Navigating the UNM General Education Requirements: A Comprehensive Guide

The University of New Mexico (UNM) requires all undergraduate students to complete General Education Requirements as part of earning any baccalaureate degree. These requirements are designed to give students a broad foundation of knowledge and skills, complementing their major field of study. Understanding these requirements is crucial for a successful academic journey at UNM.

Purpose of General Education

General Education empowers students to face a rapidly changing world with the ability to frame questions and solve problems. Complementing the major, GenEd courses provide a set of strategies: communication, critical thinking, information analysis, quantitative skills, and responsibility towards local and global communities. In many GenEd courses, students address urgent problems directly through undergraduate research, race and social justice analysis, global awareness, community engagement, and innovation. By providing a base of knowledge and flexible tools for thinking, GenEd courses equip students for success throughout their education and after graduation. Exploring different GenEd areas can be a great college strategy to find out what really interests you. Or, if you have a major in mind, your advisor can help you identify some courses to help you prepare for your next steps. Either way, browsing the course descriptions in each area of study will help you find courses that take you to unexpected places.

Core Requirements

All undergraduate students must complete the UNM General Education Requirements and the UNM Diversity Requirement as part of their baccalaureate program. The General Education curriculum consists of 31 credit hours of courses in the seven areas of study as listed below. A grade of "C" (not "C-") is required in all courses used to fulfill the requirements of the General Education Program. Courses taken CR/NC can be applied to General Education, subject to general University and individual college and department regulations on the number of credit hours that can be taken CR/NC and the applicability of courses taken CR/NC to the individual degree.

The General Education curriculum consists of 31 credit hours of courses in the seven areas of study. Students develop these strategies from different angles by taking one or more courses in each of the seven areas of the General Education curriculum:

Communication
Mathematics and Statistics
Physical and Natural Sciences
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Humanities
Second Language
Arts and Design

Departments and colleges may restrict student course choices related to the student's field of study to meet departmental and college degree requirements.

Fulfilling Requirements Through Alternative Methods

Many courses in UNM’s general education requirements can be satisfied by taking Advanced Placement courses in high school and achieving a specified score on an AP test. CLEP (College Level Examination Program) Subject Exams can also be used for credit for specific courses.

Online General Education Courses

UNM offers an inventory of general education courses for Accelerated Online Program students in an 8-week format and are offered on a cyclical basis. Look for the courses in the current schedule of classes with a course comment that reads "Limited to accelerated online program students only."

Below is a listing of the individual courses that fulfill a General Education requirement:

ASTR 1115 Introduction to Astronomy (Physical & Natural Sciences, 3 Credit Hours)
ASTR 1115L Introduction to Astronomy Laboratory (Physical & Natural Sciences, 1 Credit Hour)
BIOL 1110 General Biology (Physical & Natural Sciences, 3 Credit Hours)
BIOL 1110L General Biology Lab (Physical & Natural Sciences, 1 Credit Hour)
CCST 1110 Introduction to Comparative Global and Ethnic Societies (Social & Behavioral Sciences, 3 Credit Hours)
CCST 2110 Introduction to Chicana and Chicano Studies (Humanities, 3 Credit Hours)
COMM 1130 Public Speaking (Communication, 3 Credit Hours)
ECON 2110 Macroeconomic Principles (Social & Behavioral Sciences, 3 Credit Hours)
ECON 2120 Microeconomic Principles (Social & Behavioral Sciences, 3 Credit Hours)
ENGL 1110 Composition I (Communication, 3 Credit Hours)
ENGL 1120 Composition II (Communication, 3 Credit Hours)
ENGL 2210 Professional and Technical Communication (Communication, 3 Credit Hours)
GEOG 1160 Home Planet: Land, Water, & Life (Physical & Natural Sciences, 3 Credit Hours)
GEOG 1160L Home Planet Laboratory (Physical & Natural Sciences, 1 Credit Hour)
HIST 1150 Western Civilization I (Humanities, 3 Credit Hours)
IADL 1110 Introduction to Information Studies (Communication, 3 Credit Hours)
LING 2110 Introduction to the Study of Language and Linguistics (Social & Behavioral Sciences, 3 Credit Hours)
MATH 1220 College Algebra (Mathematics & Statistics, 3 Credit Hours)
MATH 1350 Introduction to Statistics (Mathematics & Statistics, 3 Credit Hours)
MATH 1430 Applications of Calculus I (Mathematics & Statistics, 3 Credit Hours)
MUSC 1120 Music Appreciation: Rock & Roll (Arts & Design, 3 Credit Hours)
MUSC 1130 Music Appreciation: Western Music (Arts & Design, 3 Credit Hours)
NATV 1150 Introduction to Native American Studies (Humanities, 3 Credit Hours)
PHIL 1115 Introduction to Philosophy (Humanities, 3 Credit Hours)
PHIL 1120 Logic, Reasoning, and Critical Thinking (Communication, 3 Credit Hours)
PORT 1110 Portuguese I (Second Language, 3 Credit Hours)
PSYC 1110 Introduction to Psychology (Social & Behavioral Sciences, 3 Credit Hours)
RELG 2110 Eastern Religions (Humanities, 3 Credit Hours)
SPAN 1110 Spanish I (Second Language, 3 Credit Hours)
SPAN 2120 Spanish IV (Second Language, 3 Credit Hours)

