General Education Philosophy


The General Education program prepares you for success at CWU and as a citizen in our dynamic, diverse, and global society. The program fosters integrated learning, enhancing your ability to make connections across courses and disciplines and to apply a breadth of knowledge to real-world problems. It will help you develop skills in critical thinking, clear communication, creative leadership, ethical decision making, and complex problem solving. Combined with your major, the General Education program will cultivate curiosity, empower personal development, strengthen understanding of and respect for diverse perspectives, and build a foundation for lifelong learning.

Explore General Education


Program-level student learner outcomes are within program goals through a student's opportunity and ability to explore, engage, connect, create, and empathize in academic and/or real-world settings.

Program-Level Goals

You will explore a breadth of knowledge, methods of inquiry and reasoning, and fundamental questions.

Read more about "Program-Level Goals"

Component Areas

The main framework component areas have elements with the exception of the Culminating Experience.

Read more about "Component Areas"

Planning Your General Education Experience

Planning Your Gen Ed Experience and Beyond: Academic Requirements (AR) Report and Advising

Read more about "Planning Your General Education Experience"

Useful Resources for Your Success

The resources available to you that promote your academic success, health, and well-being.

Read more about "Useful Resources for Your Success"

Directed Self-Placement Tool

CWU uses a Directed Self-Placement (DSP) tool to help students select and AWI course that best fits their needs.

Read more about "Directed Self-Placement Tool"

Assessing the General Education Program

Measuring the effectiveness of our General Education program.

Read more about "Assessing the General Education Program"

Your Questions, Our Answers

We understand that higher education can be intimidating, and we want to help you in any way that we can.

Read more about "Your Questions, Our Answers"

CWU News

Women’s rugby team captain nominated for top national honor

March 13, 2024

by

CWU community celebrates 10th annual President’s Diversity Awards

March 13, 2024

by

CWU professor’s award-winning geology show renewed for another season

March 11, 2024

by

More News