University Catalog

General Education Philosophy

The faculty affirms that humankind is best served by a society that is equitable and just. Society moves towards this ideal when its members are ethical in their actions and open-minded in their consideration of alternative social values, individual beliefs, and the pursuit of knowledge through humanistic and scientific study.

General Education Goal

The goal of general education in an associate program is to provide an academic foundation to support the study of a major field, help students develop an awareness and understanding of the achievements of civilizations, an ability to integrate ethical decision-making into professional, social, and environmental contexts, and a reasoned appreciation of points of view originating in value-belief systems other than their own. Toward this end, students will demonstrate competency in each component of the general education program.

General Education Program

The general education program is organized into two major components each comprised of three elements. Intellectual and Practical Skills elements are Communication, Quantitative Reasoning, and Information Fluency. General Knowledge elements are Arts and Humanities, Natural Sciences, and the Behavioral and Social Sciences. The six elements of the general education program map into a set of academic disciplines and recommended lower division courses.

The general education program involves nine courses and 29 credit hours. Students demonstrate competency in the six elements that comprise the general education program by passing at the appropriate level select courses in the program, and by maintaining in accord with specified guidelines a general education portfolio. Each course in the program has a set of student learning outcomes that are shown on the course syllabus, which is shared with students when they enroll in the particular course. The general education portfolio addresses a set of student learning outcomes, which are generally broader than those presented in the syllabi of courses. The portfolio contains material which verifies that specific student learning outcomes have been met. 

To fulfill the general education requirements, UMFK students should select from the approved list of courses. For transfer students, transcript analysis will be conducted to determine if courses taken prior to admission to UMFK are congruent with the courses of the general education program. The determination will be made at the time of transfer-credit evaluation in consultation with discipline faculty. Students who transfer to UMFK after having satisfactorily completed 21 or more credit hours in general education at an accredited college/university which satisfy UMFK general education program requirements are exempt from the portfolio requirement. Students who transfer to UMFK with an Associates of Arts or Sciences degree are exempt from the portfolio requirement; however, they are not exempt for the general education course requirements. Students who transfer to UMFK with a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution are exempt from completing the general education requirements.

The organization of the general education program and the particular aims of its six elements with the approved courses are outlined below. An additional three elements that are not listed separately permeate the entire program. These are critical thinking, creativity, and ethics. These elements undergird the entire program and engage the student in all courses and in the portfolio requirements.

I. INTELLECTUAL and PRACTICAL SKILLS (16 credits)

All students will be able to demonstrate competency in the critical skills of accessing, interpreting, and communicating qualitative and quantitative data.

1. Communication (three courses, 9 credits)

The student will be able to communicate effectively unified and fully developed ideas, which will be written and spoken with clarity, coherence and authority of purpose to the intended audience.

2. Quantitative Reasoning (one course, 3 credits)

The student will demonstrate the comprehension and use of mathematical and quantitative concepts, the interpretation and critical evaluation of data, effective problem-solving techniques and critical reasoning.

3. Information Fluency (one course, 4 credits)

The student will develop a set of abilities that enable effective, efficient access and critical analysis of information using appropriate technologies.

II. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE (13 credits)

The liberal arts and sciences have been part of a university education since the original European universities of 1,000 years ago. All students will explore the scope and range of human achievement in the arts and sciences. (13 credits).

4. Arts and Humanities* (two courses, 6 credits)

The student will develop the ability to analyze and empathize with the human condition from a variety of perspectives-cultural, philosophical, mythological, creative, and historical.

Choose one course from these three areas: (3 credits)

Foreign Language: Choose one course (3 credits)

A student whose native language is not English satisfies the foreign language requirements by successfully completing English 100 and English 101.

Note: Students proficient in languages other than those referenced here may also satisfy the Foreign Language requirement by earning 6 credit hours through standardized testing. Contact UMFK's Prior Learning Assessment Coordinator.

5. Natural Sciences* (one course, 4 credits)

The student will be exposed to scientific inquiry and the laws and principles that have been established in humanity’s effort to understand the natural universe through the study of the biological or physical sciences.

6. Behavioral-Social Sciences* (one course, 3 credits)

The students will be able to describe aspects of social and behavioral phenomena of human relationships to others, their communities, and social institutions.

* Associate of Science in Applied Forest Management: choose one course from General Knowledge; Natural Science satisfied through program requirements.

Total General Education Core Credits: 29 credits