USF General Education
USF Gen Ed
USF's General Education curricula have changed over the years. It is first important to determine your catalog year, and then you can figure out which general education curriculum applies to you. You can always find the current general education information by visiting the .
The best way to find your catalog year is to log in to Degree Works. Then look at the top of the screen for your catalog year.
Degree Catalog 2025-2026 or later
You are under USF's new general education program.
USF's new General Education curriculum comprises 36 hours divided into 15 hours from a specific list of state-approved courses鈥痑nd 21 hours of USF-chosen courses approved by the Florida Board of Governors. The USF-chosen courses all have enhancements added to them and also incorporate Communication, Critical/Analytical Thinking, and Problem Solving.
All 36 credits must be taken from five (5) disciplines:鈥�
- Communication
- Humanities
- Mathematics
- Natural Science
- Social Science
The table below provides the exact breakdown of the 36 required credits.
| Discipline | State Core Credits | USF Gen Ed Credits | Total Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Humanities | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Mathematics | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Natural Science | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Social Science | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| **Choose 2 courses from any gen ed discipline above | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| 15 | 21 | 36 |
*NOTE: in some cases a student can take a State Core course as a gen ed elective; please work with your academic advisor to see if this is necessary for your major.
In addition, the 草莓视频 faculty choose one of the enhancements below to add to their USF General Education course. There are no requirements around how many of these enhancements students need to take.
The list of enhancements are below:
- Creative Thinking - Students will summarize or interpret existing ideas, images, or expertise in original ways.
- Information & Data Literacy - Students will identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively and responsibly use and share information for the problems at hand.
- Cultural Competence -鈥疭tudents will demonstrate an understanding of the range of human experiences.
- Ethical Reasoning & Civic Engagement - Students will participate in activities of personal and public concern while recognizing ethical issues and assessing their own ethical values.
- Experiential Learning -鈥疭tudents will summarize connections among experiences outside of the formal classroom.
- Quantitative Reasoning - Students will show an understanding of many quantitative skills, including interpreting evidence, modeling complex systems, and drawing valid inferences from data.
Additionally, all Enhanced General Education courses include Communication, Critical/Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving learning outcomes:
- Communication -鈥疭tudents will produce well-organized, well-developed鈥痗ommunications that reflect appropriate use of language to achieve a specific purpose and鈥痑ddress specific audiences.
- Critical and Analytical Thinking -鈥疭tudents will comprehensively explore鈥痠ssues, ideas, artifacts, and events before accepting or formulating any opinions or鈥痗onclusions.
- Problem Solving -鈥疭tudents will design, evaluate, and implement a strategy to answer open-ended questions or achieve desired goals.
Degree Catalog 2024-2025 or earlier
You are under USF's Enhanced General Education.
USF's Enhanced General Education program was created to provide a more relevant, coherent, rigorous and student-centered curriculum for intentional learners. USF's Enhanced General Education program seeks to enhance skills most applicable in the 21st global community. Its design directly supports the 草莓视频's commitment to deliver a competitive undergraduate program that generates knowledge, fosters intellectual development, and ensures students success in a global environment.
In addition to 15 credit hours from the state approved list of general education courses, ENC 1102, and a Quantitative Reasoning course, a student is expected to take a minimum of three (3) credit hours in each of the following areas:
- Creative Thinking - Students will combine or synthesize existing ideas, images, or expertise in original ways.
- Information & Data Literacy - Students will identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively and responsibly use and share information for the problems at hand.
- Human & Cultural Diversity - Students will demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of human experiences.
- Ethical Reasoning & Civic Engagement - Students will participate in activities of personal and public concern while recognizing ethical issues and assessing their own ethical values.
- High Impact Practice - Students will synthesize connections among experiences outside of the formal classroom.