Requirement Number 3.4.10: The institution defines and publishes general education requirements for its undergraduate programs and major program requirements for all its programs. These requirements conform to commonly accepted standards and practices for degree programs.

Full Compliance

The Board of Regents has established a framework and a common set of principles for University System institutions to use in developing their core curricula. The framework was designed to allow institutions some flexibility in defining learning outcomes while ensuring that the core curriculum completed at one System institution is fully transferable to another System institution (see Board of Regents Policy Manual , § 303.01). The policy stipulates that each institution's core curriculum shall consist of 60 semester hours broken down as follows:

The core curriculum was approved by the Council on General Education —an extension of the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academics and Fiscal Affairs. Moreover, the Council on General Education was tasked with overseeing and maintaining the integrity of the System's core curriculum; promoting the importance and quality of the core curriculum at the various System institutions; establishing the criteria that determine which courses are appropriate for inclusion in the core curriculum; and ensuring the transferability of the core curriculum among System institutions.

In concert with Board policy, Georgia Southern University has developed and published its core curriculum (see 2004-2005 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog , pp. 52-53). Pages 52 through 302 of the Catalog delineate the course requirements for each degree program offered at Georgia Southern. A detailed listing of all University courses along with a brief description of the course follows this section.

Continued conformity of the core curriculum with commonly accepted standards and practices is ensured by the administration of the core curriculum at the System level through the Council on General Education. Any changes to Areas A-E in the core curriculum require the Council's approval. Additionally, Georgia Southern conducts periodic program review of each degree program as mandated by Board of Regents policies (see Board of Regents Academic Affairs Handbook , § 2.03.05). Programs are evaluated against the University's Mission Statement and Strategic Plan which have academic excellence at their core. Additionally, Georgia Southern has prescribed a detailed course evaluation procedure that involves review at all academic levels. All undergraduate course changes, additions, and deletions must be vetted through the University's Undergraduate Committee —a standing committee of the Faculty Senate—following a thorough review at the department and college levels. As the procedures for submitting agenda items to the Undergraduate Committee clearly indicate (see #2), each item submitted must have prior approval by the department curriculum committee and the college curriculum committee. Once proposed course changes, additions, or deletions are approved at this level, they are forwarded to the Faculty Senate for consideration by that body. Faculty Senate approvals are conveyed in the meeting minutes of the Faculty Senate . Following approval at this level, items are forwarded to the Provost and Vice President for review and approval, and then to the President for review and approval. The Provost's Office maintains hard copies of all of the President's approvals. A similar procedure is followed for new course proposals (see Georgia Southern University New Course Form ). In this manner, the University ensures that all changes are measured against commonly accepted standards and practices for degree programs as well as maintains consistency with the University's own purpose.

²⁹This Board policy is also published in Georgia Southern's 2004-2005 Faculty Handbook , (p. 75).

³⁰See Council on General Education .

³¹Ibid .