General Academic Plan - Bachelor

General Academic Plan - Bachelor’s Degree

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

1. 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.)
2. Major Programs of Study
3. General Electives

Note: Students enrolled in the Women’s College will need to ensure that a certain percentage of their elective, LE, and major courses are designated as W courses, helping students complete the GOLD curriculum requirement for women’s college students who matriculated to Brenau University during or after Fall 2019.  See below section “Gold Curriculum” for more information.

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

If the student completes a minor, courses for that minor may not apply toward the students major. Therefore, if a course is required for the major and minor, the course is applied in the major and an alternate course must be taken for the minor.

Developmental Studies (remedial) 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 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. Military credit does not count toward this non-traditional credit limit.

1) Liberal Education Requirements

Note: Students with an A.A., A.S. or a bachelor’s degree are exempt from Liberal Education requirements. The student must graduate from an institution accredited by one of the accrediting bodies below or the equivalent as assessed by a NACES accredited evaluating service. 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:

1. EH 101 & EH 102 - must be a C or higher in all cases.
2. The course is a prerequisite for another course and the department for the 2nd course requires a C or higher for the prerequisite.
3. 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. 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 Liberal Education 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 one’s 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 one’s 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 modern language other than English, and compare global culture(s) where that language is spoken to English-language-based U.S. culture. (Students must have competency through the 102 level. Students may take through 102 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.

Gold Curriculum

Women’s College must complete the GOLD Program Curriculum in order to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. Gold Curriculum courses are designated by a “W” as the last character in the course number. Please see the table below for the required course hours. The number of required hours are prorated based on the number of transfer hours. Students are encouraged to take as many “W” courses as possible. This requirement can not be waived based on a previous degree.

W courses can be searched by clicking on “Courses” in the catalog dashboard

and typing *W in the “Code or Number” box and then clicking the “filter” button.

W courses emphasize the experience and expertise of women throughout course design and delivery. Students will identify and analyze the contributions and experiences of women. More than 50% of course activities, readings, and assessments emphasize and explore female experience, perspective, or expertise.

Undergraduate students not enrolled in the Women’s College do not complete in the Gold Curriculum.