General Education Requirements (A.S., B.A.S., and B.S. Degrees)

Educational Objectives

The associate and baccalaureate degree programs offered by Montana Tech focus on technical and career-oriented education. Nevertheless, each student’s education should include certain common qualities. The general education core curriculum at Montana Tech familiarizes students with the diverse knowledge embraced by the Humanities/Fine Arts, Mathematics, Physical & Life Sciences, and Social Sciences. In addition to these general areas of knowledge, a Communications requirement ensures that students acquire effective written and oral communication skills.

Expected Outcomes of the General Education Objective

1. Students will be able to use writing as a means to engage in critical inquiry by exploring ideas, challenging assumptions, and reflecting on and applying the writing process.
2. Students will be able to speak with clarity, accuracy, and fluency in public contexts.
3. Students will be able to reason analytically and quantitatively at an algebraic level.
4. Students will be able to use an understanding of the physical and natural world to identify and solve problems.
5. Students will demonstrate an understanding of ethics, cultural endeavors, and legacies of world civilizations.
6. Students will be able to describe the biological, social, political, and economic forces that influence human behaviors and attitudes.
7. Students will be able to demonstrate the processes and proficiencies involved with creating and/or interpreting creative works.
8. Students will be able to demonstrate proficient critical thinking skills.

Assessment

As part of a comprehensive assessment of the General Education program, each student seeking a baccalaureate degree will be required to complete an assessment exam prior to the start of the semester following the term they complete 75 credit hours. The nationally normed exam will be administered on a schedule determined by the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs. At the appropriate time, students will be notified regarding date, time, and location of thesis requiring examination.

Montana Tech General Education Requirements (GER)

In addition to the 6 credits of communications courses required for the General Education Program, all baccalaureate degree-seeking students must also successfully complete one designated writing course at the 3000 or 4000 level. The 4000 level course should be a capstone course in the student’s major.

The writing component of a course generally takes one of two forms: 1. The course requires at least three (3), three to five (3 - 5) page papers, and students must write a substantial revision of at least one of these papers; OR 2. The course requires one major paper of 15 to 20 pages, and students must produce an early draft of this paper for feedback from the instructor, then make subsequent revisions.

The 30-31-credit general education core is required of all students seeking an Associate of Science or Baccalaureate Degree. Students planning to transfer from Montana Tech to another institution should consult with that institution before enrolling in GER courses above the 2000 level (Exception ASRN).

Transfer of Core Curriculum within the MT University System

A student should request that “core completion” be noted on his or her transcript prior to the student’s transfer to another institution. If completed, core completion will be noted on the student’s Montana Tech transcript.

Board of Regents General Education Transfer (Policy 301.10)

1. The Montana University System (MUS) is committed to facilitating the ease of undergraduate student transfer to its campuses, particularly in the area of general education. Therefore, all campuses of the MUS will recognize the integrity of general education programs and courses offered by units of the  MUS, Montana’s three publicly supported community colleges, the seven tribal colleges and regionally accredited independent colleges in the State of Montana. All campuses in the MUS shall also recognize the integrity and transferability of the MUS transferable core.
2. To ensure adequate student preparation for transfer, campuses will exclude any courses from their general education program that are remedial or developmental in nature. Examples would include introductory or intermediate algebra, reading improvement, vocabulary building, and so on.
3. The Montana Board of Regents has adopted four (4) important procedures to implement the intent of this policy. Those procedures are set out below, in sections II. A., B., C., and D.

