Timeline and Process

The General Education Council will be reviewing all proposals that have revisions to meet the new Gen Ed requirements or proposals for new courses in Gen Ed. All of the previous steps for proposal review will still take place, with the exception of Intellectual Discovery courses (formerly FYS), which will go from Dean review straight to GEC (General Education Council) and then to APIRC.

As there is an extra level of review for many of the proposals submitted, and due to the increased number of proposals expected to come into this system for GEC review, please do not delay getting your submission in. Proposals for new courses or revisions within Gen Ed for Fall 0f 2026 must be submitted on this website no later than September 8, 2025.

For questions about the requirements for Gen Ed, please see the resources on the right of this page or contact the Director of General Education, Dr. Robert Harger at [email protected].

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the GEC?  
The GEC is the General Education Council. It is composed of faculty from each of the schools with undergraduate majors. The role of the GEC is to oversee the implementation and assessment of the general education curriculum. The GEC will review all courses that are part of the general education curriculum and will be involved in collecting and analyzing general education assessment data. The GEC reports to APIRC which oversees the duties of the GEC.

What is the timeline for implementation of new courses and the phasing out of old Gen Ed courses? 
Freshmen starting in Fall 2022 (Class of 2026) will be under the new Gen Ed curriculum. We will need to continue to offer courses that are required under the old Gen Ed curriculum until the class of 2025 graduates. The Director of General Education will be working with Department Chairs to ensure that the phasing in and out of courses matches our anticipated enrollment demands.

Can current students change catalogs to be under the new Gen Ed requirements? 
This option should be discouraged by advisors, unless there is a pressing reason for the change. Some required courses for the new Gen Ed may not be available for students to take before the timeline required by the Class of 2026.

My advisee is not on a typical graduation timeline. What if the courses they need are not available during this transition? 
Substitutions for courses can be made on an individual basis. These will be approved by the Registrar or the Director of General Education.

How will the Gen Ed requirements work for transfer students? 
The Director of General Education will work with the registrar’s office to determine which requirements have been met by coursework at other institutions.

How do I find what learning outcomes are required in my area of the Gen Ed? 
Please see this document here.

I currently run a course that I believe could be part of the new Gen Ed, how does the approval process work for current courses? 
Current courses will require departmental approval and submission to the General Education Council to ensure that the course will meet the Learning Outcomes for the given area of the Gen Ed. To submit a course, please fill out the course revision form. 

I currently run an FYS course that I would like to transition to an Intellectual Discovery course. Does it need to go through the approval process? 
Yes, Intellectual Discovery courses will need to be submitted as new course proposals. Please read over the guidelines to submitting these courses (linked on the right under resources) and see the next question on how to submit a new course proposal.

I would like to propose a new course to be part of the new Gen Ed, how does this approval process work? 
New courses will work through the course approval form. The GEC will be reviewing the courses to ensure that the course will meet the Learning Outcomes for the given area of the Gen Ed.

Will my course be able to satisfy more than one General Education area?
Yes, courses can qualify for more than one area of the Gen Ed. These courses will have to meet the learning outcomes for both of those areas.

Can students “double-dip” courses in the Gen Ed – counting one course in multiple places?
Students can use courses that count in their major (up to 12 credit hours) to satisfy Gen Ed requirements as long as those courses are approved for that Gen Ed area.  Students cannot “double-dip” the other areas of the Gen Ed with each other (e.g., American Context and Humanities).

Can faculty from another school or department teach a course in a given area (such as ethics or American context)?  
Faculty must meet SACS requirements for teaching in a given discipline. It is not the mandate of the GEC to determine faculty qualifications. This is done at the Chair, Dean, and Provost level. If faculty qualifications are in question, this should be brought up to Academic Affairs.

What if I have more questions? 
Please reach out to Dr. Robert Harger ([email protected]), Director of General Education or any GEC member.

Helpful Resources and Documents

General Education Requirements

Course Proposal Guides

General Education Learning Outcomes

Revised Mission Statement

Some of the most important skills for success in life are those acquired through a liberal arts education.  The General Education Program at HPU fulfills the university’s commitment to the liberal arts by fostering the intellectual autonomy, curiosity, and creativity required to thrive in a rapidly changing, increasingly interconnected world.  Our program provides students with opportunities to

• Discover, interpret, create, and integrate knowledge across multiple domains
• Develop and refine communicative, analytic, collaborative, and creative problem-solving skills
• Reflect on their own values and assumptions while cultivating the empathy, ethical responsibility, and respect for individual and cultural difference necessary for democratic citizenship
• Adapt their learning to different environments, tasks, and perspectives

Visit the What’s New page for current announcements and process updates.