Guide to General Education Distributive Requirements

To provide a broad education which includes knowledge, skills and understanding, the College requires that candidates for all degrees successfully complete the following:
I First Year Seminar 2 credits
Minimum of 2 credits for all students entering Alma College as freshmen. Course may be taken in the first or second term.
II Writing Proficiency 16 credits
ENG 101 (or equivalent) with a grade of "C" or better, plus 12 additional credits of Quill writing courses. One of these courses must be in the major.
III Second Language/International Awareness 8 credits
One 4-credit course in a second language plus one of the following: an additional 4-credit course in the same or another second language, a term of study in a foreign country, or a 4-credit course with non-U.S. or comparative international content or perspective. In this catalog, Second Language/International Awareness courses are marked with a Globe.
IV Distributive Requirements 36 credits
At least 12 credits in each of the following three divisions with no more than 4 of these credits from any one program. Practicum and independent study credits cannot be counted toward this requirement.
  Arts and Humanities (AH) 12 credits
  12 credits chosen from:
All courses in ART, COM, MUS, PHL, REL, THD
All ENG courses at the 110 level or higher
All language courses at the 112 level or higher
  Social Sciences (SO) 12 credits
  12 credits chosen from:
All courses in ECN, HST, POL, SOA
  Natural Sciences (NS) 12 credits
  At least 4 credits in each of the following three areas; must include at least two laboratory courses from different programs.
    NS-1 Life Sciences 4 credits
  4 credits chosen from:
All courses in BCM, BIO, PSY
ENV 105
EHS 212, 214, 215, 220, 224, 225, 226, 327, 328, 331, 340, 344, 401, 428, 430
    NS-2 Physical Sciences 4 credits
  4 credits chosen from:
All courses in AST, CHM, GEO, PHY
ENV 110, PSC 101
    NS-3 Mathematics/Computation 4 credits
  4 credits chosen from:
CSC 120 or higher, MTH 110 or higher, PHL 303, PSY 220