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General Education Programs

A liberal arts education is typically characterized by the development of broad intellectual and cultural interests and by the achievement of a significant body of skills and knowledge. It is the responsibility of a general education curriculum to address the first of these goals—the broadening of students' interests—while also laying the foundation for the acquisition of advanced skills and deeper knowledge within areas of concentration, or majors.

The University of Richmond has developed a distinctive general education curriculum that:

• Provides a stimulating and challenging introduction to collegiate life through a first-year Core Course
• Establishes the basic prerequisites of productive scholarship through a set of Communication Skills requirements
• Conveys the basic knowledge and habits needed to live a healthy life through Wellness requirements
• Familiarizes students in a meaningful way with some of the major approaches to intellectual and cultural life through a series of Fields-of-Study requirements

The general education requirements are:

Core Course

Completing the Core Course in the first year.

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Communication Skills

• Expository Writing
  There are several ways to satisfy this requirement:
  
  1. Completing English 103 with a grade of C (2.0) or higher
  2. Presenting a score of 4 or 5 on either Advanced Placement exam in English
  3. Presenting a score of 5, 6 or 7 on the IB Higher Level English exam
  4. Presenting a score of 660 on the SAT-II Subject Test - Writing or a composite score of 30 on the ACT (American College Test)
  5. Completing an acceptable English Composition course at another college or university
• Proficiency in a language other than English
  There are several ways to satisfy this requirement:
  
  1. Passing the intermediate (122 or 202) level of one language
  2. Presenting a score of 3, 4 or 5 on a Modern Foreign Language Advanced Placement exam. (A score of 3 earns exemption from the requirement while scores of 4-5 earn exemption and credit hours towards the completion of graduation requirements.)
  3. Presenting a score of 4 or 5 on a Latin Advanced Placement exam. (Scores of 4-5 earn exemption from the Communication Skills requirement and credit hours towards the completion of graduation requirements.)
  4. Presenting a score of 5, 6, or 7 on an International Baccalaureate Higher Level exam in a Modern Foreign Language.
  5. Presenting a score of 630 on an SAT-II Subject Test in a Modern Language or Latin
  6. Earning an acceptable score on a departmental placement test
  7. For non-native English speakers, obtaining an acceptable score on the TOEFL (550 manual; 213 computerized)
  8. Completion of an acceptable foreign language sequence at another college or university

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Fields of Study

A student may satisfy the fields-of-study requirements by passing one approved course in each of the areas listed below:

• Historical Studies
• Literary Studies
• Social Analysis
• Visual and Performing Arts
• Symbolic Reasoning
• Natural Science

In these areas, there are also ways to satisfy the General Education requirements on the basis of AP and IB exams. Please see the University Credit by Exam Policy for specific information.

In each area there are numerous courses that will satisfy a particular requirement offered every semester. Therefore, all students have the opportunity to select from a wide range of offerings those courses that interest them and satisfy the requirements.

Wellness

In keeping with the University's objective of fostering knowledge and personal habits that contribute to health and wellness, every undergraduate is required to complete a three-part series on wellness. The wellness series covers:

1. An alcohol awareness program called URAWARE and
2. Two mini-workshops on health and wellness related topics such as nutrition, sexual health and fitness, called the Plus2 program

For more information on the philosophy behind each requirement, visit our Registrar's Office Web Site.

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