University of Great Falls > Academics > Undergraduate > Curriculum Planning

Bachelor’s Degree Requirements

To earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of Great Falls, a student must:

1. Complete a minimum of 128 credits.

2. Maintain a cumulative University of Great Falls grade point average of 2.00 or higher.

3. Complete the University of Great Falls Core Curriculum.

4. Complete a major. All courses used to complete the requirements of a major, minor, or concentration must have a grade of C or better. Some majors may require completion of a minor or concentration.

5. Complete thirty of the last forty semester hours of coursework at the University of Great Falls. Students enrolled in an approved Service members Opportunity Colleges Army Degree (SO CAD) program may satisfy the academic residency requirements with coursework taken at any time during their enrollment at the University.

6. Complete at least fifteen semester hours at the University of Great Falls in the major, except for the University Studies major.

7. Complete at least thirty-two credits in upper division coursework (courses numbered 300 or higher), at least sixteen of which must be from the University of Great Falls. (Students should complete at least twelve of these thirty-two credits in coursework outside the student’s major, minor or concentration.)

8. Apply for graduation in accordance with the prescribed deadlines.

9. Comply with all University policies, rules, and regulations.
10. Pay all indebtedness to the University.

Bachelor’s Degree Core Curriculum

The Core Curriculum at the University of Great Falls promotes the High Standards of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. It is designed to assist students in exploring the following key concepts:

1. The ability and habit of critical thinking

2. The importance of creative expression

3. The interconnectedness of all knowledge

4. A sense of community and civic responsibility

5. The acquisition of the content and methodology of the major areas of knowledge – the humanities and the fine arts, the natural sciences, mathematics, and the social sciences.

6. The importance of spiritual and ethical values

7. An exploration of key questions central to human growth and development:

What Does it Mean to be Human?

What is Truth?

What is the Common Good?

Corps of Discovery (2 credits)

A two semester experiential program designed to assist students in discovering themselves and the world around them as well as fostering professional, emotional, spiritual and intellectual growth.

1 credit

COD 101 Corps of Discovery

1 credit
COD 102 Corps of Discovery
Note: Required of all first year, full time, on campus students. Part time students, distance students and students transferring in with 27 or more credits are exempt.

Basic Skills (0-11 credits)
Courses in this area are designed to bring students up to skill levels required to begin university level work. Students who demonstrate proficiency in any or all of these areas, through high school course work, transfer courses, proficiency exams or other means may be allowed to waive some or all of these requirements.

3 credits

ENG 111 Writing Sentences and Paragraphs
Note:ENG 111 is waived for students with at least a 22 on the English section of the ACT, at least 520 on the verbal section of the SAT, a score of 81 or above on the Compass test.

6 credits

MTH 100 Essential Math Skills and/or

MTH 105 Introduction to Algebra
Note: MTH 100 is waived with a score of 22 on the mathematics portion of the ACT, a 520 on the mathematics portion of the SAT or with a 62 on the pre-algebra portion of the Compass test. MTH 105 is waived with a score of 51 or higher on the algebra portion of the Compass test. Students can waive both MTH 100 and MTH 105 with successful completion (grade of C or higher) of one year of high school algebra.

3 credits

CPS 105 Essentials of Computers

Note: Students may waive this requirement via a computer based test and with a minimum score of 70%.

Foundation Skills (15 credits)

These courses provide students with minimum competencies needed for higher education, expose them to essential subject areas and their methodologies and introduction them to the practice of critical thinking and creative expression.

3 credits

ENG 117 Writing Essays

Note:Transfer students with equivalent ENG 117 credit may be encouraged to repeat ENG 117 prior to enrolling in a 300+ level writing course.

3 credits

MTH 108 Elementary Statistics or

MTH 252 Statistical Methods for the Sciences

3 credits

COM 101 Fundamentals of Speech Communications

3 credits

CPS 110 Conquering the Digital Divide

3 credits

TRL 200 Fundamentals of Christian Theology

Great Questions (12 credits)

These courses are specifically designed to illustrate the interconnectedness of knowledge, foster critical thinking and creative expression, explore ethical issues and aid students in the acquisition of methodology and content knowledge. Taken together the three courses pose answers to the questions “What Does it Mean to be Human? What is Truth? What is the Common Good?”

4 credits

ILC 130x What Does it Mean to be Human

Note: This course is waived for students who transfer to UGF with more than 27 earned credits.

8 credits

ILC 330x What is Truth

ILC 350x What is the Common Good

Note: Students who transfer to UGF with 83 or more earned credits are required to complete only ILC 330 OR ILC 350

Upper Division Writing (3 credits)

All students at the University of Great Falls must take an upper division writing class as a requirement of graduation. Students may choose which course they wish to take to fulfill this requirement unless a particular course is specified by their major.

ENG 300-319 Upper Division Writing

Exploring the Liberal Arts (13 credits)
Exploration credits provide students with additional opportunities to examine the methods, contents and relevance of the liberal arts through purpose designed courses that showcase specific disciplines and demonstrate their connections to daily life. One course must be taken from each of the four categories. Courses in the student’s major fields MAY NOT be counted towards the student’s exploration requirement but may be counted towards the major (at the discretion of the Major program) or towards completion of general elective credits.

Fine Arts (3 credits)
Courses in this category both enhance students’ aesthetic appreciation and allow students to explore the creative process as it relates to visual, literary and performing arts. Students must complete one of the following:

ART 112 Exploring Visual Art

ART 115 Studio Art Experience

DRM 112 American Theater and Media Arts Traditions

DRM 120 Performance-Based Theatrical Expression

ENG 209 Intro to Creative Writing

MUS 110 Appreciation of Music of Western Civilization

MUS 115 Musical Expression through Performance

Humanities (3 credits)
Courses in this category study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytic, critical, or speculative. Students must complete one of the following:

ENG 215 Intro to Literary Studies

HST 110 Contemporary Issues in History

PHL 110 Intro to Western Philosophy

PHL 210 Thinking Logically

TRL 110 Christianity and World Religions

Social Sciences (3 credits)
Courses in this category study human society and individual relationships within society as well as provide students with the cognitive and intellectual skills to succeed in the modern world. Students must complete one of the following:

ACC 110 What the Numbers Mean

BUS 110 Financial Health

PLS 110 We,The People: An Intro to Political Science

HPE 110 Wellness Perspectives

PSY 110 Understanding People

SOC 110 The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology

Experimental Science (4 credits)

Courses in this category must include an experience in the laboratory, classroom, or the field that allows students to engage in the scientific process by designing experiments, recording their data, analyzing their results, and discussing their findings. Students must complete one of the following:

BIO 110 The Living Environment

BIO 115 Environmental Ecology

CHM 110 Chemistry in Context

GSC 110 Contemporary Physical Sciences

SCS 210 Exploring the Social World

Travel Option
Exploring the Liberal Arts (ELA) requirements may be met through travel courses. Courses intended for such will be designated TRV 110, A, S, H, or E depending upon which area (Fine Arts, Social Sciences, Humanities or Experimental Sciences) they fulfill. Department specific travel courses which also satisfy ELA requirements will be noted with a section identifier of “T.” Courses may have a limited number of sessions prior to travel. Travel will normally take place during breaks within and between semesters.

Bachelor Degree Core Curriculum Planner