General Education Competencies

The UNM General Education program emphasizes the development of key competencies across all areas of study. These competencies equip students with the skills necessary for success in their academic pursuits and future careers.

Communication

The communication component of the General Education Requirements addresses all of the component skills.

Genre and Medium Awareness, Application, and Versatility: Students identify and communicate in various genres and mediums (oral, written, and digital) using strategies appropriate for the rhetorical situations (i.e., attending to audience, purpose, and context).
Strategies for Understanding and Evaluating Messages: Students apply strategies such as reading for main points; seeking key arguments, counterarguments, rebuttals; locating supportive documentation for arguments; reading with a specific stakeholder lens; applying a theoretical lens (e.g. cultural, political, economic) to understand and evaluate messages in terms of the rhetorical situation (audience, purpose, and context).
Evaluation and Production of Arguments: Students evaluate the authority of sources in their own arguments and those of others; distinguish among supported claims, unsupported claims, facts, inferences, and opinions. In arguments, integrate support for their own claims with information from sources that are used and cited ethically and appropriately (using a major citation system such as MLA and APA).

Quantitative Reasoning

The quantitative reasoning component of the General Education Requirements addresses all of the component skills.

Communication/Representation of Quantitative Information: Students express quantitative information symbolically, graphically, and in written or oral language.
Analysis of Quantitative Arguments: Students interpret, analyze and critique information or a line of reasoning presented by others.
Application of Quantitative Models: Students apply appropriate quantitative models to real world or other contextual problems.

Critical Thinking

The critical thinking component of the General Education Requirements addresses all of the component skills.

Problem Setting: Students delineate a problem or question and state problem/question appropriate to the context.
Evidence Acquisition: Students identify and gather the information/data necessary to address the problem or question.
Evidence Evaluation: Students evaluate evidence/data for credibility (e.g. bias, reliability, and validity), probable truth, and relevance to a situation.
Reasoning/Conclusion: Students develop conclusions, solutions, and outcomes that reflect an informed, well-reasoned evaluation.

Personal and Social Responsibility

The personal and social responsibility component of the General Education Requirements addresses 2 of the 5 component skills.

Intercultural reasoning and intercultural competence: Students explain a range of personal, social, cultural, or social justice issues as they relate to one’s own or others’ perspectives.
Sustainability and the natural and human worlds: Students examine the relationship among environmental, socio-cultural, political, and economic systems as they interact with and affect the sustainability of the natural and human worlds.
Ethical Reasoning: Describe shared ethical responsibilities or moral norms among members of a group. Explain ethical issues or propose solutions based on ethical perspectives or theories.
Collaboration skills, teamwork and value systems: Demonstrate effective and ethical collaboration in support of meeting identified group goals.

Creating New General Education Courses

Faculty and departments wishing to create new general education courses need to submit a Form C (since proposal of a new general education course constitutes a change to the program) through UNM's curriculum workflow for Faculty Senate approval. A “GeneralEducation Certification Form” should be uploaded to the Form C under the “Reason for Request” section. The course must be a currently common numbered course (4-alpha, 4-digit).

For new courses, in addition to the Form C, a Form B is required. A “Comprehensive HED CCN Form” should be uploaded to the Form B. The HED form for CCN is found under Common Course Numbering Project tab.

Read also: A Catalyst for Education

In summary: a current CCN course requesting Gen Ed status, requires a Form C and Gen Ed Certification Form.

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