General Academic Plan - Bachelor

General Academic Plan - Bachelor’s Degree

Brenau University undergraduate (Bachelor’s Degree) academic plans consist of the following three components:

Liberal Education Requirements (Note: The Liberal Education program is divided into four learning portals: World Understanding, Scientific and Analytic Curiosity, Artistic and Creative Imagination, Communication and Language Fluency.)
Major Programs of Study
General Electives

Minimum Hours Required to Graduate – 120 Note: some majors require additional hours.

In addition to these components, students entering the university with academic deficiencies diagnosed by placement testing may need to take developmental study coursework to remedy those deficiencies before enrolling in regular college level courses. Current developmental credit does not carry hours of credit toward graduation or financial aid. However, some developmental coursework taken in the past carried academic credit for financial aid purposes and enrollment status (part-time, full-time, etc.). However that credit can not count toward graduation. For example, if a student had taken three hours of developmental coursework and the student’s major usually requires 120 hours to graduate, that student will need 123 hours to graduate because the developmental hours cannot count toward any graduation requirements, including general electives. Those courses are:

Developmental Studies courses and English as a Second Language courses completed at other institutions do not transfer to Brenau University.

Students are advised that the statement of minimum hours required to graduate assumes the student does not need developmental coursework and has met all requirements outlined for the major in question. Additional coursework taken beyond liberal education or major requirements may result in the accumulation of credit hours beyond the stated minimum needed to graduate. Likewise, students should note that special professional accreditation requirements of a particular field of study may require hours in excess of the minimum 120 stated above. Individual programs of study should be consulted for specific requirements.

No more than 27 semester hours earned outside of regular coursework (i.e., CLEP, Experiential Credit, Challenge Exams, Directed Independent Study, etc.) may be applied toward the degree. These types of non-traditional credit may not be applied toward the minimum residency requirement of 30 semester hours.

1) Liberal Education Requirements

Note: Students with an A.A., A.S. or a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution are exempt from Liberal Education requirements. Students in the RN-BSN program may also apply A.S.N. and A.D.N. degrees. This exemption does not extend to any other associate’s degree (e.g. A.A.S., A.A.T). This exemption does not affect transfer credit. All college-level credit that conforms to Brenau’s transfer credit policy will be recorded on the student’s Brenau transcript. This exemption does not affect any major courses required or any major foundation courses required.

A grade of D in a liberal education class is permitted except in these cases:

EH 101 & EH 102 - must be a C or higher in all cases.
The course is a prerequisite for another course and the department for the 2nd course requires a C or higher for the prerequisite.
The course is also used in the students major and the major requires that all the grades within the major to be a C or higher.

In order to exempt the Liberal Education requirements, the student must graduate from an institution accredited by one of the following U.S. Regional accrediting bodies:

The Higher Learning Commission (formerly North Central Association of Colleges and Schools) (HLC)
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NEASC-CIHE)
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS)
Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (WASC-ACCJC)
Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities (WASC-SCUC)

General Liberal Education requirements are listed below. The individual liberal education course choices are listed within each major program of study as well as in the Academic Portal Information page.

World Understanding Portal (9 hours):

3 hours - Historical Perspective - Demonstrate knowledge of major events and movements in history and use this knowledge to generate a more sophisticated understanding of current events.
3 hours - Civic Engagement - Demonstrate an appreciation of the importance of civic engagement in a global society.
3 hours - Global Awareness - Demonstrate an understanding of global issues and their implications for local communities.

Scientific & Analytic Curiosity Portal (13-15 hours):

3 hours - Mathematics - Demonstrate quantitative reasoning through numeric, symbolic, or geometric means. (Course taken depends upon math placement of the student.)
7 hours - Science - Demonstrate competency in a specific curriculum and appraise the impact of that science in ones life.
3-4 hours - Reasoning - Be able to think critically and solve problems effectively.

Artistic and Creative Imagination Portal (9 hours):

3 hours - Fine Arts - Understand artistic concepts and traditions through the experience of artistic endeavors.
3 hours - Literature - Read and understand literature in its historical context.
3 hours - Lifetime Fitness - Appreciate ones health status and implement a plan for health and fitness. (Women’s College students must have three hours of lifetime fitness which must include: one hour of Healthy Lifestyle (HL), one hour of Lifetime Fitness (LF) or Leisure Sports (LS) and one hour of either HL/LF/or LS. University students may take HS 105 Healthy Lifestyle Habits for three hours or transfer the three individual courses outlined above. Note: Nursing and Dance majors have specific Lifetime Fitness requirements. Please see those major sections for information.)

Communication and Language Fluency Portal (12-15 hours):

6 hours - Writing - Compose effective and logical written communication.
3 hours - Speaking - Demonstrate effective oral communication.
0-3 hours - Modern Language - Communicate in a non-native language. (Students must have competency through the 102/115 level. Students may take through 102/115 or may attempt a placement exemption. See the modern language requirement section of the admissions page for specific information about the modern language requirement.)
3 hours - Communication

2) Major Programs of Study

The requirements for each major program of study available are described in detail in the individual majors/programs located in the Catalog. All majors and programs can be found by clicking the majors/programs link on the catalog dashboard. The programs are grouped in alphabetical order by degree level, with highest degree level at the top. Not all majors are available from all divisions. Program availability depends on demand and feasibility of offering certain majors in selected locations.

3) General Electives

The purpose of general electives is to provide students with greater breadth in their undergraduate experience, beyond their liberal education and major course requirements.