General Education Courses
To satisfy the general education component of the program, students take courses in the following general education categories:
Writing (6 credits)
Writing-intensive courses (W-Courses) are designed to teach writing within a discipline through writing assignments that are distributed across the entire term. In these courses, students will produce at least 20-24 pages of written work. A significant portion of this work should be substantially revised in response to instructor feedback and class discussion. All students must complete two courses that are designated as W-Courses. Students should satisfy one of these requirements by taking a W-Course in their major if it is available. Students may not transfer credits in to satisfy this requirement. W-courses can be overlapped with other General Education courses (except for Professional Communication).
Mathematics (3 credits)
Students are exempt from having to take Algebra if they earned 620 on the SAT Math or 27 on the ACT Math. Students who do not meet these criteria must earn a C- or higher in MATH 0020, MATH 0025, MATH 0031, CS 0004, or CS 0007. Given the importance of establishing a sound foundation in mathematics, all students are required to satisfy the Algebra requirement by the time they have completed 30 credits in enrollment.
Diversity (3 credits)
Diversity courses focus centrally and intensively on issues of diversity, and do so in a manner that promotes understanding of diversity. They provide students with analytical skills needed to understand structural inequities and the knowledge to be able to participate more effectively in our increasingly diverse and multicultural society. The courses may address, though not be limited to, such issues as race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, religious difference, and/or economic disparity.
All students must complete one course (3 credits) that is designated as a Diversity course but may take this course within their major field of study, if available. Diversity courses may also be courses that fulfill other General Education Requirements. (3 credits if not overlapped with another General Education course).
Students will work with their CGS advisor to identify the most appropriate course.
Humanities and Arts, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences (15 credits)
- 6 credits in 2 courses that satisfy 2 of the 3 following general education requirements: The Arts, Creative Work, Philosophical Thinking or Ethics.
- 3 credits in a course that satisfies the Social Science general education requirement.
- 3 credits in a course that satisfies the Literature general education requirement.
- 3 credits in a course that satisfies the Historical Analysis general education requirement.
Global Awareness and Cultural Understanding (9 credits)
- 3 credits in a course that satisfies the Global Issues general education requirement.
- 3 credits in a course that satisfies the Specific Geographic Region general education requirement.
- 3 credits in a course that satisfies the Cross-Cultural Awareness general education requirement.
General Education Program Notes:
- 9 to 15 credits of the courses above must be at the 1000-level, depending on the student’s area of concentration in the major. One of the courses must also satisfy the General Education Diversity requirement. These credits, when combined with the 15 credits for DENHYG 1544, 1545, 1547, 1549, and 1689 completed in Pitt’s dental hygiene program, meet the CGS requirement for 30 credits of 1000-level course work. For a complete list of approved general education courses, see: CGS General Education Catalog (PDF).
- If you were admitted to the CGS Dental Hygiene Program prior to Fall 2018, your general education requirements are listed in the undergraduate catalog here. See also the CGS Comprehensive Course List (PDF) for courses that satisfy your General Education Requirements.
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