General Education
What is general education? All universities aspire to educate the whole student. General education provides you with the practical skills and diverse knowledge base that you will need to become an informed citizen and a good problem solver after graduation. You will be entering the workplace in an era of rapid change; your future career may ultimately be in a field that doesn’t exist today. Through general education, you will craft for yourself the tools that will let you continue to grow in a world that demands lifelong learning for success.
General education at UC Merced will help you grow intellectually by:
- Strengthening your abilities in quantitative reasoning and written, oral and other communication skills; and
- Introducing and teaching you to integrate broad domains of knowledge: arts and humanities, social and cognitive sciences, natural sciences, and technologies and engineering methods.
Throughout your undergraduate years, UC Merced’s general education program will assist you to fine-tune your ability to communicate through words, numbers, images, and actions, and will enable you to discover the many ways in which knowledge is created and put to good use.
General education at UC Merced places a high premium on demonstrating the ways in which different disciplines can make connections with each other. There also will be an emphasis on practicing and applying what you are learning in the classroom—an educational value also reflected in the undergraduate majors at UC Merced.
The faculty has created a set of principles that embody the kinds of learning to be achieved through general education at UC Merced. You will encounter these principles in action through CORE 001 , a unique opportunity for all UC Merced first-year students to share a common exploration of the issues that will affect your future.
Guiding Principles for General Education at UC Merced
UC Merced’s educational experiences are designed to prepare well educated people of the 21st century for the workplace, for advanced education and for a leadership role within their communities. UC Merced graduates will be exceptionally well prepared to navigate and succeed in a complex world. The principles guiding the design and implementation of our academic program are envisioned within a continuum that ranges from preparatory and advanced curricula in general education and in the majors, through a variety of educational activities inside and outside the classroom.
All UC Merced graduates will reflect these principles, which provide the foundation for their education:
- Scientific Literacy: To have a functional understanding of scientific, technological and quantitative information, and to know both how to interpret scientific information and effectively apply quantitative tools;
- Decision Making: To appreciate the various and diverse factors bearing on decisions and the know-how to assemble, evaluate, interpret and use information effectively for critical analysis and problem solving;
- Communication: To convey information to and communicate and interact effectively with multiple audiences, using advanced skills in written and other modes of communication;
- Self and Society: To understand and value diverse perspectives in both the global and community contexts of modern society in order to work knowledgeably and effectively in an ethnically and culturally rich setting;
- Ethics and Responsibility: To follow ethical practices in their professions and communities, and care for future generations through sustainable living and environmental and societal responsibility;
- Leadership and Teamwork: To work effectively in both leadership and team roles, capably making connections and integrating their expertise with the expertise of others;
- Aesthetic Understanding and Creativity: To appreciate and be knowledgeable about human creative expression, including literature and the arts; and
- Development of Personal Potential: To be responsible for achieving the full promise of their abilities, including psychological and physical well-being.
General Education Requirements
The UC Merced general education program consists of courses that are informed by the Guiding Principles and that meet the following graduation requirements:
- University requirements,
- Campus requirements, and
- School requirements.
In consultation with faculty, with advisors in the Student Advising and Learning Center, and with advisors in your School, you should keep track of your progress in fulfilling university, campus and school requirements for general education.
A. University Requirements
- University of California Entry Level Writing Requirement
- American History and Institutions
University of California Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR)/Analytical Writing Placement Exam
To succeed at UC Merced, you must be able to understand and to respond adequately to written material typical of reading assignments in freshman courses, including being able to structure and develop an essay that uses written English effectively. Any student who has not yet satisfied this requirement through one of the alternatives listed below will be required to complete it by the end of the second semester of enrollment at UC Merced. Failure to complete this requirement in the time allowed will result in a hold on a student’s registration. After you enroll as a degree-seeking student at UC Merced, transfer work will not be accepted to meet the ELWR except by an appropriate course within UC approved by the Merritt Writing Program office. Students who leave UC Merced without satisfying ELWR and who return must complete the ELWR requirement at UC Merced.
Students may satisfy the University of California Entry Level Writing Requirement in any of the following ways:
- Score 3 or higher on the College Board Advanced Placement Examination in English (Language or Literature);
- Score 30 or higher on the ACT combined English/Writing Test;
- Score 680 or higher on the College Board SAT Reasoning Test, Writing Section;
- Score 5 or higher on the International Baccalaureate Higher Level English A1 exam;
- Score 6 or higher on the International Baccalaureate Standard Level Examination English A1 exam;
- Prior to enrolling in the University, complete with a grade of C or better a transferable college course in English composition worth four quarter or three semester units;
- Achieve a passing score on the University’s writing proficiency examination, called the University of California Analytical Writing Placement Exam; or
- Complete an acceptable writing course at UC Merced (WRI 001 or other acceptable course).
