Case Western Reserve University adopted a common set of general education requirements for all undergraduate degree programs effective for students who matriculate at the university during the 2023-2024 academic year or later. Students who entered the university in Spring 2023 or earlier will continue to follow the degree requirements in place at the time of matriculation and published in the General Bulletin of that academic year, but they may choose to update their requirements to those included in a later General Bulletin. See General Bulletin Archives.
Unified General Education Requirements (UGER)
The Unified General Education Requirements (UGER) are designed to help students develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary to understand and address the world’s challenges with intellectual rigor, creativity, humility, and integrity. They prepare graduates not only for their future careers, but also for their futures as whole people and as engaged citizens of local, national, and global communities. They also provide flexibility for students to explore multiple areas of interest from the moment they arrive on campus.
To satisfy UGER requirements, students must complete:
- A 3 credit hour Academic Inquiry Seminar as part of the required Written, Oral, and Multimodal Communication course sequence
- At least 18 credit hours of coursework to satisfy Breadth Requirements in areas outside of that covered by their major field of study.
In addition, among the courses selected to meet major or minor requirements, breadth requirements, or as electives, students must satisfy a set of Skills and Perspectives requirements:
Skills
Perspectives
- Moral and Ethical Reasoning
- Understanding Global Perspectives
- Human Diversity and Commonality
- Local and Global Engagement
Note that a single course may be used to satisfy all of the requirements for which it has been approved. Also, the lists of courses approved for various requirements are complete as of the time of publication of this General Bulletin, but additional courses may be approved during the academic year and reflected in Class Search at the time of course registration for each semester.
While completing UGER and other requirements, all students must maintain and submit an Experience Portfolio that documents their progress in the Written, Oral, and Multimodal Communication sequence and provides reflections on and self-assessment of their progress as a student.
Explore Program
All undergraduate students are required to complete the Explore Program during their first year of enrollment at Case Western Reserve University. The Explore Program introduces students to academic disciplines and appropriate campus and local resources and opportunities that will support their academic success, contribute to their learning within and beyond the classroom, and help them develop productive relationships with peers, faculty, and staff.
Students arrive on campus with ideas and plans about their educational paths through the university that range from being narrowly focused only on a particular academic discipline to being wide-open to all options. For every student, spending time in their first year exploring the full scope of programs and services available at CWRU will help solidify their plans and benefit their long-term success.