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General Education Requirements

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NOTE: Corrections to the Paper Version

 

General Education Requirements
Written English Competency Requirements
Oral English Competency Requirement
Oral English Competency Examination
Screening for Speech and Hearing Disorders
Written and Oral English Competencies for Honors Students 
Written and Oral English Competencies for Students from Other Nations
Mathematics Competency Examination
General Requirements for all Competencies
Additional General Education for Teacher Certification

Competency Requirements
CMU expects its graduates to be competent in written English, oral English, and mathematics. Prior to graduation, all students must demonstrate their competency as detailed in this section.

Written English Competency Requirement 
To satisfy the Written English Competency Requirement, students must complete three separate but related tasks:

I. Freshman Composition 
Students should satisfy the requirement for freshman composition during their freshman year. Students can satisfy the requirement in one of three ways: 

1. Earning a grade of C (2.0) or better in ENG 101, Freshman Composition, (Students should be aware that ENG 101 has a prerequisite of ENG 100 or a satisfactory Freshman Writing Placement Score.) OR 
    
2. Successfully completing one of the following: CLEP English Composition General Examination with Essay, the AP English Language and Composition Examination, the AP English Composition and Literature Examination, or the International Baccalaureate English Language Examination (higher or subsidiary level), OR 
    
3. Earning a grade of C (2.0) or better in ENG 103, Freshman Writing (ENG 103 has ENG 099, Writing Workshop, as corequisite).

Students wishing to fulfill this requirement by passing the CLEP English Composition General Examination with Essay must take the exam by the end of their first semester at CMU. The best place to obtain exam information is from the Computer-based and Placement Testing Center, located in the lower level of Robinson Food Commons, 774-1092. 

Students wishing to fulfill the requirement by taking ENG 101 or ENG 103 must enroll in that course in either their first or second semester at CMU and continue to enroll in subsequent semesters until the requirement is satisfied. 

II. Writing Across the University Program 
After completing the basic freshman composition requirement, students should continue to enroll in courses in the University Program. Each of the courses in the University Program requires a significant amount of meaningful writing. Completion of the University Program constitutes demonstration that the writing skills developed in ENG 101 (or its equivalent) have been sustained and developed by writing assignments in courses across the program. 

III. Advanced Composition Requirement 
Students must complete a course in advanced composition. This should normally be done during the sophomore or junior year. This requirement is met by earning a grade of C or better in one of the ENG 201 advanced composition courses. Selection of the appropriate course should be made in consultation with the student’s advisor.
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Oral English Competency Requirement 
There are two ways by which a student may satisfy the Oral English Competency Requirement:

1. Earning a grade of C (2.0) or better in one of the following courses:
   SDA 101 Introduction to Speech Communication
   SDA 302 Voice and Diction
   IPC 267 Introduction to Debate
   IPC 269 Practicum in Debate - Forensics
   IPC 357 Public Speaking
   TAI 170 Fundamentals of Interpretative Reading
   
   Students who wish to use this option will be screened for possible speech or hearing disorders as part of the course.
    
2. Successfully completing the Oral English Competency Examination. Students who wish to take this option must first obtain a screening for possible speech and hearing disorders. Students seeking to satisfy the Oral English Competency Requirement by successfully completing the Oral English Competency Examination must pass the exam by the time they have completed 54 hours of academic credit. Students who transfer more than 54 credit hours to CMU may take the competency examination only during their first semester at CMU.
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Oral English Competency Examination 
The Oral English Competency Examination includes the development and delivery of a ten to fifteen minute public speech accompanied by a properly typewritten, detailed outline. The student will deliver the speech to a hypothetical audience and will be evaluated by a judge.

Exam results are reported in writing to the student. Students who receive notice of unsatisfactory examination results will be allowed to retest. A student may retest only once. Students who fail twice must enroll in one of the Oral English Competency courses.

