University General Education Program

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The University General Education Program promotes a shared core learning experience for all undergraduate students at the University of Memphis and provides a framework upon which the college major can build. The major purpose of the Program is to provide students the opportunity to acquire tools, develop skills and awareness necessary for completing a college career and assuming the roles of a lifelong learner and an active, informed participant in contemporary society.

The University of Memphis General Education Program consists of 41 hours of coursework from a variety of disciplines. Students should consult their advisors on specific General Education Program courses that may be required for the major. The following are the General Education Program categories and their approved courses. Former course numbers appear in parentheses.

Communication (9 hours)

All candidates for graduation at the University of Memphis are required to complete ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1020, or their equivalents, with a grade of “C” or better. Before enrolling in ENGL 1010, a student must have either (1) an ACT English score of 18 or above, or (2) an SAT verbal score of 450 or above, or (3) a satisfactory completion of a placement test administered by the University of Memphis Testing Center. Those who do not meet the requirements above, must successfully complete a Developmental Combination ENGL 1010 section with a grade of “C” or better before proceeding to ENGL 1020. ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1020 must be taken in sequence; no credit will be allowed for ENGL 1020 until ENGL 1010 has been completed successfully.

Mathematics (3 hours)

Humanities / Fine Arts (9 hours)

Plus Two of the Following Courses

History (6 hours)*

ANTH 3282 - American Communities ** (American History)
HIST 1110 - World Civilization I**
HIST 1120 - World Civilization II
HIST 2010 - U S to 1877 (American History)
HIST 2020 - The U S Since 1877** (American History)
HIST 2030 - Tennessee History** (American History)
HIST 3863 - Social/Intellct History of U S ** (American History)
HIST 3881 - African American History ** (American History)
HIST 4851 - History of Women in America ** (American History)
POLS 4212 - Const Law Civil Liberty ** (American History)
POLS 4405 - Origin/Dev Amer Pol Thought ** (American History)
SOCI 3422 - Racial/Ethnc Minorities ** (American History)

Note:

*Students who have not completed one year of American History in high school must complete 6 credit hours of American History OR 3 credit hours of American History plus 3 credit hours of Tennessee History in order to satisfy the History General Education requirement. American History courses are marked.

Natural Science (8 hours) 2 courses and its lab

Grade Point Average

To receive a bachelor’s degree from any of the colleges in the University, students must have an overall* grade point average of at least 2.00.

*Until Summer 2015, the overall GPA will reflect all college-level coursework-U of M and transfer. Beginning Summer 2015, the overall GPA will reflect all college-level work-U of M and any transfer coursework processed prior to Summer 2015; however, the overall GPA will reflect ONLY U OF M coursework for those students whose transfer credit is processed Summer 2015 and later.

NOTE: Beginning Summer 2015, a Tennessee Board of Regents’ state-wide policy on transfer credit and GPA calculations takes effect. Beginning Summer 2015, transfer credit will be reflected in earned hours, but will no longer apply to the overall GPA (used to determine undergraduate graduation, graduation with distinction, and athletic eligibility) or to the overall combined GPA (used to determine academic standing, financial aid, and scholarship eligibility, except for HOPE):

For New Transfer students admitted Summer 2015 and later, no transfer credit will count in the overall or the overall combined GPA.
For Readmitted students readmitted Summer 2015 and later, no transfer credit taken since last attending the U of M will count in the overall or the overall combined GPA. Any transfer work previously processed will continue to be reflected in the GPAs.
For Continuing students, no transfer credit submitted to and received by the U of M Summer 2015 or later will count in the overall or the overall combined GPA. Any transfer work previously processed will continue to be reflected in the GPAs.

Testing As A Prerequisite for Graduation

Any or all students may be required to take one or more tests designed to measure general education achievement and achievement in their major as a prerequisite to graduation, for the purpose of evaluation of academic programs. Unless otherwise provided for in any individual program, no minimum score or level of achievement is required for graduation. Participation in testing may be required for all students, for students in selected programs, and for students selected on a sample basis. Details concerning these regulations and the dates of the examinations will appear in the online class listings each semester.

Apply for Graduation

All students are required to apply to graduate during the semester preceding the semester of graduation. The deadlines for the application to graduate are included on the Registrar’s website. It is the responsibility of the student to insure that this deadline is met.

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