Yes! All students must satisfy the Gen Ed experience with the CWU General Education experience, a Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA), or equivalent.

Because a department might house more that one prefix, it is important to consult the Populated Framework for department/interdisciplinary course prefix alignment.

All students, except those who transfer to CWU, must complete their First-Year Experience courses (First-Year Experience, Academic Writing I, and Quantitative Reasoning) by the end of the quarter in which they complete 60 credits. An advising hold will be placed on students who do not meet this requirement. All those, except students who transfer with a DTA, must complete Academic Writing II by the end of the quarter in which they complete 90 credits. Information pertaining to transfer students can be found in the Transfer Student section.

No! You are welcome to declare a major before completing the General Education program. Students are encouraged to connect with your academic advisor for more information once interested in a major. The sooner, the better!

Yes, per Emergency Pass/Fail (EP/EF) policy.

Check your Academic Requirements (AR) report in MyCWU.

The General Education program prepares students for success by developing and enhancing their critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. The program will cultivate curiosity, empower personal development, strengthen understanding and respect of diverse perspectives, and build a foundation for lifelong learning.

The Gen Ed program requires most students to complete twelve (12) courses—three (3) in the Engage component, eight (8) in the Explore & Connect components, and one (1) in the Connect, Create, & Empathize component. A student is welcome to explore additional coursework outside the requirements. However, care should be taken to ensure timeliness to graduation, while being mindful of financial aid expectations and limitations. Students are encouraged to contact an advisor early to understand decision-making options and impacts.

The program has a beginning (First-Year Experience), middle (Knowledge Areas & Pathways), and end (Culminating Experience). Complete the First-Year Experience within the first year, along with the Knowledge Areas & Pathway courses.

Knowledge Areas can be completed in any order. The Culminating Experience component is intended to be the final Gen Ed course and can be part of your major requirements, so it might be one of your final undergraduate courses.

Most eligibility is monitored through course prerequisites, which can be found in the Undergraduate Catalog: General Education Program.

Consult the Undergraduate Catalog and/or your advisor.

PADstone is the CWU 184 course. PAD is an acronym for Practice and Discovery. Students. Register for a section of this course under a specific department prefix: ABC 184. Each section is a different topic. A list of PADstone courses can be found in the Student Registration Handbook.

No, only one PADstone class is required, and this course cannot be repeated for credit.

Students will complete the Culminating Experience as juniors or seniors following completion of the First-Year Experience and Knowledge Areas & Pathways courses. Completion might depend on program requirements when the Culminating Experience is satisfied with a course from your major. Follow program guidance and/or consult your Staff or Faculty Advisor.

If you received your AA-DTA from Washington state or an approved out-of-state program, you are considered to have all of your general education requirements fulfilled!

The transfer coursework of students who arrive at Central without an AA-DTA will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis to see if they meet the individual requirements of our General Education program. Additional coursework is usually needed to satisfy all the requirements. Some students might be eligible

for a Reverse Transfer, wherein students complete the missing requirements from their AA-DTA at Central and thereby earn their associate’s degree, which might be a more efficient means of meeting the General Education requirements. Learn more by talking with your advisor or the Transfer Center.

Students with this degree when transferring to CWU follow a process slightly different than those with an AA-DTA. The accepted AA document details what automatically transfers. With any other questions or concerns, reach out to your academic advisor or the transfer center for answers and guidance. 

Transfer work that does not automatically satisfy a Gen Ed requirement can be petitioned to do so. Complete an Online General Education Petition Form and attach a letter detailing what requirement you are petitioning and what you are advocating as meeting that requirement. You should also include the course description from the catalog year that you took the course and, when possible, the syllabus from the section of the course you took.

Students who transfer to CWU with fewer than 45 credits will need to take a PADstone 184 course if they have not completed equivalent coursework (courses with equivalent outcomes as determined by the General Education Committee and/or the Office of the Registrar). The course must be complete by the time a student has earned 60 college-level credits (transfer and CWU credits combined).

We know that navigating General Education as a transfer student can be confusing! But we are here to help you with any other questions you may have. For any other questions, reach out to your Academic Advisor or the Transfer Center!