GENERAL

Where can I find a list of all existing GE courses?

You can find a master list of all approved General Education courses on the UCLA Registrar’s website .

What’s the difference between a Foundation Area and a subcategory?

General Education requirements are divided into three fundamental areas, namely Foundation Areas. The three Foundation Areas are 1) Arts and Humanities, 2) Society and Culture, and 3) Scientific Inquiry. Each Foundation Area has particular subcategories as follows:

Foundation of Arts and Humanities:

  • Literary Cultural Analysis
  • Philosophic and Linguistic Analysis
  • Visual and Performance Arts Analysis and Practice

Foundation of Society and Culture:

  • Social Analysis
  • Historical Analysis

Foundation of Scientific Inquiry:

  • Life Science with or without Lab
  • Physical Science with or without Lab

Please refer to the Foundation Area GE Credit Learning Goals and Guidelines listed on the GE Submission Guidelines page to determine which Foundation Area would be the best fit for your course.

What GEs are students required to take in order to graduate?

Please refer to the Campuswide GE Requirements Overview on the UCLA Registrar’s website to see GE course requirements for the College and Schools.

GENERAL SUBMISSION

When is the optimal time to apply for GE credit?

It is recommended that you submit your course one full quarter in advance of when it will be offered. If enrollment for your course is dependent on the course satisfying the GE requirement, we strongly recommend applying at least two quarters in advance of when the course will be offered.

How do I submit my course for GE credit?

For each course you plan to submit, you will need

  • A completed course information sheet for each Foundation Area for which you are requesting GE certification
  • A syllabus that abides by the guidelines mentioned on our GE Submission Guidelines page (See FAQ question #4)
  • An approved or in progress CIMS form.
  • An optional a cover memo if there is anything that you would like to address for the committee that is not covered in the other parts of the submission.

For more information on these three parts of a GE submission, please refer to FAQ questions #3, #4 and/or #5 or to the guidelines on our GE Submission Guidelines page

What is a course information sheet?

Information sheets provide instructors with an opportunity to describe in more detail components of the course that may not be readily apparent in the syllabus, like the ways in which assessments are linked to learning outcomes, as well as logistics of the course in terms of hours and enrollments.  Even if you are applying to multiple foundation areas, you only need to submit one information sheet.

What needs to be on my syllabus?

In general, a comprehensive syllabus should include the following components:

  • A 1-2 paragraph course description
  • Student learning outcomes
  • An outline of proposed weekly lecture topics and, if applicable, field trips, labs or other experiential activities
  • A reading list that includes films, if applicable
  • A description of student assignments as well as a description of the nature of the assignment and its page length for writing assignments
  • A description of the grading policy and how each percentage component determines the student’s overall grade. If participation is a part of the grading rubric, please explain how participation will be graded.

What is a CIMS form?

All new courses at UCLA must be approved through the Course Information Management System (CIMS). CIMS is a secure online application that collects course data and routes it through the approval process. In most departments, your Student Affairs Officer can assist with this process or direct you to the appropriate person.

For GEGC’s review, the CIMS does not need to be completely approved in advance of submitting. CIMS can be approved at any stage in the GE review process. GEGC uses the CIMS to ensure that the course is an appropriate fit for GE in terms the number of units, and discussion sections for large lectures.

What does the committee look for in a proposal?

In general, the committee approves courses on the basis of their alignment with the learning goals of the chosen Foundation Area, the appropriate fit to the requested subcategory, and the overall suitability to the General Education curriculum. For more details regarding the committee’s expectations, please refer to the guidelines on our GE Submission Guidelines page.

Which Foundation Area would be most appropriate for my course?

Please take a moment to read through the Foundation Area GE Credit Learning Goals and Guidelines listed on the GE Submission Guidelines page to determine which Foundation Area and subcategory would be the best fit for your course.

What if my course is only approved for credit in one foundation subcategory, even though I applied to multiple?

