URG Office of Academic Affairs, Bob Evans Farms Hall, PO Box 500, Rio Grande, OH 45674
740-245-7215 office; 740-245-7154 fax; email: academicaffairs@rio.edu
Mission Statement
The General Education program provides liberal arts and science-based awareness, knowledge, and skills as an integral part of students’ ongoing learning experience and educational goals. The program offers opportunities for students to become literate, self-directed, committed to excellence, aesthetically aware, and ethically responsible individuals concerned with integrity and respect for people.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the General Education program, students will be able to accomplish the following:
- Communication: Demonstrate effective communications skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. (Skills,literacy).
- Cultural Diversity: Demonstrate a scientific knowledge of human behavior and acknowledge cultural diversity of different peoples of the world. (Liberal arts and science- based knowledge, respect for people, integrity).
- Human Values: Use an understanding of the historical and philosophical development of current cultures to demonstrate respect for human values and perspectives. (Liberal arts, literacy, respect for people).
- Ethical Behavior: Demonstrate understanding of ethical reasoning by constructing arguments on issues of importance of society (Self-directed, ethically responsible, value of integrity, respect for people).
- Technological Literacy: Demonstrate appropriate technological literacy and skills for personal and professional use. (Knowledge and skills, literacy).
- Health & Well-Being: Demonstrate an understanding of behaviors that best promote personal health and psychological well-being. (Ongoing learning experience, self-directed, committed to excellence).
- Aesthetic Awareness: Identify and appreciate artistic expressions from historical, philosophical, and cultural perspectives. (Liberal arts, aesthetic awareness).
- Critical Thinking: Use appropriate critical thinking skills to solve problems. (Literacy, ongoing learning experience).
- Scientific Reasoning: Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental concepts of mathematics and science, analytical ability, problem-solving capacity, and the use of the scientific method. (Science-based awareness, ongoing learning experience, literacy).
General Education Requirements
All candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree and the Bachelor of Arts degree, except those seeking teacher licensure and majors in Industrial Technology, are required to complete the General Education Program. All candidates for the Associate of Arts degree are required to complete the General Education Program. Candidates for the degrees in Associate of Applied Business, Associate of Applied Science, and Associate of Technical Study will find general education requirements scheduled within their outlined courses of study. Students seeking teacher licensure will find general education requirements scheduled within their outlined course of study.
It is expected that students will complete the General Education Program in their first four semesters of full-time enrollment. Requirements in Gateway to Success (LA 10001 ), English Composition, Reading, Mathematics, and Speech should be scheduled as early in the student’s program as possible.
In Mathematics and Natural Science, a more advanced-level course may substitute for the specific General Education requirement listed below. Students should select General Education options in the Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities with some care. In many cases, the General Education course is a prerequisite to more advanced courses needed for a major, minor, or field of concentration. In other cases, the student will receive credit in the major, minor, or field of concentration for the General Education course, as well as fulfill the requirements for the General Education Program.
