General Education Program Information
1.) The General Education Program for Engineering Students
While a comprehensive understanding of science and mathematics is central and foundational to effective engineering practice, real-world engineering problems are both complex and situated within dynamic social, political, and cultural contexts. Therefore, well-rounded engineering curricula must also include courses that encompass the breadth of human experience and culture, both past and present. Such courses may include, but are not limited to, those that explore individual behavior, social and political structures, aesthetic values, modes and dynamics of communication, philosophical and ethical thought, and cognitive processes. These types of courses provide engineering students with a framework for rational inquiry, critical evaluation, and judgment when dealing with issues that are non-quantifiable, ambiguous, and/or controversial. In addition, they offer engineering students the opportunity to develop interests and insights that will deepen their appreciation for the diversity of the world in which they live and work.
Based on these premises, the goals of the College of Engineering General Education Program are to
- Provide the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.
- Support and complement the technical content of the engineering curricula through coursework that emphasizes such skills as written communication, oral communication, information literacy, cultural awareness, leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, and managing change.
These goals are consistent with the objectives of the College of Engineering’s Engineer of 2020 initiative (Engineering Faculty Document 15-06 - April 9, 2007), as well as the objectives of Purdue University’s Undergraduate Outcomes-Based Curriculum (University Senate Document 11-7 - February 20, 2012).
2.) Program Components
- Foundational Learning Outcomes (FLOs)
- Students must select from the list of courses approved by the University Core Council (UCC) to satisfy all six of these Foundational Learning Outcomes.
- Written Communication
- Oral Communication
- Information Literacy
- Humanities
- Behavior/Social Science
- Science, Technology, & Society
(The Science and Quantitative Reasoning Foundational Learning Outcomes are handled elsewhere in the engineering curricula.)
- At least 24 total credit hours are required.
- Courses must be drawn from either the list of courses approved by the University Core Council (UCC) as meeting an FLO, or from the approved IE General Education Selectives list.
- At least 12 credit hours must be taken from the College of Liberal Arts, the Daniels School of Business, and/or the Honors College provided such courses are not focused primarily on engineering, technology, the natural sciences, or mathematics.
- At least 6 credit hours must come from courses at the 30000-level or above, or from courses with a required prerequisite in the same department (e.g. SPAN 10200 requires SPAN 10100 as a pre-requisite).
- Credit is not allowed for language courses in the student’s native tongue(s), although literature, culture, drama, and related courses are allowed.
*Special consideration may be given to courses outside of these Colleges/Schools/Departments at the discretion of the IE undergraduate committee (or their designee). Excluded courses from the above Colleges/Schools/Departments will be at the discretion of the IE undergraduate committee (or their designee).
3.) Course Listing for Foundational Learning Outcomes
The courses used for meeting the Foundational Learning Outcomes is maintained by the Undergraduate Curriculum Council.
For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate University Senate Website.
4.) List of Approved Courses from the Colleges of Engineering, Science, or Purdue Polytechnic
IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PROVISIONS FOR THE GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM ARE SATISFIED AS A CONDITION OF GRADUATION.
