Most
Frequently Asked Questions about
the Core Curriculum
How
will UALR's core curriculum benefit me?
What courses
do I need to take?
Should I take only core courses my first year?
Do core
courses have prerequisites?
Do students participate in assessment of the core?
I
am a transfer student. Will any of my courses taken elsewhere
count as core courses?
Is the
core a requirement for everyone?
Can I
test out of the core?
Is
there a second language requirement?
How will UALR's core curriculum
benefit me?
After graduation students face
a rapidly changing world with unexpected challenges and problems.
UALR undergraduate degree programs are designed to give students
the tools they need to be responsible citizens and well-educated
leaders. The core curriculum is designed to provide the foundation
for more advanced coursework, to expose students to a wide
array of ideas and ways of thinking, and to increase proficiency
in reading, writing, and mathematics.
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What
courses do I need to take?
A student seeking a baccalaureate
degree must complete a total of 44 hours in core courses.
To see the required categories, the number of hours required
in each category, and the specific courses that will fulfill
that requirement, visit the core curriculum chart found in
the UALR
Undergraduate Catalog.
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Should I take only core courses my first year?
When students have selected
a major it is usually best to combine core courses with courses
in the degree program. Students should consult an advisor
in their major to develop a sequence of courses that meets
their needs.
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Do
core courses have prerequisites?
Two thousand level (2000) core
courses are designed to be taken by students after they have
completed RHET 1311 and 1312 (or Honors Composition). The
composition courses have the following eligibility requirements:
- RHET 1311 & 1312:
A minimum ACT English score of 19 or a minimum SAT I verbal
score of 470 is required for enrollment in RHET 1311 and
1312, Composition I and II. RHET 0310, Composition Fundamentals,
is offered for students who do not meet the minimum requirement
to enroll in Composition I.
- Honors Composition
(RHET 1320): Students with an ACT English score
of 27 or better or an SAT II writing score of 590 or better
who also have an A or B in high school English
are invited to enroll in RHET 1320 Honors Composition.
Students who feel they qualify for Honors Composition
but who do not receive invitations should contact the
Department of Rhetoric and Writing at (501)569-3160. The
three-hour Honors Composition course satisfies the core
curriculum requirement.
- Exempting Composition
I: Students with an ACT English score of 29 or better
or an SAT II writing score of 630 or better are automatically
exempted from Composition I. They may enroll either in
Honors Composition or in Composition II to complete the
core curriculum composition requirement.
Mathematics courses have
similar eligibility requirements for enrollment.
Do students participate in assessment
of the core?
Each academic unit at UALR has an assessment
program to collect information that will be used to make decisions
to improve its curriculum, instruction, and advising. The
assessment program is designed to help the academic unit focus
on what should be taught in the program and whether it is
being taught successfully. Students at UALR participate in
a variety of assessment activities designed to assess learning
in the general education core. Some of these
activities are part of the Rising Junior exam.
Rising
Junior Exam
The "Rising Junior Exam," formally called the Arkansas Assessment
of General Education or AAGE, is designed to assess students'
learning in the general education core. State law requires
all baccalaureate students at publicly funded colleges in
Arkansas to take the AAGE when they have completed between
45 and 60 college-level hours. College-level hours include
all accepted transfer hours but do not include developmental
hours. Students should take the exam as close to the 60-hour
point as possible, as completion of more of the general
education core requirements will likely result in a higher
score. Students who have reached the 60-hour point must
take the exam in order to proceed to their junior year.
The Rising Junior Exam is administered using ACT's Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency, or CAAP exam. UALR students will take one of four multiple choice exams that measure
achievement in writing (usage and mechanics), reading, scientific
reasoning, and mathematics. Testing time for CAAP is about an hours. CAAP is administered at least three times a
year: in April, November, and in the summer. (see
the current schedule) The state law requires all schools
to administer CAAP during the same weeks. Completion of
CAAP will be indicated on the student's permanent record
and transcript.
For additional details
contact: The Office
of Testing Services and Student Life Research, (501)569-3198.
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I
am a transfer student. Will any of my courses taken elsewhere
count as core courses?
