General Education Requirements

Campus General Education Requirements

The College of Engineering requires all students to complete 18 hours of approved courses General Education Courses.

6 hours of Humanities and the Arts
6 hours of Social and Behavioral Sciences
One course from the approved list of Cultural Studies: Non-Western/U.S. Minority Culture(s)
One course from the approved list of Cultural Studies: U.S. Minority Culture(s)
One course from the approved list of Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Culture(s)

 

Note that courses can be chosen to satisfy two requirements. For example, if a student completes HIST 172 US Hist Since 1877 the following two requirements are satisfied: (i) campus-wide General Education Humanities and Arts, (ii) Campus U.S. Minority Cultural Requirement.  If a course fulfills two requirements another course must be taken under either Humanities and the Arts or Social and Behavioral Science to reach the 18 hours.

The Foreign Language Requirement must be completed for graduation. This requirement may be satisfied by:

  • Successfully completing a third semester of college foreign language;
  • Successful completion, in high school, of the third year of the same foreign language; or
  • Demonstrating proficiency at the third semester level in a language proficiency examination approved by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the appropriate department.

A student who enters UIUC without three years of the same foreign language in high school must take a foreign language placement test to determine the courses in which they should enroll.

  • Religious foundation courses: Maximum of 4 semester hours
  • Military courses: Maximum of six hours of advanced military science courses; transfer courses are subject to individual review
  • Kinesiology: Maximum of 3 hours of skill courses; no limit on professional kinesiology courses
  • Remedial courses: Credit cannot be used toward the Engineering degree for any math course below MATH 220 (MATH 012, 014, 016, 017, Stat 100, etc.) or CHEM 101, PHYS 101, PHYS 102, ASTR 100 or basic military science.
  • Duplicate courses: No credit will be used toward graduation requirements that duplicates credit earned in previous college course work. If courses appear to be similar, the student is responsible for investigating duplication. If duplication is suspected, the student should consult the Undergraduate Programs Office in 206 Engineering Hall
  • Foreign Language: College credit may be used if a language placement examination has been taken and the college hours used do not duplicate more than the last two years of high school coursework. Credit earned in the student's native language is not allowed.
  • Overage hours: overage hours may be used if they go beyond the required course credits. For example, when MATH 220 is taken instead of MATH 221, the extra hour may be used as free elective credit.
  • The only courses an AE undergraduate is allowed to take Credit/No-Credit are the unspecified Technical Electives, Free Electives, and some Humanities/Social Science Electives (see below).
    Note: A course taken to satisfy the Campus General Education Requirements must be taken for a letter grade.
  • Courses taken as an Engineering Minor or a Campus Minor cannot be taken Credit/No Credit.
  • 6 hours of Social Science Electives and 6 hours of Humanities Electives must be taken for a letter grade. The remaining 6 hours may be taken Credit/No-Credit (but not courses satisfying General Education Requirements).
  • The Credit/No-Credit form is available in 206 Engineering Hall and must be signed by the advisor.
  • To be eligible for Dean's List, a student must be registered for at least 14 hours credit, of which at least 12 must be taken for letter grade.
  • Only an undergraduate student on clear status (not on probation) may elect the Credit/No-Credit grading option.
  • A grade of C-minus or better must be earned to receive credit, which appears as a CR grade on the transcript. No credit appears as an NC grade.
  • The last day to elect the Credit/No-Credit option or to return a course to a letter grade option is the same as the last day to drop a course, which occurs at mid-semester.
  • A full-time student may take a maximum of two courses per semester Credit/No-Credit. A part-time student may take only one course per semester Credit/No-Credit. During the summer session a student may take only one course Credit/No-Credit.
  • Free Electives may be taken Credit/No-Credit.
  • Foreign language courses taken to meet the language requirement must be taken for a letter grade.

Undergraduate Contacts

Timothy Bretl

Timothy Bretl
Undergraduate Programs
(217) 244-3126
tbretl@illinois.edu

Laura Ann Gerhold

Laura Ann Gerhold
Academic Advisor & Coordinator of Undergraduate Program
(217) 244-8671
gerhold@illinois.edu

Audrey Cochran

Audrey Cochran
Academic Advisor
217-333-4629
hasken2@illinois.edu

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