2018-2019 College Catalog 
    
    Mar 19, 2024  
2018-2019 College Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

General Education Program


College of the Ozarks’ Quest: The General Education Program


At College of the Ozarks the General Education Program plays a vital role in the full restoration of students to what it truly means to be a human being created in the image of God. Students will be taught to recognize and pursue key virtues in the Christian and Western traditions by faculty and staff who understand and order their lives by a Christian worldview and join their students in the quest, which includes academic courses, Christian life on campus, the Work Education Program, travel opportunities, convocations, and special activities. The General Education Program integrates the entirety of a student’s education and purposefully unites the students and the College community in a quest directed by the five-fold mission and the vision statement. More specifically, through this program the College seeks to fulfill the following objectives and learning outcomes, which primarily relate to the College’s Academic Goal of providing a sound education, based in the liberal arts. 

The objectives of the General Education (GE) program are to

  1. Help students understand, recognize the value of, and critically assess the Western liberal-arts and American traditions from a Christian worldview perspective.
  2. Help students develop essential skills and abilities that mark a person as being well-educated and equip them to live out their vocations in family, church, country, and the global community.
  3. Help students acquire a sound knowledge of the Christian faith.
  4. Encourage students to demonstrate Christ-like character.

The outcomes of the General Education program are that students will

  1. Understand, recognize the value of, and critically assess the Western liberal-arts and American traditions from a Christian worldview perspective.
    A. Identify key people, places, ideas, and institutions that have shaped the Western liberal-arts and American traditions.
    B. Identify math, natural science, and social scientific methods and practices that inform modern society.
    C. Explain key ideas and theories that have shaped the Western liberal-arts tradition.
    D. Apply math, natural science, and social scientific ideas and theories to concrete situations and questions.
    E. Evaluate from a Christian worldview perspective the ideas, methods, and ideologies that have shaped the Western liberal-arts and American traditions.
     
  2. Demonstrate essential skills and abilities that mark a person as being well-educated and equip them to live out their vocations in family, church, country, and the global community.
    A. Critical thinking
    B. Creative thinking
    C. Quantitative thinking
    D. Written communication
    E. Oral communication
    F. Information literacy
    G. Intercultural awareness
     
  3. Acquire a sound knowledge of the Christian faith.
    A. Identify key individuals and theological themes in the Biblical narrative.
    B. Summarize and explain a Christian worldview and how it relates to competing worldviews.
    C. Apply Christian theology to their own lives, behaviors, and chosen fields of study.
     
  4. Demonstrate Christ-like character as exemplified by these virtues:
    A. Citizenship
    B. Courage
    C. Hope
    D. Humility
    E. Wisdom

General Education Requirements:


Historical and Theological Foundations (18 credit hours)


The Created Order (10-12 credit hours)


Mathematics: 3-5 credit hours

  • Any Mathematics course in catalog except MAT 013 *.
Natural Science: 4 credit hours

  • Any Biology BIO, Chemistry CHE, or Physics PHY course in the catalog.
Social Science: 3 credit hours

Human Creativity and Flourishing (6 credit hours)


Personal Fitness and Patriotism (5 credit hours)


Physical Education (1 credit hour)

Essential Skills (10-18 credit hours)


New Student Orientation (Character Camp): 1- 6 credit hours

Speech: 3 credit hours

Information Management: 0-3 credit hours **

Note:

* Students enrolled in ENG 013 , or MAT 013  may not drop the course. They will be allowed a maximum of two opportunities to pass these courses and demonstrate the required level of competency.

** A proficiency test may be taken to meet this General Education requirement; however, passing a proficiency test will not result in credit for any of the courses. (EXCEPTION: Nursing majors must enroll in CSC 253 , Engineering majors must enroll in ENR 1123 , and may not complete this requirement by passing the proficiency test).

Total General Education Program: 49-59 Credit Hours


BA/BS Distinctions: 6-8 credit hours


In addition to the above requirements, candidates for the B.S. degree will select one course from two of the following areas (6-8 total hours): Agriculture (AGR 103  or AGR 213  or AGH 133  only), Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science (excludes CSC 113 , CSC 123  or CSC 253 ), Engineering (excludes ENR 1123  if used to satisfy the information management requirement), Physics, Science, Mathematics (excludes MAT 013 ). Physical Education K-12 majors may count PED 293 .  

B.A. degree candidates will take two courses in one foreign language (Greek, Hebrew, Latin, or Spanish, as available): 6 hours. SPA 113 , SPA 123 , or SPA 143  may count for only one of these two courses. Students completing one of these courses should then take SPA 153 . Students beginning with SPA 153  should then take SPA 203 ; those beginning with SPA 203  should then take SPA 213 .

Minimum GPA for General Education program, including the BA/BS Distinction, must be 2.0.

Required Placement in Writing


Transfer equivalency is not guaranteed for college composition courses. Students who desire to transfer in writing courses to meet College of the Ozarks’ composition requirements (ENG 103 College Composition  and ENG 253 American Rhetoric ) must take the College’s Writing Test to determine whether they receive credit for those required composition classes or elective credit. This test is offered by appointment through The Writing Center.