General degree requirements

General Degree Requirements
Degrees offered at UWSP | Test-Out & credit by exam policies

In addition to being academically prepared to pursue a specific career, UWSP graduates acquire a foundation of knowledge from the following areas:

Verbal and Quantitative Skills
Freshman English fosters the complementary skills of critical reading, logical thinking, effective research, and coherent writing. It develops facility at all stages of the composing process and improves ability to write effectively in a variety of writing situations.
Writing Emphasis (WE) provides instruction necessary to develop skills for appropriate and successful writing within a discipline or profession.
Communication (COMM) provides enhanced understanding of human communication and the ability to deliver effective presentations.
Mathematics (MATH) provides the knowledge to quantify and understand the real world using fundamental mathematics to analyze phenomena, construct models, solve problems, state conclusions, interpret statistics, and understand scientific topics.

Critical Thinking/Natural Science
Natural Science (NS) provides a broad understanding of the pure sciences and exposure to scientific methods for evaluating evidence from the natural world and shows how science relates to individuals and/or society at large. Courses develop skills to classify information, draw conclusions, infer relationships, solve problems, and make predictions.

Critical Thinking/Cultural Awareness
Non-Western (NW) courses study peoples, countries, or regions that differ in fundamental ways from Western tradition and examine political, economic, intellectual, ethical and cultural values and structures that offer alternative approaches to these areas of human organization.
Minority Studies (MNS) courses consider the culture and history of various racial and ethnic groups such as African-American, Hispanic-American, Asian-American, and Native American and the historical or cultural relationships between them and the white majority culture in the United States.
History (HI) provides an appreciation of human behavior and heritage over time and an understanding of the nature, development and interaction of cultures, societies, and civilizations.
Humanities (HU1, HU2, HU3, HU4) courses introduce enduring expressions of the human mind and culture and teach critical thinking, interpretive skills and historical perspectives for understanding and evaluating these expressions.
Social Science (SS1, SS2) develops understanding of human behavior, the structures of society and the interrelationships among social institutions and provides a framework for thoughtful and informed participation in society.
Foreign Language (FL) introduces second languages and increases knowledge of how language functions and cultures differ, leading toward greater understanding of peoples across national borders.
Environmental Literacy (EL) investigates the ways human societies interact with and affect the natural and biophysical environment.
Wellness (WL) introduces concepts of wellness, health issues, experiences and life skills to apply to personal lifestyles that promote health.

Assessment
As part of our continuing effort to improve curriculum and the delivery of instruction, we assesses students both within their majors and in their general education. You are expected to participate in this assessment process.

General Degree Requirements
In this section you will find the general requirements (GDRs) you must meet in order to receive a baccalaureate degree from UW-Stevens Point.

Note that you meet different requirements for different degrees. In working toward a B.A. you emphasize foreign languages, the humanities, and history. In working toward a B.S. you concentrate more on mathematics and the natural sciences. And in working toward a BM or BFA. you study a range of subjects that complement the curriculum in your major field.

Meet with your academic advisor for help in choosing your major. After choosing one, check with your advisor or your department chair for specific requirements of the department and college in which you major.

In some cases, your college may allow you to apply courses which you take as part of your general degree requirements toward your major or minor. Your advisor will describe your college's policy on this. Your college may impose additional requirements.

GDR Test-Out and Credit-by-Exam Policy
You may test-out and/or receive credit-by exam for any General Education (GDR) course at UWSP, except for Writing Emphasis courses.

When you pass an approved test in a GDR course, the requirement to enroll in the course is waived. You don't earn credit when you test out, but the course applies toward fulfillment of that GDR. For example, if you test out of Communication 101, you satisfy the Communication 101 GDR without enrolling in the course. Each department that offers courses for general degree requirement credit has its own policy for test-out and/or credit-by exam. Each policy states:

English:
All entering freshmen take the freshman English entrance assessment to measure writing competence based on an essay composed at the university during orientation. If your performance on the writing assessment indicates superior writing ability, you may be exempt from English 101 and placed in English 150. Successful completion of English 150 then satisfies your freshman English requirement.

Communication:
If you want to test out of Communication 101, make an appointment with the head of the Division of Communication. You must then schedule and take a written examination on the basic concepts in public speaking. If you receive a passing grade on this exam, you must deliver an eight minute original persuasive speech extemporaneously to a three-judge panel. If you receive an average grade of B or better on your oral presentation, you may either be exempt from Communication 101 or be placed in an advanced public speaking course. If you choose the second option and complete the course with a grade of B or better, you will receive 2 credits for Communication 101 as well as the credits for the course you complete.

Foreign Language:
You may test out of part or all of the foreign language requirement by taking the UW System foreign language placement exam either at one of the regional testing centers or from the Foreign Language Department. You may also receive up to 16 credits for prerequisite courses by passing foreign language courses 102-313 with a grade of B- or better. For further information, contact the Foreign Language Department, Room 490, Collins Classroom Center, (715) 346-3036.

Mathematics:
You take this exam during regional testing. The code number you receive from the exam is listed in the table below. This tells you which courses you still need to take to satisfy the general degree requirements in mathematics.

You may take any of the following courses if your math placement is:	For the B.A.:	For the B.S. and B.M/B.F.A:
1. 90	90, 100 or 105¹	90, 100, 4 cr beyond 100²
3. 100³ or 105	100³ or 105	100, 4 cr beyond 100²
4. Any of 109, 111, 118⁴, 119⁴, 228, 355	Complete	4 cr beyond 100²
7. Any of 109, 111, 118⁴, 228, 355	Complete	Complete
8. Any of 109, 111, 119⁴, 228, 355	Complete	Complete
9. Any of 109, 111, 119⁵, 228, 355	Complete	Complete

99. Your mathematics placement has not been determined. Do NOT register for any mathematics course before taking an additional placement exam. Get details from the Mathematics and Computing office.
NOTES: You may not earn credit in both 100 and 105. You may not earn credit in both Math 112 and 119. Courses which will satisfy the "4 credits beyond 100" are Math 109, 111, 118, 355, and Math/Math Ed 338. Math 100 is a prerequisite for Math 109, 111, 112, 118, 119, 209, 228, and 355. Other courses in math have prerequisites at least 4 credits beyond 100, so students taking them will have already satisfied the GDR in math. Math 118 (Precalculus Algebra) and Math 119 (Precalculus Trigonometry) are prerequisites for Math 120 (Analytic Geometry and Calculus I). If you receive placement code 8, you only need to complete Math 119 before taking Math 120. If you receive placement code 7, you only need to complete Math 118 before taking Math 120. If your math placement code is 4 or lower, you must complete both Math 118 and 119 before taking Math 120. In some cases, advisors may allow you to take 119 and 120 concurrently.