The Oral English Competency Examination is administered twice a year (prior to the beginning of the fall and spring semesters) by the Office of Academic Affairs, 312 Warriner Hall, 774-3631.
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Screening for Speech and Hearing Disorders 
The screening for speech and hearing disorders for option two above incurs a cost of $10.00.  The screening takes place at the CMU Speech and Hearing Clinic, 420 Moore Hall, 774-3905. The following classes incorporate screening as part of their requirements: SDA 101, SDA 302, TAI 170, IPC 357, IPC 267, ENG 199, HON 101, and HON 110. Teacher education students transferring speech classes to CMU should take the test during the second or third week of the fall or spring semester during regularly scheduled group times, which can be obtained in Moore 420 or by calling 774-3904. Other testing may be arranged by calling the CMU Speech and Hearing Clinic, 774-3904. Testing is not available between semesters, during registration week, during the last week of the semester, or during exam week.
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Written and Oral English Competencies for Honors Students 
Honors students earning a grade of C (2.00) or better in HON 101, Written and Oral Competency for Honors Students, or in HON 110, Speaking and Writing with Critical Awareness, fulfill the Oral English Competency and the Freshman Composition portion of the Written English Competency requirements. A high school/university cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher is a prerequisite for HON 101. HON 110 is intended primarily for Centralis Scholars. Honors students must still fulfill parts II and III of the Written English Competency and the Mathematics Competency requirements as specified in those sections.
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Written and Oral English Competencies for Students from Other Nations
Those students from other nations who are required to take ENG/SDA 198 and ENG/SDA 199, American Language for International Students, will fulfill the Basic Freshman Composition portion of the Written English Competency Requirement and the Oral English Competency Requirement by earning a C (2.00) or better in the course. Students must still fulfill parts II and III of the Written English Competency and the Mathematics Competency requirements as specified in those sections.

Mathematics Competency Requirement
There are three ways by which a student may satisfy the Mathematics Competency Requirement:

1. Completing with Credit MTH 055, Elementary Algebra (CR/NC only), OR
    
2. Earning a grade of C (2.00) or better in any mathematics (MTH) or statistics (STA) course numbered 105 or above (excluding MTH 151, MTH 152, or MTH 200), OR
    
3. Successfully completing the Mathematics Competency Examination, the International Baccalaureate Mathematics Examination (higher or subsidiary level), or any CLEP or AP examination approved for credit in a mathematics (MTH) or statistics (STA) course numbered higher than MTH 105 (except MTH 151, MTH 152, or MTH 200).

Students who have not satisfied the requirement by the time they have earned at least 54 hours of academic credit should enroll in an appropriate mathematics class for the next semester.
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Mathematics Competency Examination
Students seeking to satisfy the Mathematics Competency Requirement by successfully completing the Mathematics Competency Examination must pass the exam by the time they have completed 36 hours of academic credit at CMU. Students who transfer more than 36 credit hours to CMU may take the competency examination only during their first semester at CMU.

The Mathematics Competency Examination consists of 60 questions from which an overall score and five subscores are computed. The Mathematics Competency Requirement is satisfied by an overall score of at least 80% on the test together with established minimum scores on each of the five subsections of the test: (1) arithmetic operations, exponents and number theory; (2) polynomials; (3) algebraic notations, equations, inequalities and applications; (4) percent, ratio and proportion, measurement; (5) functions, lines and graphs.

The examination is administered four times each semester. Examination results are reported in writing to the student with the following information: the overall score together with individual subscores, a statement of performance objectives which the student has not satisfied, instruction for retesting, if applicable, and a list of remedial options such as recommended textbooks and/or coursework at CMU, if applicable.

Students who receive notice of unsatisfactory examination results will be allowed to retest on any of the scheduled dates, subject to the requirement that a student may retest no more than two times. A student who receives an overall score of less than 80% will retake the entire exam. A student who receives an overall score of 80% or higher, but scores below the minimum level required on one or more subsections, needs only to retest on those areas with subscores below the minimum.

The Mathematics Competency Examination is administered by the Computer-based and Placement Testing Center, located in the lower level of Robinson Food Commons, 774-1092.
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General Requirements for all Competencies

1. A student must demonstrate competency in each of the competency areas described in the Bulletin under which the student graduates.
    
2. A student attempting to satisfy a specific competency requirement in a given academic year will use the method(s) and requirement(s) in effect that year. The method(s) and requirement(s) may change from year to year.
    
3. A competency requirement in a specific area, once satisfied, remains valid until the student graduates.
    
4. If the chairperson of the department most directly concerned with a competency judges that a student has satisfied a competency requirement by means other than those approved by the Academic Senate, that chairperson will certify in writing to the registrar that the student has satisfied the requirement. These departments are:
   
   Written English Competency - Department of English Language and Literature
   
   Oral English Competency - Department of Speech Communication and Dramatic Arts
   
   Mathematics Competency - Department of Mathematics
    
5. Students with disabilities who, by virtue of these disabilities, might be prevented from taking competency examinations or otherwise meeting competency requirements may have such requirements waived by the Director of Student Disability Services or by the appropriate department chairperson as listed above, including for Oral English, the chair of the Department of Communication Disorders.
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Additional General Education for Teacher Certification
The State Board of Education requires a minimum of 40 semester hours of General Education for teacher certification. Each teaching degree specifies the way in which this requirement is to be met.
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