General Education Core
All first-year students at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) will complete 30 hours of general education course work (the IUPUI General Education Core) prior to graduation with an associate degree or baccalaureate degree. Transfer students who have not received certification for completing the general education core at their prior institution also must complete the IUPUI General Education Core. General education core course work is aligned with the Indiana Statewide Transferable General Education Core competency domains and, once completed, will subsequently transfer to another Indiana state educational institution. The IUPUI General Education Core is also based on the IUPUI Principles of Undergraduate Learning, the essential ingredients of an undergraduate educational experience at IUPUI. These principles form a conceptual framework for all students' general education but necessarily permeate the curriculum in the major field of study as well. More specific expectations for IUPUI's graduates are determined by the faculty in a student's major field of study. Together, these expectations speak to what graduates of IUPUI will know and what they will be able to do upon completion of their degrees.
It is important to note that the IUPUI General Education Core does not add to, subtract from, or change any requirements for a specific major. Students need to work closely with an academic advisor to determine what relationship, if any, exists between requirements for general education and requirements for a specific major.
Each undergraduate student is subject to the degree requirements that were in effect at the time of matriculation as a degree-seeking student at IUPUI. Effective fall 2013, this requirement will include the IUPUI General Education Core.
IUPUI General Education Courses
The IUPUI General Education Core provides a strong foundation for a rich and intellectually challenging undergraduate experience. Hundreds of courses have been rigorously reviewed and approved to the General Education Core by faculty members from all academic units, providing IUPUI students with a diverse array of options for fulfilling their general education requirements. Course work is divided into the broad domains of foundational intellectual skills (core communication, analytical reasoning, and cultural understanding) and course work that promotes intellectual breadth and adaptiveness (life and physical sciences, arts and humanities, and social sciences). For more information regarding these courses, please go to the IUPUI General Education Core website.