II. Procedures

1. Campus general education programs.
   An undergraduate student who has completed the lower division course work in an approved general education program at one of the institutions noted above, and who transfers to another of those institutions, cannot be required to take additional general education coursework at the lower division level.
   The student may be required to take additional coursework at the upper division level that is part of an approved general education program at the new campus.
   The approved general education program at each of the campuses can be found at this link: http://mus.edu/transfer/genedbycampus.asp.
2. The MUS transferable core.
   An undergraduate student who has completed courses identified as part of  the (MUS) transferable core, hereafter referred to as the MUS core, will be governed by the following rules:
   1. If the student has completed the entire 30-credit MUS core, following the operating rules approved by the Montana board of regents, and transfers to another unit in the MUS that student cannot be required to take additional general education courses at the lower division level.
   2. If the student has completed fewer than 20 MUS core credits, that student will be required to complete the approved general education program at the campus to which he or she transfers. All general education transfer credits that are part of the MUS core will be reviewed for possible application in the approved general education program at the campus.
   3. If that student has completed 20 or more MUS core credits, that student may choose to complete either the MUS core of the approved general education program at the campus to which he or she transfers. The student should make the decision in consultation with a faculty advisor.
   4. The student may be required to take additional coursework at the upper division level that is part of an approved general education program at the new campus.
3. Other “General Education” Course work.
   An undergraduate student, in the following situations, will have his or her classes analyzed on a course-by-course basis to determine how those classes might satisfy the general education program requirements of the student’s new campus:
   1. A student who completes postsecondary course work outside of the Montana University System;
   2.  A student who completes postsecondary course work in the Montana University System that does not fall within the MUS Core described in paragraph II.B of this policy.

The guarantees set out in sections II A. and B of this policy do not apply to students in these situations. The institutions that make up the Montana University System are encouraged to assist those students as much as possible, however, so the intent of this policy applies to as many students and as many courses as possible.

4. Associate of Arts and Associate of Science Degrees.
   A student who has completed an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science degree with an approved general education component package at another unit of the Montana University System, as defined under Board Policy 301.12, and transfers to another unit, cannot be required to take additional general education coursework at the lower division level.

The student may be required to take additional course work at the upper division level that is part of an approved general education program at the new campus.

NOTE: Students should be aware that Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degrees ordinarily do not have a designated field of study in their title. If they do, they may not satisfy the requirements of this policy. See Board Policy 301.12., paragraph I.B.2.

5. Before the new institution will accept the courses, a student will have to earn a grade of “C-” or better in each of the classes described in the preceding sections.
6. The Montana University System will establish a General Education Council to oversee the provisions of this policy. The Council will have 12 members. A minimum of four (4) members will be selected from nominations submitted by the faculty governance councils on the campuses. Its responsibilities shall include:
   1. Periodically review and recommend possible revision of the Montana University System Core to the Board of Regents;
   2. Approve by January of each year a list of general education courses, from each of the institutions described in the first paragraph of this policy, that satisfy the Montana University System Core criteria on that campus;
   3. Periodically assess and recommend revision of this policy;
   4. Perform other responsibilities, as assigned by the Montana Board of Regents or the Commissioner of Higher Education.
7. Each campus of the Montana University System and the publicly supported community colleges will provide the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education its approved general education program and update that information whenever changes are made. The Commissioner of Higher Education will make this information available to all campuses of the Montana University System.
8. The tribal colleges and regionally accredited independent colleges in the State of Montana may elect to participate in this reciprocal recognition of general education integrity on the same terms as the campuses of the Montana University System. Those electing to do so will provide the appropriate information to the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.

General Education Requirements (Certificate and Associate of Applied Science Degrees)

Programs of study for which Certificates or Associate of Applied Science degrees are granted include a course in 1) communication, 2) computation, and 3) human relations. Related courses are identified as those numbered below 100 and are not considered as a general education transfer course.The required general education/related instruction varies for each program with a minimum of 12 credits required for the Associate of Applied Science Degree.

Lab Safety Training & Exam Requirement

All students enrolling in a laboratory course must complete the on-line lab safety course PRIOR to participating in a lab. Students are automatically enrolled in the appropriate on-line lab safety training when registering for the lab. After you pre-register for classes, you may retrieve your username and password by clicking the MYMTECH link on the main Montana Tech web page (www.mtech.edu). You can then sign into the course by logging in to MYMTECH, click the course link, click Lab Safety Tool Button, and then follow the posted directions. You must pass the lab safety exam before you can participate in the laboratory.

Approved Courses

Approved Courses Meeting Montana Tech’s Undergraduate General Education Requirements