The University offers the University of California Analytical Writing Placement Exam each spring on the second Saturday in May at test centers throughout the state for students who plan to enroll in the University the following fall. California residents who will enter the University as freshmen must take the exam if they have not otherwise satisfied the requirement (by one of the methods listed above). Students must pay a nonrefundable fee to cover test administration costs. Students who received admission application fee waivers will automatically have this fee waived. Admitted freshmen will receive detailed information about the exam in April. Students who are not from California may take an equivalent exam in the fall after enrolling at the University.
Comprehensive information about the University of California Entry Level Writing Requirement and Analytical Writing Placement Exam is available at www.ucop.edu/elwr/index.html.
American History and Institutions Requirement
As a candidate for an undergraduate degree at UC Merced, you need to demonstrate knowledge of American history and of the principles of American institutions under the federal and state constitutions.
You may meet the requirement by completing specific courses or earning a certain score on an examination. Transfer students are urged to complete the requirement before they enroll.
You may satisfy both the American History and American Institutions requirements in the following ways:
- Complete in high school one year of United States history with grades of C or better, or one semester of United States history and one semester of United States government with grades of C or better;
- Achieve a score of 3, 4 or 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement Examination in U.S. History;
- Achieve a score of 550 or better on the SAT II: U.S. History test;
- Complete acceptable course work at a community college or other accredited institution; or
- Complete acceptable course work at UC Merced (both HIST 016 and HIST 017 ).
B. Campus Requirements
- One-semester CORE Course
- Lower division writing course
- College-level mathematics/quantitative reasoning course
The World at Home—Planning for the Future in a Complex World
The CORE Course is future-oriented, striving to help students gain the intellectual tools, knowledge and insights they will need as informed citizens devising future solutions to real-life problems. The UC Merced CORE Course aims to understand the world at large as it is reflected in the world at home—California. By examining, for example, the local evidence of global problems, you will begin to grapple with the issues that will affect you personally and professionally.
CORE 001 is a first year course that will pose a set of questions as they are framed by the various domains of human knowledge known as the disciplines. In CORE 001 , UC Merced faculty will introduce you to how their disciplines define the challenges faced by informed citizens of this new century.
For example:
- Can advances in technology mitigate the effects of burgeoning populations and resource depletion?
- How will a changing climate affect the future migration of human populations?
- How do citizens decide among conflicting ethical choices, each with a compelling claim?
Faculty from all three Schools will join together to show how such complex questions might best be probed through connecting the insights of their disciplines.
In the CORE Course, you will:
- work together in groups on joint projects or problems to build your leadership and teamwork abilities;
- learn to think analytically and communicate effectively in the context of problems affecting your lives and futures; and
- use quantitative methods as well as ethical judgment to make decisions and defend those decisions to your peers;
A grade of C- or better is required to pass CORE 001 .
CORE Friday
The CORE Course is College One’s unique way to introduce you to how the disciplines understand problems and devise tools to grapple with them. Faculty from all three schools—Natural Sciences, Engineering, and Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts—challenge freshmen to think about ways that academic disciplines connect or debate with one another. CORE Friday is part of what makes CORE 001 unique. CORE Friday events round out the week’s lectures and discussions with a film, documentary, panel discussion, theatrical production or distinguished speaker. CORE Friday programming illuminates ideas presented during the CORE 001 lectures for the week, as well as alternative views.
Lower Division Writing Course
Analytical writing is a means for understanding better what you are learning and conveying your ideas to different audiences: your instructors, your fellow students and people outside the university. The lower division writing requirement will start you on a path of writing development that will continue through your four years at UC Merced.
WRI 010: College Reading and Composition
This course is designed to help you develop your college-level skills in effective use of language, analysis and argumentation, organization, and strategies for creation, revision and editing. It must be completed during your freshman or sophomore year.
Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning
All students will take a college-level mathematics/quantitative reasoning course. For some of you, mathematics and statistics will be an essential tool for mastering a field in depth. For others, you will build your ability to understand how quantitative methods are applied in society to support arguments and solve problems. A variety of courses will be available to meet this requirement, based on your field of interest. Check the requirements of the major that interests you, in the School section of the catalog, for information on courses that satisfy Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning.
C. School Requirements
The Schools of Engineering, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts each have a set of general education requirements to be completed if you choose a major offered by that School. School requirements include courses to help you build the collateral knowledge and skills you will need in order to succeed in your major. School requirements also include courses to help you understand the broad domains of knowledge. Check the School section of this catalog for specific requirements.
