Students who began an undergraduate degree program at UVM in FALL 2023 OR LATER should refer to the Catamount Core Curriculum.
Meeting the Pre-Fall 2023 General Education Requirements
All undergraduates who enrolled/matriculated at UVM prior to Fall 2023 must meet the Pre-Fall 2023 General Education requirements for the University of Vermont. To meet these requirements, students must complete courses across four main areas:
- Foundational Writing and Information Literacy
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Diversity
- Sustainability.
Students fulfill the General Education requirement by completing approved UVM courses, or through transfer courses that have been reviewed and approved by the Faculty Senate’s Catamount Core Curriculum Committee.
Approved General Education Courses
Foundational Writing and Information Literacy
1 course with FWIL designation, preferably in their first year at UVM.
Foundational Writing and Information Literacy courses provide undergraduates instruction and practice in reading, writing, and researching wide ranging texts for different situations, inside and outside of the academy.
Quantitative Reasoning
1 course with QR designation.
Quantitative Reasoning courses provide undergraduates with instruction and practice in numeracy, symbolic problem-solving, and ways of understanding data visualizations critical for engaging in society.
Diversity
Diversity courses provide undergraduates with the awareness, knowledge, and skills necessary to function productively in a complex global society.
All UVM undergraduate students must successfully complete the following two requirements prior to graduation:
- One 3-credit course from Diversity Category One (D1) (Race and Racism in the U.S.), to be taken as early as possible after matriculation to UVM - preferably no later than the sophomore year); and
- A second 3-credit course from either Diversity Category One (D1) or Diversity Category Two (D2) (the Diversity of Human Experience).
D1-Race and Racism in the US (3-6 credits)
D1 courses have as a primary focus race and racism in the United States. D1 courses promote an understanding of:
- Race and racism in the U.S.
- The meaning and significance of power and privilege
Courses that carry the D1 designation
D2-Diversity of Human Experience (0-3 credits)
D2 courses focus on expanding students’ cultural awareness. A D2 course is intended to:
- Promote an awareness of and appreciation for the diversity of human experience in all its forms including, but not limited to race, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, language, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, and disability; and/or
- Foster an understanding of global and international issues including the flow of people, cultures, diseases, and capital or other resources within or across political and geographical boundaries
Sustainability
1 course with SU designation.
Sustainability (SU) courses provide undergraduates with knowledge of the social, ecological, and economic dimensions of sustainability and the skills and values to address complex societal problems.
Transfer of Course Credit from Another Institution
If a course that a student took at another institution transfers in as a 1:1 equivalent of a UVM course that carries any Catamount Core designations (e.g., ENGL 1017), the student will earn those designations.
If a course that a student took at another institution transfers in as a 1:1 equivalent of a UVM course that does not carry a Catamount Core designation, the student cannot earn any Catamount Core designations for that course.
If a course transfers in as a generic UVM course (e.g., HST 1XXX) and a student thinks that the course should count for a Catamount Core designation, the student can submit a Transfer Request Form, along with a copy of the course syllabus, to Transfer Affairs/Catamount Core Curriculum Committee to request a review.
Transfer Credit Review Request Form