General Education: Curriculum and Instruction, BA (non-licensure)

About the Program

The General Education - Curriculum & Instruction (GECI) major focuses on preparing students for careers in education-related fields but does not lead to teacher certification or licensure. This major offers students a broad understanding of educational concepts with the flexibility to pursue their own passions suitable for a variety of roles beyond traditional K-12 classroom teaching. These roles might include working in educational policy, curriculum development, educational technology, corporate training, or other education-adjacent fields with instructional components.

GECI prepares students to engage in an increasingly diverse, interconnected, and technology-rich society and values collaboration, community, diversity, global perspectives, inquiry, and reflection. A focus on theory-into-practice leads to new discoveries in the teaching and learning process across a wide variety of educational contexts. This major is a good option for those who are passionate about education but prefer not to follow the traditional route of becoming a licensed teacher.

The General Education: Curriculum & Instruction Plan of Study outlines the required courses to complete the degree. For more information about the degree program, visit the COE Office of Advising and Retention.

General Education: Curriculum and Instruction Major Change (CODO) Requirements   

Degree Requirements

120 Credits Required

Departmental/Program Major Courses (32 credits)

GPA requirement: 2.0 - with no College of Education (EDCI, EDST, EDPS) course grade lower than a “C”.

Required Minor or Certificate (9-15 credits)

To enhance/complement their education degree, students must choose at least one minor or certificate for further study in a topic of their choice. Students may use courses in the minor or certificate to meet other courses in degree requirements. Suggested options:

• Collaborative Leadership Certificate (9 credits)
• Global Studies Minor (10-13 credits)
  
• Information Studies Minor (15 credits)
  
• Learning Sciences in Educational Studies Minor (15 credits)
  
• Museum and Archives Studies Minor (15-17 credits)
• Minor in any content area (e.g., any world language; creative writing; LGBTQ studies)

Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (24-37 credits)

Electives (36-55 credits)

GPA Requirements

• GPA requirement: 2.0
  
  

College of Education Pass/No Pass Option Policy

Education majors (which includes the total credit hour requirement to fulfill General Education: Educational Studies and General Education: Curriculum & Instruction) are not eligible to receive P/NP for required courses on your plan of study.  Only electives and courses at the 500+ level can have a grade mode change.

Spring 2020 was the only exception approved for the entire campus. 

University Requirements

Additional Information

• The General Education: Curriculum & Instruction major is not a licensure program.

Sample 4-Year Plan

The following sample plan of study is a suggested arrangement of courses. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student.

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate strong knowledge of educational theories, evidence-based practices, and the research that supports them.
• Apply educational theories to design, analyze, and evaluate learning in formal and informal contexts. 
• Demonstrate the ability to engage in inquiry, critical reflection, and data-informed decision making.
• Integrate digital tools and emerging technologies to develop, evaluate, and enhance learning experiences across a variety of learning environments.

Pre-Requisite Information

For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.

World Language Courses

World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japanese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS-Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)

Critical Course

The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”

Disclaimer

The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.