USU General Education Changes

Understanding the Change

What exactly is changing with General Education at USU?

USU is transitioning away from the previous "distribution model" of General Education—where academic departments offered courses with GE designations based on disciplinary content areas. Going forward, the new USU Center for Civic Excellence (CCE) will house all General Education courses. These new CIVC-prefix courses are being designed collaboratively by faculty across disciplines and centered on shared civic, interdisciplinary, and durable skills learning outcomes.

Why is this change happening?

With Utah SB 334, Utah State University has the opportunity to be engaged in meaningful General Education reform to better meet student and state needs. The curricular reform is faculty driven and puts students as the primary stakeholder. This reform is shifting focus from disciplinary courses toward interdisciplinary, civic-focused, and durable skill learning outcomes across the General Education curriculum.

Impact on Current Courses

What happens to the course I currently teach?

If you currently teach a USU course with a General Education designation, that course may continue to be offered at USU and through Concurrent Enrollment. However, it's important to understand that the General Education designation (or attribute) is what determines which GE requirement a course fulfills—not the course itself. Over the next few years, most existing GE-designated courses will lose their GE designation and will be replaced by new CIVC General Education courses.

Can my course still be offered through Concurrent Enrollment if it loses its GE designation?

Yes, but only if it meets one of these criteria (as outlined in state statute):

• It retains a GE designation, OR
• It is required for a major or certificate

Additionally, to remain CE-eligible, courses must continue to align at least 80% with the USBE Core Code Strands and Standards.

The course must also continue to be offered by the academic department. Many departments are currently reviewing their course offerings to determine if existing or new Concurrent Enrollment courses could serve as pathways to majors—for example, as introduction to major courses. If the department chooses to continue offering a course you are teaching through Concurrent Enrollment and it meets the criteria above, it can remain part of the CE program.

Are any current courses keeping their GE designation?

Yes. The existing MATH 1050 and STAT 1040 courses will continue to count toward Quantitative Literacy (QL), retain the same course prefix and course numbers, and will remain available through Concurrent Enrollment along with some new QL course options. For at least 2025-2026 and 2026-2027, all other existing general education courses on the Concurrent Enrollment Master List will retain their GE designation.

Impact on Students

What about students who have already taken or are currently taking my course?

Any student who takes a CE course with a Gen Ed designation gets credit for that Gen Ed requirement—no matter when they took it (past, present, or future) and no matter if the course name or number changes later.

What this means:

• Past students: Their credits still count
• Current students: Their credits will count
• Future students: Their credits will count

The important part: It's the Gen Ed designation that matters, not the course name or number.

Example: If a student took your course and it had the CL1 (Communications Literacy 1) label, they have fulfilled CL1. It doesn't matter if the course was called ENGL 1010 or if it later becomes a CIVC course—the CL1 requirement is met.

For transfer: That Gen Ed label appears on the student's USU transcript and every Utah public college must accept it for the same Gen Ed requirement.

Transferability

Will a student's USU Concurrent Enrollment credits transfer to other colleges?

Yes! If the USU CE course has a General Education (Gen Ed) label, Utah law and USHE policy says it must transfer to other Utah public colleges and universities. It will count for the same Gen Ed requirement at the new school.

What this means:

• The credits will transfer to other Utah colleges
• They will count toward General Education requirements
• Students won't have to retake the class to fulfill General Education

Important to know: We can promise that the credits will transfer and count for Gen Ed within the Utah public colleges and universities. We cannot promise they will count for a specific major requirement. That depends on the college the student transfers to and what major they choose and how the receiving institution chooses to accept the course. But these are still college credits which would transfer, and the out-of-state or private university would know that our CIVC courses met GE requirements for USU. Whether they decide to honor the GE requirement is up to them.

Example: A student takes either USU ENGL 1010 (CL1) or a new CIVC course that fulfills the Communications Literacy 1 (CL1) Gen Ed requirement. Both courses will transfer to other Utah public colleges and count as the CL1 Gen Ed requirement. However, whether either course counts as a required course for a specific major (like English or Engineering) depends on the rules at the receiving college.

What about private or out-of-state schools?

Transfer policies vary by school. We recommend that students check the transfer guide for the specific college they are interested in (most schools have these online). Students should also contact the admissions office to ask how USU CE credits transfer.

Will a student ever have to retake a course they took through USU Concurrent Enrollment?

Best advice first: Check the transfer guide for the college you want to attend to see exactly how USU CE courses will count. It depends on what the course is used for at the new college.

If the course has a Gen Ed label:

• It will always transfer and count for Gen Ed at Utah public colleges and universities
• Students will not need to retake it for Gen Ed

If the course does NOT have a Gen Ed label/designation:

• It will count as elective credit but it may or may not count toward a specific major requirement at the new college

The bottom line: Students might need to retake a course only if their new college doesn't accept it for their major requirement. The credits always transfer, but they might count as electives instead.

What about AP test scores? How will they work with the new CIVC courses?

AP test scores work the same way they always have. The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) decides what Gen Ed credit students get for their AP scores—not individual colleges.

What this means:

• AP scores transfer the same as before
• The new CIVC courses don't change AP transfer rules
• Whether a student takes a USU course, a CIVC course, or passes an AP exam, they get credit for the same Gen Ed requirement at Utah public colleges

Example: A qualifying score on the AP English Language exam fulfills the same Communications Literacy 1 (CL1) requirement as taking USU ENGL 1010 or a new CIVC CL1 course.

Timeline and Next Steps

When do these changes take effect?

Nothing is changing for the 2025-2026 school year and the roll out for 2026-2027 will be a "soft" roll out. The transition to CIVC courses will happen gradually over the next few years as new courses are developed and implemented. Current courses will remain on the Master List during this transition, though course offerings may evolve over time to reflect departmental priorities and capacity.

Will I still be able to teach for Concurrent Enrollment?

Absolutely! We want the very best teachers for our students in concurrent enrollment. If you currently teach a USU course with a General Education designation, we still want you to teach. Instructors who have been approved by a USU department have already demonstrated their qualifications, and we expect the approval process through USU's Center for Civic Excellence to recognize that experience and expertise.

How can I teach the new CIVC courses?

As new CIVC courses are developed, Concurrent Enrollment instructors who wish to teach them will need to go through an approval and training process. These courses are designed with specific interdisciplinary and civic learning outcomes, and instructor preparation will be key to ensuring alignment and success. We'll share more details about this process as CIVC courses become available for CE consideration. We intend to support you and involve you as we roll these classes out to our high school partners.

Communication and Support

How will I stay informed about changes?

We will continue to share updates and timelines with counselors, administrators, and instructors as course options evolve. Our goal is to keep communication clear, timely, and supportive throughout this transition.

What are the different communication channels?

You should work with your USU department liaison for questions about teaching your specific course. But for any questions related to the Concurrent Enrollment broadly or changes in general education, you should turn to USU Concurrent Enrollment leadership (Toni Gibbons) or the USU Center for Civic Excellence (Matt Sanders). Please do not rely on your USU department liaison for questions related to changes in general education.

Where can I find the presentation materials mentioned in the email?

Your school district administration and counselors have the presentation slides from our recent meetings and can share them with you.