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General Education Requirements

The Traditional Undergraduate Program provides a comprehensive learning experience that includes a broad-based, liberal arts-focused General Education curriculum. Gardner-Webb’s distinctive General Education program also includes opportunities to engage personal faith with learning. Key components of the undergraduate experience include career preparation and internship opportunities, writing and information literacy instruction, and other high-impact active-learning experiences. These experiences have been carefully designed to meet a diverse set of learning goals, which in turn have been developed on the basis of the University’s mission and heritage. Specifically, the faculty has identified six major learning goals as the intended outcome of the General Education curriculum.

A major or minor program of study may include courses that also appear in the General Education curriculum. While a course could fulfill an academic requirement in both the major/minor program of study and the General Education curriculum, numerical credit hours for the course will only count once towards total credits for graduation. The most efficient pathway to graduation is encouraged. That pathway might include fulfilling specific academic requirements in a major/minor program of study and the General Education curriculum simultaneously within a single course. Students are highly encouraged to work with their assigned advisers and the Gardner-Webb University Office of Academic Advising to determine and maintain the most efficient pathway. 

Students who complete their studies at Gardner-Webb University will

  1. Demonstrate scientific and quantitative literacy
  2. Communicate effectively using a variety of modes
  3. Analyze diverse human experiences within real world contexts
  4. Demonstrate intercultural competency at a global level
  5. Demonstrate biblical literacy and ethical self-awareness rooted in a Christian worldview
  6. Demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary for the pursuit of lifelong wellness

 

Because of the Christian nature of Gardner-Webb’s identity and mission (see point seven above), it requires all bachelor’s-degree-seeking students, including transfers, to earn credit (whether at Gardner-Webb or another institution under transfer or transient credit policies) for RELI 300: Introduction to the Old Testament and RELI 301: Introduction to the New Testament. Therefore, these two courses are designated as upper division General Education requirements.