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General Education Component (GEC)

Departments listed below in the approved humanities and social sciences sections are applicable toward your engineering degree.  Courses that are primarily mathematical or scientific in nature, and those designed to develop artistic or music skills are not acceptable as social science/humanities electives even though they are offered through approved departments.  Exceptions are noted in the charts below.

The Engineering General Education Component (GEC) will be completed throughout your freshman to senior year and will require 15 semester hours (SH).

  • 3 SH of a Lower Level Humanities
  • 3 SH of a Lower Level Social Science
  • 3 SH of an Upper Level from the same department as one of your Lower Level Humanities/Social Science
  • 3 SH of any Upper Level Humanities/Social Science
  • 3 SH or any either Upper or Lower Level Humanities/Social Science

Total = 15 SH to complete the General Education Component

How do I know if it is an upper level course or a lower level course?

  • Courses numbered below xxx:100 are lower level courses. Ex (019:098=lower)
  • Courses numbered xxx:100 and above are upper level courses. Ex (019:156=upper)

*Note: Industrial Engineering students must take a psychology course as part of their GEC.

Approved Humanities Departments

Exceptions:

*Music lessons (including band, jazz, etc.) are NOT acceptable Humanities and WILL NOT count toward your degree.

**Foreign Language courses must be intermediate level or higher to be applied toward requirement.

***ONLY the following Theatre courses ARE acceptable GEC courses:  049:001; 002; 003; 072; 112-119; 180-193.

Approved Social Science Departments

**Aerospace Military Studies (23A) Journalism and Mass Communication (019)
American Indian and Native Studies Program (149) Political Science (030)
Anthropology (113) Psychology (031)
***Business Department Social Work (042)
*Chemical Engineering Energy and Society (52:030) Sociology (034)
Economics (06E) Urban and Regional Planning (102)
Geography (044) Women's Studies Program (131)
****Health and Sport Studies  
 

Exceptions:

*Chemical Engineering Energy and Society is a seminar.

**Aerospace Military Studies:  ONLY 23A:140 courses WILL be applied toward your degree.

***Business:  ONLY 06J:047, 06J:048, and 6M:100 WILL apply toward your engineering degree requirements.

****Health and Sport Studies:  ONLY the following courses WILL apply towards your degree:  028:074-79; 175-180; 188.

Minors Offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Engineering students may also resister for Guided Independent Study (GIS) courses to fulfill their GEC.

 

 

The University of Iowa College of Engineering