General Education
Overview
General Education courses at Ensign College focus on empowering learners personally, spiritually, civically, professionally, and into the eternities. Learning experiences and environments are designed around principles from Doctrine & Covenants 88. Students are asked to seek wisdom and embrace truth “that they may be prepared in all things” (Doctrine & Covenants 88:80).
General Education courses support the College’s mission, to develop capable and trusted disciples of Jesus Christ. Learning happens not only in classrooms, but in the mind, heart, hands, and whole soul of learners as they seek the presence, guidance, and influence of the Holy Ghost. Learning by study and faith is the bedrock for learning and teaching endeavors. Seeking truth, light, knowledge, and understanding is a common pattern in these courses, along with principles and themes from Doctrine & Covenants 88.
Using the Ensign College Learning Signature, the GE courses offer real and relevant immersive learning experiences and environments, helping students to achieve Deep Learning—to know, do, and become. Students are tasked with responsibility for their learning, just as Nephi on the shores of Bountiful when he was asked to build a ship. Common patterns of learning include seeking, discovering, inquiry-based thinking, and problem-solving while critically reflecting throughout the learning process.
Learners act as agents of their learning in ambiguous situations, thus becoming more agile as they demonstrate mastery of program and course outcomes through practice, demonstration, and purposeful application. The College-Wide Capabilities are integrated and interwoven throughout the GE experience with immediate application of lifelong skills.
General Education courses are designed to offer transformational learning experiences as students are magnified in mind and heart, discovering their purpose and personal mission of becoming disciples of Jesus Christ.
General Education Outcomes
Upon completion of the General Education courses, the student will be able to:
- Integrate knowledge and skills across disciplines in alignment with the Ensign College-Wide Capabilities.
- Analyze identity and perspective to evaluate a student’s place with empathy within an intercultural whole.
- Recognize the interconnectedness of the physical world and define our stewardship of it. Examine and apply perspectives of health and well-being in living and physical systems.
- Demonstrate an awareness of genres and audiences by creating written and verbal rhetoric designed for diverse purposes. Analyze and evaluate a variety of texts as part of conducting relevant research while properly documenting sources.
- Identify relevant information and apply appropriate strategies and methods to solve real-world problems. Justify conclusions based on quantitative information and/or other pertinent data.
General education courses are part of the requirements for the Associate of Science degree. This degree is designed for students who want to transfer to four-year institutions and continue their education. To maximize transferability, students should complete all the general education requirements for the AS degree and graduate from Ensign College. Students desiring to transfer should meet with an Ensign College Student Success Advisor to learn more about transferability of courses and degrees.
Ensign College works to establish articulation agreements with other colleges and universities for students in their continued pursuits of lifelong learning and academics. Students interested in transferring credits to another college or university should review that institution’s transfer guidelines and policies. Students are encouraged to contact the four-year institutions to which they plan to transfer and check degree requirements and departmental prerequisites. Ensign College makes no guarantee of credit transfer and cannot negotiate or change the graduation requirements of another higher education institution.
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Composition Courses
Complete two courses (6 credit hours)
ENG 101 | Introduction to College Writing | 3 credits |
ENG 201 | Intermediate College Writing | 3 credits |
ENG 301 | Technical Writing | 3 credits |
BUS 340 | Professional Business Communications | 3 credits |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
Quantitative Literacy
Complete one course (3-4 credit hours)
MAT 107 | Quantitative Analysis and Personal Finance | 3 credits |
MAT 110 | College Algebra | 4 credits |
MAT 111 | Trigonometry | 3 credits |
MAT 112 | Calculus I | 4 credits |
MAT 113 | Calculus II | 4 credits |
MAT 119 | Business Calculus | 3 credits |
MAT 237 | Discrete Mathematics | 3 credits |
MAT 252 | Statistics | 3 credits |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3-4 |
Distribution Areas
American Institutions
Students must complete one of the following courses:
HIST 170 | American Civilizations | 3 credits |
HIST 175 | History of Technology in the United States | 3 credits |
POLS 110 | American Government | 3 credits |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Fine Arts
Students must complete one of the following courses:
ART 101 | History of the Fine Arts | 3 credits |
ART 110 | Survey of Visual & Performing Arts | 3 credits |
ART 112 | Survey of Musical Elements, Cultures, and Performance | 3 credits |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Humanities
Students must complete one of the following courses
COMM 122 | Interpersonal Communications | 3 credits |
HUM 110 | Discovering the Humanities | 3 credits |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Life Sciences
Students must complete one of the following courses:
LS 103 | Nutrition and Health | 3 credits |
LS 265 | Anatomy & Physiology | 4 credits |
LS 303 | Knowledge of the Physical and Natural World | 3 credits |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3-4 |
LS 265 is for Medical Assisting student only
Physical Sciences
Students must complete one of the following courses:
PS 120 | Earth Science | 3 credits |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Social Sciences
Students must complete one of the following courses:
BUS 301 | Principles of Management | 3 credits |
ECON 161 | Microeconomics | 3 credits |
ECON 162 | Economic Principles and Problems-Macro, Online | 3 credits |
PSYCH 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 credits |
SS 130 | Geopolitics | 3 credits |
SS 160 | Leadership & Human Behavior | 3 credits |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
General Education Student Choice
Students must complete one additional course from one of the following areas: (3-4 credits)
- American Institutions Distribution courses (3 credit hours)
- Fine Arts Distribution courses (3 credit hours)
- Humanities Distribution courses (3 credit hours)
- Life Sciences Distribution courses (3 credit hours)
- Physical Sciences Distribution courses (3 credit hours)
- Social Sciences Distribution courses (3 credit hours)
- Math courses: Math 110 or higher (3-4 credit hours)
Total Credit Hours: 30-33
In many cases, courses taken to fulfill General Education Requirements may also fulfill specific Program Requirements. Please make note of your declared program’s catalog page and work with your Student Success Advisor for more information.