For Transfer Students: Satisfying General Education
In addition to meeting the transfer admissions requirements described in the Undergraduate Admissions section of this Catalog, transfer students should complete an acceptable general education course pattern and preparatory courses for the intended major, prior to transfer. Successful completion of general education and major preparation will assure that you do not need to take any additional lower division courses at UC Merced. For detailed information on how transfer students can satisfy lower division general education and major preparation requirements, see the Catalog section of the School that offers your intended major.
Please note the following: California Community College transfer students who complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) satisfy all lower division general education requirements at UC Merced. For further details, see the Catalog section of the School that offers your intended major. Transfer students from other University of California campuses who have completed lower division general education requirements at the UC campus have satisfied lower division general education requirements at UC Merced.
Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Examinations
The University awards credit for successful completion of the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) and the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examinations (IB). Students must have official test score reports sent directly from the testing service to UC Merced to receive credit. Students will meet with advising staff during New Student Orientation to discuss which courses or requirements they may have satisfied based on transfer credit for scores in these examinations.
Credit for AP Exams
UC Merced grants elective credit for all College Board AP examinations on which a student scores 3 or higher. Some examinations passed with scores of 3 or higher may award exemptions for degree requirements. The number of elective units awarded for each examination can be viewed on the chart in this section.
Credit for IB Exams
The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) awards either a diploma or awards a certificate for individual IB exams. Students completing the IB diploma with a score of 30 or above will receive a total of 20 semester units of elective credit toward their UC Merced undergraduate degree. To complete the IB diploma, students are required to take one subject from each of the six subject groups and complete an extended essay. At least three of the six subjects must be taken at the Higher Level. The University grants 5.3 semester units to students who receive IB certificates for each individual Higher Level Exam on which the student scores 5, 6, or 7. The University does not grant credit for Subsidiary level examinations. The number of units awarded for each examination can be viewed on the chart in this section.
Potential Duplication of Credit for AP and IB Exams
Credit will be granted for either the AP or IB examinations in any one subject area. College courses taken prior to or after enrolling at the university may duplicate the content of AP or IB examinations. In these cases, the university may not award credit for both the course and the AP or IB examination credit.
The following chart provides guidelines used for awarding units (elective credit) and exemptions for degree requirements. Credit will be granted for either the IB or AP Exams in any one subject area. Students who choose to take a course at UC Merced from which they are otherwise exempt will receive credit for the UCM course but not the units for the exam.
SUBJECT CREDIT |
UNITS |
COURSE EXEMPTIONS AND GENERAL EDUCATION |
IBH Visual Arts
AP Studio Art:
Drawing
2-D Design
3-D Design
|
5.3
5.3
5.3
5.3
|
One (1) course in ARTS.
Score 4 or 5 on Drawing exempts one (1) course in ARTS.
Score 4 or 5 on 2-D Design exempts one (1) course in ARTS.
Score 4 or 5 on 3-D Design exempts one (1) course in ARTS.
Unit credit limit for all AP exams: 5.3.
|
AP Art History |
5.3 |
Score 4 or 5 exempts one (1) course in GASP. |
IBH Biology
AP Biology
|
5.3
5.3
|
No course exemption.
Score 4 or 5 exempts BIO 001 and BIO 001L .
|
IBH Chemistry
AP Chemistry
|
5.3
5.3
|
No course exemption.
Score 3 or above exempts Chemistry Placement Exam.
Score 4 or 5 exempts CHEM 002 .
|
IBH Computer Science
AP Computer Science:
Comp Science A
Comp Science AB
|
5.3
1.3
2.7
|
No course exemption.
No course exemption.
No course exemption.
Unit credit limit for both AP exams: 2.7.
|
IBH Economics
AP Economics:
Macroeconomics
Microeconomics
|
5.3
2.7
2.7
|
Score 6 or 7 exempts ECON 001 .
Score 4 or 5 on both Macroeconomics and Microeconomics exempts ECON 001 .
|
IBH English Language AI
AP English:
Language/Composition
Literature/Composition
|
5.3
5.3
5.3
|
Score 5 or above satisfies WRI 001 and Entry Level Writing Requirement.
Score 6 or 7 exempts WRI 010 .
Score 4 or 5 Lang/Comp exempts WRI 010 .
Score 4 or 5 Lit/Comp exempts one sequence from: LIT 020-021, LIT 030-031, LIT 040-041 or a waiver of one ENG course (10-49) for the ENG major or ENG minor.
Score 3 or above on either AP exam satisfies WRI 001 and Entry Level Writing Requirement.
Unit credit limit for both AP exams: 5.3.
|
AP Environmental Sciences |
2.7 |
Score of 4 or 5 exempts ESS 001 . |
AP Government and Politics:
United States
Comparative
|
2.7
2.7
|
Score 4 or 5 exempts POLI 001 .