Transferring from
public universities within Arkansas
UALR participates in the State Minimum Core Curriculum,
which allows students to transfer general education or core
courses among publicly supported Arkansas institutions.
Any course taken in the Arkansas State Minimum Core will
be counted toward UALR's core requirements.
Transferring from private
schools
Students transferring to UALR from private schools in Arkansas
or outside of Arkansas should check with their advisors
to assure proper transfer of core courses. In most cases,
the student must complete a core exemption form which is
submitted to the UALR department offering the core course
for which the exemption is desired.
Transferring from community
colleges within Arkansas
UALR also has partnership agreements with many community colleges
within the state, which allow the transfer of the associate
of arts core curriculum as a block from one of these institutions
to fulfill UALR's core curriculum. For more information on
two-year college transfer agreements see the Admissions section of the most current UALR
Undergraduate Catalog.
English composition exemption
Students transferring 60 or more credit hours to UALR who
have satisfied the English composition requirement at a
college previously attended may be exempted from UALR's
core curriculum requirement in English composition. The
decision to exempt a student is made by the student's major
department chairperson when the student files a degree plan.
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Is
the core a requirement for everyone?
All students are required to
take core courses. However, three groups of students take
a modified version of the core.
1. All students
receiving the associate degree (the AA or AS) must successfully
complete at least 62 hours including the following 15 hours
of core courses:
- RHET 1311 and 1312 Composition
I and II;
- SPCH 1300;
- One three-hour course
in United States history or government: HIST 2311 U.S.
History to 1877, HIST 2312 U.S. History Since 1877, or
POLS 1310 American National Government (see section below
on the U.S. Traditions requirement);
- MATH 1315 College Mathematics
or 1302 College Algebra.
2. Students enrolled in the Donaghey Scholars Program
take a specially designed interdisciplinary curriculum,
which replaces the University's core curriculum requirements.
Refer to the most recent edition of the UALR
Undergraduate Catalog for details.
3. The Donaghey
CyberCollege of Information Science and Systems Engineering
has a core curriculum adapted to the needs of its technologically
oriented curriculum. No mathematics or science requirements
are in the core since all majors in the CyberCollege already
include substantial mathematics and science courses.
In addition to this exemption, students in the CyberCollege
have the following reductions in core requirements:
-
The Fine Arts/Humanities
requirement is reduced to 2 credit hours.
-
The World History requirement
is reduced to 3 credit hours.
-
The Social Sciences;
Individuals, Culture, and Societies requirement is reduced
to 3 credit hours.
CyberCollege requires an additional 3 upper level hours
in communications, humanities, the arts, or social sciences.
These hours should be selected to provide further depth
in one of the disciplines represented by the core courses.
Three (3) hours of upper level technical writing from
the following courses is required; RHET 3316 Writing
in the Workplace, RHET 3326 Technical Writing, or MGMT
3380 Business Communications.
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Can
I test out of the core?
Some courses in the
core curriculum are supplemented by a system of credit
by examination. Students who have the required knowledge
or skills may demonstrate their proficiency by taking
an approved exam. The department offering the course
in the exam area determines testing procedures and the
level of proficiency.
All tests
conform to these general regulations: (1) students who
successfully test out of a course shall receive credit
hours for that course with a credit grade (CR)
but no grade points; (2) the examination shall be administered
at least once per semester and in such a manner as to
facilitate access by the student. For more information,
see the chairperson of the department involved or the
director of testing services and student life research
at (501)569-3198.
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Is there a second language requirement for
the core?
Students seeking a BA,
BSW, or BSE degree are required to complete a 2000-level
second language course or demonstrate equivalent proficiency
as measured by a competency test. Languages which may
be used to meet the second language requirement include
French, German, Spanish, American Sign Language, and
other languages as approved and arranged through the
Division of International and Second Language Studies.
Refer to the most recent edition of the UALR
Undergraduate Catalog or the Division
of International and Second Language Studies (501)596-3272
for details.
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Core Overview
Course Descriptions
Blue
Ribbon Competencies
Background
Documents for Core Courses
Documents
Related to adding a Core Course
Frequently Asked Questions
Related
Sites
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