If your course is not approved for credit across all the subcategories for which you applied, please feel free to reach out to Jen Hirashiki for feedback. She can help you to determine if resubmitting would be productive. Please note that it is rare for courses to satisfy more than two GE subcategories.

Is there a maximum number of Foundation Areas to which I can apply?

Please request the subcategories across the Foundation Areas that you think are appropriate to your course. We recommend requesting no more than two or three subcategories. Please also note that regardless of the number of subcategories you choose, it rare for courses to satisfy more than two GE subcategories.

How does the course review process work?

Once your course has been submitted to the General Education Governance Committee, it will be reviewed at the subsequent GEGC meeting. If approved by GEGC, the course will be recommended for GE credit to the Undergraduate Council (UgC). Once reviewed and officially approved by UgC, the Schedule of Classes will be updated and it can be advertised as a GE course.

What if my course is not approved?

If your course cannot be approved for GE credit at the time of review, we will be in touch with detailed feedback to help you revise your syllabus and resubmit for approval. If requested, we are happy to put you in touch with the relevant resource support people on GEGC to help you with revisions. Please keep in mind if enrollment for your course is based on the course satisfying the GE requirement, we strongly recommend applying at least two quarters in advance to when the course will be offered.

How can I get feedback prior to submitting a proposal for consideration?

To receive feedback prior to submission, please reach out to Jen Hirashiki.

How many hours of in-class and out of class work should my course mandate?

One unit represents three hours of work per week per term by the student, including both class attendance and preparation For instance, a 5-unit GE course should entail 15 hours of in-class and out-of-class work/week for a total of 150 hours over the 10 weeks.

Please note that if you’re teaching a summer course, the number of weekly hours will depend on the duration of the course. For instance, your 5-unit GE course over a 6-week session should entail 25 hours of in-class and out-of-class work/week for a total of 150 hours over the 6 weeks.

RECERTIFICATION

What is recertification?

In order to bring existing GE courses in alignment with new oversight standards, GEGC is reviewing all courses in the GE approval database over the next five years. Beginning in Fall 2021, GEGC and UgC will put together a schedule for this review process and make it available to departments. When creating the schedule, GEGC and UgC will consider course enrollments and departments with multiple GE courses, in order to ensure there is not an undue burden on certain departments. All approved courses will be certified for GE credit for 5 years, beginning from the effective term of approval.

Please refer to the memo from Undergraduate Council (UgC) and General Education Governance Committee (GEGC) dated May 29, 2020 for more information.

Who is responsible for submitting my course for recertification?

This determination is made at the department’s discretion.

What materials do I need to submit for recertification?

You will need the following components:

  • A completed GE Course Information Sheet for each Foundation Area requested for recertification.
  • A syllabus that abides by the guidelines mentioned on our GE Submission Guidelines page
  • An approved or in progress CIMS form
  • An optional a cover memo if there is anything that you would like to address for the committee that is not covered in the other parts of the submission.

If a GE course is taught by multiple faculty members, will the department need to submit multiple syllabi for recertification?

GEGC will only accept one syllabus for review during this process. We are aware many GE classes are taught by different faculty. Departments must determine the process to fill out the requisite forms, whether by one instructor or as a group. The final submission should include a syllabus and forms that are the best representation of the course being taught, even though there are multiple instructors.

My department offers many GE courses. Do all of them need to be submitted for recertification?

Only courses that have been offered for 5 years or more need to be submitted for recertification. Without official communication from our committee, please do not presume that your course needs to be submitted for recertification. You will be notified when course(s) accreditation needs to be renewed.

Do I need to create a new CIMS form for my course?

We highly recommend revising your CIMS form if your current CIMS form was created over five years ago and the course has since been updated. As the purpose of recertification is to bring old GE courses in alignment with new standards, it is important for your CIMS form reflect the current spirit of the course.

What happens if my course is not submitted for review by the submission deadline?

If you cannot submit your course by the deadline, please reach out to us as soon as possible to request an extension. If the deadline has passed and we have not received any communication from you, we will presume that your department does not wish to renew the course’s GE certification and the course will lose its GE designation in the following term.