General Education

Philosophy of the General Education Curriculum

The University of Maine at Presque Isle faculty has developed the following general education curriculum in accordance with the goals of the University: (1) to provide students with the competencies necessary for academic and professional success; (2) to expose students to multiple methods of gathering and employing knowledge in order to facilitate long-term learning not limited to a single discipline; (3) to prepare students to think critically and formulate effective responses to a broader range of texts, media, circumstances, and institutions, so that they may become active and effective participants in communities both local and global. By providing a foundation of information and skills, the General Education Curriculum (GEC) insures that the graduate not only has knowledge of a major field but also the flexibility to think critically and argue persuasively on a range of issues relevant to personal and professional life. Critical and conceptual thinking, sensitivity to the multiplicities of human experience, and acquisition of technical skills are pervasive throughout the educational experience at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.

The GEC, then, is not simply a collection of courses representing different disciplines but rather a set of courses with common, interrelated aims. The GEC synthesizes disciplines to provide a total university experience, producing a liberally educated graduate, regardless of major.

Exemption from GEC

Students entering the University of Maine at Presque Isle as degree seekers who have a completed baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution will receive transfer credit for their previous degree work and will be exempt from meeting the specific requirements of the GEC. This does not exempt them from program requirements; it does exempt them from Placement Testing. Advisors should counsel exempted students to take courses to fill any deficiencies in their general education relevant to their career or future citizenship.

Students who have completed the ‘General Education Block’ at another UMS institution at the time they transfer to UMPI will be considered to have met all the requirements of the UMPI General Education Curriculum. This also applies to students who have completed the ‘General Education Transfer Block’ at a Maine Community College System institution.

First Year Seminar

FYS 100, the First Year Seminar course, is required of all students matriculating with fewer than12 college credits, excluding AP, CLEP or dual enrollment credit, and must be completed in the student’s first semester.

GEC Requirements for Specific Programs

Please refer to the academic program for specific course requirements or recommendations regarding the core GEC. Certain degree requirements may be met by informed choices within the GEC. Students should consult with their advisors to make the best choices for their needs and goals. Students changing majors may be advised to enroll for additional courses from the GEC to satisfy their new program requirements.

Course Designators