Concurrent Enrollment

In the Center for Civic Excellence

The Center for Civic Excellence is responsible for the delivery and assessment of all general education concurrent enrollment courses in USU’s service area.* A centralized administration of general education concurrent enrollment courses optimizes instructor support, student learning, and program coherence. This work is done in direct consultation and cooperation with USU’s Director of Concurrent Enrollment in the Registrar’s Office.

Administrative Responsibilities:

  • Follow guidelines set by the Utah State Board of Education (USBE).
  • Ensure courses are equivalent to campus courses through mentoring from USU faculty experts.
  • In consultation with appropriate departments, approve instructors for each high school.
  • Assess all courses as part of the larger assessment plan

Support for Concurrent Enrollment Instructors:

  • All high school instructors, regardless of courses taught, will be part of the same academic program and professional community.
  • Extensive professional development support for all concurrent enrollment instructors, high school counselors, and administrators.
  • Interdisciplinary courses allow more high school teachers to offer classes by not requiring specific advanced degrees for particular classes; this is especially beneficial in rural school districts.

Benefits for Students:

  • Each course will focus on the mission and purpose of higher education and help students see the value of continuing their education at USU.
  • All courses have the same CIVC prefix so students will know they are part of one program of study.
  • A specific subset of CIVC courses will be offered to maximize program coherence for those who complete all general education requirements in high school.
  • Larger pool of excellent teachers in their schools who can offer courses.
  • All CIVC courses seamlessly transfer across the USHE system.

*The Center does not oversee concurrent enrollment courses offered by academic programs as part of a major or certificate.

General Education Reform and Concurrent Enrollment

Phased Implementation of New CIVC Courses in Concurrent Enrollment

We are introducing the new curriculum gradually so that school districts and instructors have time to prepare while preserving general education offerings for current students.

1

2026–27

Two CIVC courses are available for concurrent enrollment:

  • CIVC 1100: Flourishing and the Good Life (CL1) — Meets the same general education and high school English requirement as ENGL 1010.
  • CIVC 1800: Disagree Better (BSS) — Meets the Breadth Social Science requirement and aligns with a 12th-grade Language Arts standard.

MATH 1050 and STAT 1040 (QL) will retain their general education designations and remain available through concurrent enrollment.

 
2

2027–28

CIVC 1010: Data and the Stories They Tell (QL) becomes available, satisfying a high school senior year mathematics elective.

 
3

2028–29

New CIVC BLS and BPS science courses become available.

 
4

2029–30

New CIVC courses in Humanities, Creative Arts, and American Institutions become available.

Existing courses keep their designations
Existing general education courses offered through concurrent enrollment will retain their current designations through at least the 2027-28 academic year.

Protecting Student Progress and Opportunities

Students’ general education credits and academic progress are protected by USU and USHE policies. These requirements remain in effect as they always have.

Guaranteed transferability

General education credits earned through USU Concurrent Enrollment must be accepted toward the same general education requirements at Utah’s public colleges and universities. This is required by USHE Policy R470, Sections 9.1.2–9.1.3 and R471, Section 4.8.3.

Previously earned credits

Students retain credit for general education requirements they have already completed, even when course designations or curricula change. Once verified, completed requirements remain fulfilled under USU’s Catalog Year Policy.

Advanced Placement

Qualifying AP exam scores continue to earn applicable college and general education credit under USHE Policy R472 and USU’s Credit by Examination Policy.

High school graduation

New CIVC courses are being aligned with Utah State Board of Education standards so students can earn both high school and college credit, consistent with USHE Policy R165.

Existing courses

Academic departments may continue offering courses through concurrent enrollment without general education designations when they meet the eligibility requirements for pre-major or certificate coursework under USHE Policy R165, Section 6.

Faculty Oversight and Academic Quality

The Center for Civic Excellence is assuming responsibility for the academic oversight of general education courses offered through concurrent enrollment. The same processes for instructor approval, faculty oversight, and academic quality will remain in place, with responsibility moving from academic departments to the Civic Center. Faculty experts in the relevant curricular areas will continue making academic decisions, providing training, and mentoring high school instructors, just as they have in the past. The Center will work closely with USU’s Director of Concurrent Enrollment to coordinate these processes.

Instructor approval

High school instructors will continue to apply through USU Concurrent Enrollment, with qualifications and applications reviewed by faculty experts affiliated with the Civic Center.

Faculty oversight

Faculty experts in the relevant curricular areas will continue to make decisions about academic qualifications, course expectations, and instructional quality.

Common curriculum

Instructors will receive a syllabus, required texts, instructional resources, and assessment materials through Canvas. All CIVC courses share required learning outcomes and Signature Assignments.

Instructional flexibility

High school instructors will retain autonomy in their instructional decisions while meeting shared curricular expectations.

Professional development

Faculty experts will lead required annual professional development, including compensated initial training and opportunities to earn professional development credit.

Ongoing faculty support

USU faculty experts teaching CIVC courses will continue to mentor high school instructors throughout the academic year.

The change is organizational, not academic
The same faculty-led processes and standards will continue, now coordinated through the Center for Civic Excellence in close partnership with USU Concurrent Enrollment.

Communication and Coordination with High School Partners

As we did last year, leaders from the Center for Civic Excellence are meeting directly with high school partners throughout USU’s concurrent enrollment service areas to share plans for the new general education curriculum, gather feedback, and coordinate a successful transition.

Ongoing FAQ

For the past year, USU Concurrent Enrollment has maintained a continually updated General Education Reform FAQ written specifically for high school instructors and concurrent enrollment partners.

Direct engagement

Civic Center leaders are meeting with high school administrators, counselors, and instructors to explain the reforms, answer questions, and hear concerns.

Collaborative planning

These conversations address course availability, implementation timelines, high school graduation requirements, and instructor preparation.

Ongoing communication

The Center is working closely with USU’s Director of Concurrent Enrollment to coordinate communication, respond to feedback, and support schools throughout the transition.

Regional outreach

These meetings serve partners across USU’s concurrent enrollment service areas:

Northern Utah

Cache, Box Elder, and Rich counties

Tooele

Tooele County

Uintah Basin

Duchesne, Uintah, and Daggett counties

Eastern and Southeastern Utah

Carbon, Emery, Grand, and San Juan counties

Our goal is to work collaboratively with our high school partners, preserving the strengths of USU’s concurrent enrollment program while expanding opportunities for students to benefit from the new general education curriculum.