of Chemistry I and II, 4 cr. each
  • GEOG 111G, Geography of the Natural Environment, 4 cr.
  • GEOL 111G, Survey of Geology, 4 cr.
  • PHYS 110G, The Great Ideas of Physics, 4 cr.
  • PHYS 120G, Intro to Acoustics, 4 cr.
  • PHYS 211 and 212, General Physics I and II, 3 cr. each, plus either PHYS 211L or 212L, 1 cr.
  • PHYS 215 and 215, Engineering Physics I and II, 3 cr. each, plus either PHYS 215L or 216L, 1 cr.
  • HON 205G, Life, Energy and Evolution, 4 cr.
  • HON 219G, Earth, Time and Life, 4 cr.
  • HON 240G, Essentials of Relativity, 4 cr.
  • HON 245G, Chemistry, Experiments, Laws, and Theories, 4 cr.

Human Thought and Behavior - 3 cr.

Choose any one of the following. We recommend students complete at least one semester of college before taking the linguistics or psychology courses.

  • ANTH 120G, Human Ancestors, 3 cr.
  • ANTH 125G, Intro. to World Cultures, 3 cr.
  • ANTH 201G, Intro. to Anthropology, 3 cr.
  • ANTH 202G, Intro. Archaeology and Physical Anthropology, 3 cr.
  • ANTH 203G, Intro. to Language and Cultural Anthropology, 3 cr.
  • LING 200G, Intro. to Language, 3 cr.
  • PHIL 136G, The Quest for God, 3 cr.
  • PHIL 223G, Ethics, 3 cr.
  • PHIL 240G, Ethics for Engineering and Scientific Careers, 3 cr.
  • PSY 201G, Intro. to Psychology, 3 cr.
  • WS 202G, Representing Women, 3 cr.
  • HON 200G, Cognitive Science, 3 cr.
  • HON 203G, Understanding the Science of Human Behavior, 3 cr.
  • HON 223G, Evolution of Human Sexuality, 3 cr.
  • HON 232G, The Human Mind, 3 cr.
  • HON 235G, The World of Anthropology, 3 cr.
  • HON 237G, Archaeology: Search for the Past, 3 cr.

Social Analysis - 3 cr.

Most of the courses below are suitable for first-semester students. Exception: Freshmen should not take ECON 251G or 252G.

  • ECON 201G, Intro. to Economics, 3 cr.
  • ECON 251G, Principles of Macroeconomics, 3 cr.
  • ECON 252G, Principles of Microeconomics, 3 cr.
  • GEOG 120G, Survey of Geography, 3 cr.
  • GEOG 112G, World Regional Geography, 3 cr.
  • GOVT 100G, American National Government, 3 cr.
  • GOVT 110G, Intro. to Political Science, 3 cr.
  • GOVT 150G, American Political Issues, 3 cr.
  • GOVT 160G, International Political Issues, 3 cr.
  • JOUR 105G, Intro. to Mass Communications, 3 cr.
  • SOC 101G, Introductory Sociology, 3 cr.
  • SOC 201G, Contemporary Social Problems, 3 cr.
  • WS 201G, Intro. to Women's Studies, 3 cr.
  • HON 233G, Social Problems, 3 cr.
  • HON 248G, The Citizen and the State: Great Political Issues, 3 cr.
  • HON 249G, American Politics in a Changing World, 3 cr.

Literature or Fine Arts - 3 cr.

Any of the art, music or theatre courses below are suitable for freshmen. ENGL 244G has ENGL 111G as a prerequisite.

  • ENGL 244G, Literature and Culture, 3 cr.
  • ART 101G, Orientation in Art, 3 cr.
  • ART 110G, Visual Concepts, 3 cr. (has a studio lab)
  • MUS 101G, Intro. to Music, 3 cr.
  • MUS 201G, The History of Jazz in Popular Music: a Blending of Cultures, 3 cr.
  • THTR 101G, Intro. to Theatre, 3 cr.
  • HON 216G, Encounters with Art, 3 cr.
  • HON 220G, The World of the Renaissance: Discovering the Modern, 3 cr.
  • HON 229G, The New Testament as Literature, 3 cr.
  • HON 230G, Bamboo and Silk: The Fabric of Chinese Literature, 3 cr.
  • HON 231G, Literary Traditions: The Picaresque Novel, 3 cr.
  • HON 234G, The Worlds of Arthur, 3 cr.
  • HON 239G, Medieval Understandings: Literature and Culture in the Middle Ages, 3 cr.
  • HON 244G, Masterpieces of World Literature, 3 cr.
  • HON 208G, Music in Time and Space, 3 cr.
  • HON 216G, Encounters with Art, 3 cr.
  • HON 270G, The World of Theatre, 3 cr.

Viewing a Wider World - 6 cr.

This is an upper division requirement. Two Viewing a Wider World courses are needed, and they must be taken from two different colleges other than your own. The Undergraduate Catalog contains a list of courses approved for this category. The Arts and Sciences Advising Center publishes a flyer listing suitable Viewing a Wider World courses offered in the upcoming semester.

The Nine-Hour Rule

Students can use nine credit hours in a University General Education area to substitute for the "G" course. For example, English majors can use nine credit hours of English courses to substitute for the second writing course, and an additional nine credits in English to meet the Literature and Fine Arts requirement. To use the nine-hour rule to meet a Viewing a Wider World requirement, all nine credits must be upper division and must be taught under a single prefix from another college. For example, nine credits of upper division MGT courses would substitute for one Viewing a Wider World course; but six credits upper division MGT and three credits upper division ECON would not.