General Education
Continue to main contentRECEIVE THE BENEFITS OF A WELL-ROUNDED EDUCATION: YOU’LL DO THAT HERE.
Southeast’s General Education program provides broad, foundational knowledge and essential, transferable skills. These courses prepare students for informed civic engagement in a globalized world, personal and professional success, and interdisciplinary expertise.
Southeast’s General Education program prepares students to:
- demonstrate the moral & ethical values of a diverse society;
- locate, organize, evaluate, & synthesize information from various sources;
- communicate effectively through various channels & systems; and
- demonstrate critical & creative thinking, quantitative literacy, & problem-solving.
General Education Program Requirements:
- Civics Requirement (3 credit hours and civics exam)
- Humanities and Fine Arts (9 credit hours from at least two disciplines)
- Mathematics (3 credit hours)
- Natural Sciences (7 credit hours from two disciplines)
- Oral Communication (3 credit hours)
- Social/Behavioral Sciences (6 credit hours)
- Written Communication – (6 credit hours)
- Additional Requirements (5 credit hours from any category
- Freshman Seminar “Connecting with Southeast” course—UI100 (required for most students, counts as additional requirement hours)
- AH110 Art History Survey I (MOTR)
- AH210 Art History Survey II (MOTR)
- AR100 Drawing I (MOTR)
- AR104 2D Design
- AR108 Drawing in Society
- AR111 Ceramics: A Metaphor for Understanding Human Experience
- AR112 Perspectives in Art (MOTR)
- AR284 Perspective & Image-Making
- CF233 Creative Thought & Expression in Children
- CN100 Chinese Language & Culture I
- DA100 Dance Appreciation
- DA282 Movement Improvisation
- DA290 Dance in World Culture
- DS104 Exploring Interior Design
- EH101 Early European Civilization (MOTR)
- EH103 Modern European Civilization (MOTR)
- EH115 Ancient Greece & Rome
- FL250 History through Literature
- FR100 French Language & Culture I (MOTR)
- FR120 French Language & Culture II (MOTR)
- FR200 French Language & Culture III
- FR220 French Literature
- GN100 German Language & Culture I
- GN120 German Language & Culture II
- GN200 German Language & Culture III
- GN220 German Literature
- LI205 The Art of Film
- LI211 World Literature I (MOTR)
- LI212 World Literature II (MOTR)
- LI220 Fiction & the Human Experience (MOTR)
- LI221 Poetry & the Human Experience
- LI222 Mythic Dimensions in Literature
- LI243 Children’s Literature
- LI256 Variety of Literature (MOTR)
- LI260 English Literature I (MOTR)
- LI261 English Literature II (MOTR)
- LI270 American Literature I (MOTR)
- LI271 American Literature II (MOTR)
- MC253 Film History
- MH252 Evolution of Musical Style Since 1827 (MOTR)
- MH310 Popular Music in America and Beyond
- MM100 Music Fundamentals (MOTR)
- MU182 Music: Artistic Expression (MOTR)
- MU184 “Who Are You?” … A History of Rock
- MU190 Jazz Appreciation (MOTR)
- MU275-398 Ensembles** (MOTR)
- PG284 Photography Fundamentals
- PL110 Readings in Philosophy (MOTR)
- PL120 Symbolic Logic I (MOTR)
- PL203 Aesthetics & the Arts
- PL204 Ethical Theory (MOTR)
- RS101 World Religions (MOTR)
- RS201 New Testament Literature
- RS202 Old Testament Literature
- SN100 Spanish Language & Culture I (MOTR)
- SN120 Spanish Language & Culture II (MOTR)
- SN200 Spanish Language & Culture III
- SN220 Spanish Literature
- SN105 Spanish for Healthcare Profs. I
- SN110 Spanish for Healthcare Profs. II
- SN215 Spanish for Healthcare Profs. III
- TH100 Theatre Appreciation (MOTR)
- TH101 Acting for Non-Majors
- TH223 Movement for Actor I
- TH275 Stage Management
- WH100 African Civilization
- WH110 Chinese Civilization
- WH125 Islamic Civilization
- WH130 Latin American Civilization
**MU275-398 Ensembles are each three 1 hour courses, for a combined 3 credit hours. The following course codes are considered the same discipline: 1) CN, FR, GN & SN; 2) EH & WH; 3) MH, MM, & MU
Choose 7 credit hours from two disciplines. Below, course credit hours are indicated. One course must have a lab. Courses with labs are marked with * The Following course codes are considered the same discipline: 1) AO & AY; 2) BI & BS.
- AN183/083 Biological Anthropology*
- AO120/125 Plant Science* (MOTR)
- AY101 Animal Science
- AY105 Animal Science Experiences
- BI163/063 Evolution & Ecology* (MOTR)
- BS103 Human Biology (MOTR)
- BS105 Environmental Biology (MOTR)
- BS107 Investigations in Biology*
- BS108 Biology for Living (MOTR)
- BS109 Science Reasoning in Biology
- BS113/013 Anatomy & Physiology I* (MOTR)
- BS151 Biological Reasoning (MOTR)
- BS218/118 Biological Science: A Process Approach* (MOTR)
- CH180 Chemistry in our World*
- CH181/081/01 Basic Principles of Chemistry* (MOTR)
- CH185/184 General Chemistry* (MOTR)
- FN235 Nutrition for Health (MOTR)
- GG140 Physical Geography (MOTR)
- GO110/010 Physical Geology* (MOTR)
- GO150/050 Earth Science: Environmental Hazards* (MOTR)
- PH106/107 Physical Concepts* (MOTR)
- PH120/020 Introductory Physics I* (MOTR)
- PH128/129 Introduction to Astronomy*
- PH218 Physical Science: A Process Approach* (MOTR)
- PH230/030 General Physics I* (MOTR) 5
Choose 3 credit hours. Below, course credit hours are indicated.
