FAQs

Students will take Fundamental Studies Academic Writing and Math during their first thirty credits. Many other General Education courses will be completed throughout your academic career. For guidance, please see Finding University of Maryland 4-Year Plans for Academic Majors. Your advisor will be able to assist you with selecting courses.

New freshmen for fall 2012 and after that will follow the new General Education program. Transfer students should check see The New General Education Program: Effective Dates for Transfer Students to determine which program they will follow.

Most students will have one or two General Education courses that will also count as major requirements. These may be double counted.

Please see the Transfer Credit Services to determine if courses you have previously completed at another institution will fulfill General Education courses. If you are currently enrolled at the University and wish to take a course at another institution, you must first have that approved by an advisor in your college.

Many study abroad courses will fulfill General Education requirements. The Education Abroad program can assist you in determining how courses taken abroad can earn credit at the University of Maryland.

Students may fulfill the Oral Communication requirements with COMM 107 or 200, INAG 110, THET 285 or JOUR 130. Some majors have Oral Communication courses just for their own students. To see if your major requires a specific Oral Communications course, please see Finding University of Maryland 4-Year Plans for Academic Majors for more information.

Students matriculating* to the University of Maryland (including freshmen and students transferring from private institutions and from non-Maryland public institutions) beginning in Fall 2012 are subject to the University's General Education program requirements, except as provided below:

1. The University of Maryland, College Park, requires students to complete a minimum of 40 credits of general education. Students transferring to the University who have completed their general education requirements at another Maryland public institution of higher education will be considered to have completed their general education requirements with the exception of an upper-level writing course and any additional credits necessary to complete the minimum number of general education credits.

2. Students transferring to the University from another Maryland public institution of higher education who have not completed their general education requirements at another Maryland public institution of higher education will be treated as follows:

• a. Students who matriculate to college beginning in Fall 2012 and thereafter will be subject to the General Education program requirements upon transfer to the University of Maryland.
• b. Students who matriculate to college prior to Fall 2012 but transfer to the University of Maryland prior to Fall 2016 will be subject to the CORE general education requirements.
• c. Students who transfer to the University of Maryland beginning in Fall 2016 and thereafter will be subject to the General Education program requirements, regardless of the date of their matriculation at another Maryland public institution of higher education following award of the high school diploma.

3. Students returning or transferring to College Park after a separation from college of five or more continuous years must follow the requirements in effect at the time of re-entry.

Students who matriculate to the University with a bachelor's degree from any regionally accredited college or university will be considered to have satisfied the University's general education requirements, regardless of when the degree was received.

*For purposes of this transfer policy, matriculation means to be admitted to college and enrolled in classes following award of the high school diploma.

No, students will not be able chose which general education program to follow. The guidelines for transfer students are at Effective Dates for transfer Students.

In order for a course to count for General Education credit the instructor would need to submit it for review and approval by the appropriate faculty board. You may see the process for General Education course proposals on our website in the faculty section.