Score 4 or 5 exempts POLI 003 .
|
IBH History
AP History:
US History
European History
World History
|
5.3
5.3
5.3
5.3
|
Score 6 or 7 exempts one (1) lower division history sequence.
Score 4 or 5 exempts HIST 016 and HIST 017 .
Score 4 or 5 exempts two of the following courses: , , or HIST 031 .
Score 4 or 5 exempts HIST 010 and HIST 011 .
|
IBH Geography
AP Human Geography
|
5.3
2.7
|
No course exemption.
No course exemption.
|
IBH Language A2 or B:
Chinese
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Portuguese
Spanish
AP Language Other Than English:
Chinese Language and Culture
French Language and Culture
German Language and Culture
Italian Language and Culture
Japanese Language and Culture
Spanish Language and Culture
Spanish Literature and Culture
|
5.3
5.3
5.3
5.3
5.3
5.3
5.3
5.3
5.3
5.3
5.3
5.3
5.3
5.3
|
Score 6 or 7 on Chinese exempts CHN 004 . Score 5 or higher fulfills the foreign language requirement for those majoring in History or English.
Score 6 or 7 on French exempts FRE 004 . Score 5 or higher fulfills the foreign language requirement for those majoring in History or English.
Score 5 or higher fulfills the foreign language requirement for those majoring in History or English.
Course exemptions to be determined.
Score 6 or 7 on Japanese exempts JPN 004 . Score 5 or higher fulfills the foreign language requirement for those majoring in History or English.
Course exemptions to be determined.
Score 6 or 7 on Spanish exempts SPAN 004 and fulfills Spanish language requirement for those majoring in Spanish.
Score 5 or higher fulfills the foreign language requirement for those majoring in History or English.
Score 5 on Chinese Language and Culture exempts CHN 004 . Score 3 or higher fulfills the foreign language requirement for those majoring in History or English.
Score 5 on French Language and Culture exempts FRE 004 . Score 3 or higher fulfills the foreign language requirement for those majoring in History or English.
Score 3 or higher on German Language and Culture fulfills the foreign language requirement for those majoring in History or English.
Score 3 or higher on Italian Language and Culture fulfills the foreign language requirement for those majoring in History or English.
Score 5 on Japanese Language and Culture exempts JPN 004 . Score 3 or higher fulfills the foreign language requirement for those majoring in History or English.
Score 5 on Spanish Language and Culture exempts SPAN 004 or SPAN 011 . Score 3 fulfills the foreign language requirement for those majoring in History or English.
Score 4 or 5 on Spanish Literature and Culture exempts SPAN 004 or SPAN 011 . Also exempts SPAN 050 and SPAN 051 .
Score 3 fulfills the foreign language requirement for those majoring in History or English.
|
IBH Classical Languages:
Latin
Classical Greek
AP Latin
|
5.3
5.3
2.7
|
No course exemption.
No course exemption.
No course exemption.
|
IBH Mathematics
AP Mathematics:
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Calculus BC Subscore AB
|
5.3
2.7
5.3
2.7
|
Score 5 exempts MATH 011 . Score 6 or higher exempts MATH 021 .
Score 3 or higher on Calculus AB exempts Math Placement Exam and SSHA’s Quantitative Reasoning Requirement.
Score 4 or 5 exempts MATH 011 or MATH 021 .
Score 3 or higher on Calculus BC exempts Math Placement Exam, SSHA’s Quantitative Reasoning Requirement, and MATH 011 or MATH 021 .
Score 4 or 5 on Calculus BC exempts MATH 011 and MATH 012 OR MATH 021 and MATH 022 .
Score 3 on Calculus BC Subscore AB exempts Math Placement Exam and MATH 011 or MATH 021 .
Unit credit limit for all three AP exams: 5.3.
|
IBH Music
AP Music Theory
|
5.3
5.3
|
Score 6 or 7 exempts one (1) GE course in ARTS.
No course exemption.
|
IBH Physics
AP Physics:
Physics B
Physics C: Mechanics
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
|
5.3
5.3
2.7
2.7
|
Course exemption to be determined.
No course exemption.
Score 5 exempts PHYS 008 or PHYS 018 .
No course exemption.
Unit credit limit for all three AP exams: 5.3
|
IBH Psychology
AP Psychology
|
5.3
2.7
|
Score 6 or 7 exempts PSY 001 .
Score 4 or 5 exempts PSY 001 .
|
IBH Social and Cultural Anthropology |
5.3 |
Score 6 or 7 exempts ANTH 001 . |
AP Statistics |
2.7 |
Score 4 exempts MATH 018 or SSHA’s Quantitative Reasoning Requirement PSY 010 . Score 5 exempts ECON 010 or POLI 010 . |
IBH Theatre Arts |
5.3 |
Score 5 or above exempts one (1) GE course in ARTS. |
|