- MA115 Precalculus A with Integrated Review (MOTR) 5 hours
- MA116 Precalculus A (MOTR) 3 hours
- MA123 Mathematical Reasoning (MOTR) 3 Hours
- MA128 Numbers & Operations for Educators 4 hours
- MA137 Precalculus (MOTR) 5 hours
- MA155 Statistical Reasoning (MOTR) 3 hours
Choose 6 credit hours. All courses in this category are 3 credit hours.
- AG201 World Food & Society
- AN100 Foundations of Human Behavior
- AN101 Observing Cultures (MOTR)
- AN181 Cultural Anthropology (MOTR)
- AN182 Introduction to Archaeology
- CD110 Language & Culture of the Deaf
- CF102 Relationship in 21st Century
- EC101 Economic Problems & Policies (MOTR)
- EC215 Principles of Microeconomics (MOTR)
- EC225 Principles of Macroeconomics (MOTR)
- FA104 Beyond Project Runway
- FE200 Family Resource Management
- GG150 People & Places of the World
- GG180 Cultural Geography (MOTR)
- HL120 Health Perspectives
- HO232 Production & Use of Hemp
- MC101 Mass Communication & Society
- MN220 Engineering Economic Analysis
- OS120 Introduction to Urban Studies
- OS200 Survey of Social Science
- PE201 Sport & Society
- PL245 Social Philosophy
- PS104 Comparative Political Systems (MOTR)
- PY101 Psychological Perspectives on Human Behavior (MOTR)
- PY120/CF120 The Child: Development, Conception to Adolescence
- PY220 Psychological Development Across the Lifespan (MOTR)
- PY222 Development of the Adolescent
- RC100 Leisure in a Diverse Culture
- SO101 Introduction to Sociology (MOTR)
- SW207 Understanding Cultural & Social Diversity
- WH150 Ancient World Civilizations
- WH160 Modern World Civilizations
Choose 3 credit hours. All courses in this category are 3 credit hours. The Civics Exam has no credit but is required to graduate
- PS103 US Political Systems (MOTR)
- Civics Exam (Required for Graduation)
- US105 American History I (MOTR)
- US107 American History II (MOTR)
Choose 3 credit hours. All courses in this category are 3 credit hours.
- SC105 Fundamentals of Oral Communication (MOTR)
- SC107 Online Oral Presentations
- SC155 Fundamentals of Interpersonal Communication (MOTR)
- SW121 Helping Skills for the Human Services
Choose 6 credit hours. All courses in this category are 3 credit hours.
- EN100 English Composition (MOTR)
- EN140 Rhetoric and Critical Thinking (MOTR)
- EN190 Writing and the Environment
- PL115 Philosophical Writing
Choose 5-6 credit hours to complete a minimum of 42 General Education credit hours. Extra credits earned in other categories apply to additional requirements
Transfer Students Non-Transfer Students
- Any MOTR course (3 Hours)
- Any Gen-Ed course (2-3 Hours)
Are you transferring in credit? Do you plan to transfer? Courses with the MOTR designation will be recognized as general education credit at any public institution of higher learning in Missouri.
Notes: *UI100 is required unless a student transfers 24 credit hours from another institution, excluding dual enrollment, dual credit, military credit, or early college credit.
Beginning fall 2021, the credit hours for UI100 reduced from 3 to 1.
Non-Transfer Students
- Any Gen Ed courses totaling a minimum of 4 hours
- UI100 Seminar (1 Hour)
Welcome from the President
Welcome to Southeast Missouri State University and our nationally-recognized General Education program!
We are pleased you chose Southeast and its outstanding faculty for your college education, an education that will undoubtedly prepare you to be as competitive and successful in life as are thousands of our graduates in such fields as business, politics, medicine, science, education, music, criminal justice, and the performing arts, to name just a few.
Our graduates are successful because they received a broad and extensive general education in our General Education program. Southeast's first-year experience program is among the best in the country and was rated by U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges."
Southeast students participating in our General Education and first-year experience programs are living in an era described by some as the "information age." Google CEO Eric Schmidt said in 2010, "Every two days now we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003."
That doubling of information creates new technology, as well as new products and services. It is known that graduates entering the job market today can expect to have several different careers during their lifetimes. This makes it more urgent that you look upon your university experience as an opportunity to prepare yourself to cope with an ever-changing environment.
College is not just about preparing you to perform a specific job, although Southeast offers many opportunities for "real-world experiences" to help launch your extraordinary career. Rather, your college experience is about creating an educated person, one who is able to function responsibly and successfully in whatever environment is encountered. Included in General Education Handbook are the nine "objectives" of General Education. Those objectives spell out the myriad of skills you will need for success during your lifetime of career changes. I hope you will consider your General Education courses to be the key to becoming a broadly educated human being, thus making your life and career a success.
Again, welcome to Southeast! We can't wait to see what you will do.
Sincerely,
Carlos Vargas
President
Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701