News From the Civic Center
Civic Center in the News
- Utah State University's Bold Bet on Civic Excellence to Reform General Education (Heterodox Academy, 2025)
Frequently Asked Questions
Students
Does the Civic Center offer its own undergraduate majors or degrees?
No. The Civic Center does not grant independent academic degrees or offer student majors. Its sole academic credential is the General Education Certificate of Completion earned by students as part of standard graduation requirements.
What is the CIVC course prefix?
The CIVC prefix designates the interdisciplinary general education courses managed by the Civic Center. These courses are designed by university faculty to address major human, scientific and civic questions while building analytical skills. Check out our current course offerings.
Can students transfer general education credits from other Utah universities?
Yes. Any general education course completed at an accredited Utah System of Higher Education institution transfers automatically and satisfies the corresponding requirement within the Civic Center under USHE Policies R470 and R471. Learn more about transfers in the Student Hub.
What is the General Education Certificate of Completion?
The certificate is an official university credential awarded automatically to students once they complete the 27 required general education credits. It certifies that the student has established a strong foundation in durable academic skills. Learn more about General Education in the Civic Center.
Will students have to retake courses if they haven't completed the full certificate?
No. If a student takes a course that carries a specific general education attribute, that requirement is fulfilled. The transition to CIVC prefix courses does not alter individual milestone completions or invalidate prior completed work that carried identical attributes.
How do Advanced Placement (AP) scores apply to the new general education requirements?
Advanced Placement exam transfer protections remain unchanged. Qualifying AP test scores transfer into the university exactly as they did under the historical system, automatically satisfying the corresponding core literacy or breadth category requirements within the Civic Center.
Faculty & Administrators
Does the Civic Center hire its own permanent faculty lines?
The Civic Center relies primarily on an affiliate faculty model drawing from traditional academic departments across the university. Faculty can apply to be Civic Teaching Fellows for the Civic Center on a two-year, renewable basis. Learn more about how to become a Civic Teaching Fellow in the Teacher Hub.
How are courses approved for the general education curriculum?
Courses must pass through established faculty governance procedures, including departmental review, college curriculum committees, the University Curriculum Committee and the Educational Policies Committee before implementation.
Does this new structure restrict what faculty can teach in the classroom?
No. Faculty members retain academic freedom in their instructional design. The Civic Center requires only that courses meet shared general education learning outcomes and adhere to statutory requirements for viewpoint diversity. The Civic Center Curriculum Committee works to ensure that courses are intentionally built to meet the Civic Center's learning outcomes and program goals.
How does the Civic Center ensure viewpoint diversity in its courses?
Courses are structured to investigate multiple sides of important civic and human questions. Learning outcomes and assessments require students to demonstrate a robust understanding of diverse perspectives and opposing points of view rather than adopting a single conclusion.
How does the Civic Center assess student learning?
The Civic Center utilizes signature assignments embedded at the end of each course. These assignments ask students to analyze a complex problem using course data and evaluate that problem from several viewpoints. Check out the full assessment plan here.
Are concurrent enrollment courses affected by the Civic Center?
Concurrent enrollment courses taught in high schools must align with the same learning outcomes, syllabus standards and assessment metrics established by university faculty for on-campus general education courses. Learn more about concurrent enrollment in the Civic Center here.
General Program
What is the Center for Civic Excellence?
The Civic Center is an academic and administrative unit within the Office of the Provost at Utah State University that coordinates, delivers and assesses the university's 27-credit general education program. Learn more about the Civic Center.
Why did Utah State University change its general education structure?
The university shifted from a decentralized distribution model to a coordinated core model to provide a more meaningful, structured foundation for undergraduate students. The updated curriculum ensures that foundational courses focus on durable professional skills and civic questions rather than introductory major content.
How does Senate Bill 334 affect the curriculum of the Civic Center?
Senate Bill 334 provides the statutory framework for general education reform at Utah State University. The Civic Center ensures that all general education courses comply with the legislative mandate to teach historical and civic topics from multiple viewpoints using primary texts.
Who manages the administration of the Civic Center?
The Civic Center is led by Matt Sanders, who serves as the Interim Associate Vice Provost of the Center for Civic Excellence. Harrison Kleiner serves as the Vice Provost over Undergraduate Education. The Civic Center reports directly to the Office of the Provost.