The aim of these requirements is to provide breadth in the major areas of knowledge outside of the student's field of specialization. Introductory and intermediate-level courses are available in departments in humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Basic requirements are to be fulfilled with courses chosen by students in consultation with their advisors.
The requirement in the humanities enables students to appreciate and understand creative and conceptual human endeavor. The requirement in the social sciences improves the student's ability to analyze and understand human social systems. The requirement in the natural sciences develops the student's knowledge of the principles of scientific method as they are applied in the life and physical sciences.
Up to two courses from one department may be used to fulfill the distribution requirements for humanities and the social sciences. They may be used at the same time to count towards the student's major. No course may be used to satisfy more than one specific requirement for humanities and social sciences. Only courses taken for 2 or more credit hours satisfy these requirements; courses in excess of 5 credit hours count as two courses.
At least 124 credit hours are required for graduation. (Students who entered K-State before the fall of 2003 require only 120 hours for graduation.)
Four courses, one course each section, 11 credit hours minimum
Fine arts (one course, or at least two credits) Purpose: to ensure some interpretive or expressive competence in a traditional nonliterary mode of artistic expression.
Choose from the following:
Anthropology—ANTH 515, 516, or 517
Art history—any course
Art technique—ART 200 to 799
Dance—DANCE 205, 323, 324, 325, 326, 371, 399, 459, or 520
Music—MUSIC 100, 160, 210, 220, 230, 245, 250, 255, 280, 310, 385, 420, 424, 455, 480, 570, 601, or 650.
Theatre—THTRE 260 to 799
Philosophy (one course) Purpose: to ensure some interpretive or expressive competence in the fundamental conceptual issues of human thought and activity.
Choose any philosophy course except PHILO 110, 320, or 510.
Western heritage (one course) Purpose: to ensure some interpretive or expressive competence regarding the institutions, traditions, and values that have shaped Western civilization.
Choose from the following:
American ethnic studies—AMETH 160, 501, or 560
Constitutional law—POLSC 614, 615, or 799
English: ENGL 230, 231, 233, or 234 (Western Humanities)
Foreign civilizations—FREN 514, GRMN 530, SPAN 565, or SPAN 566
History—courses dealing with the Greco-Roman, Western European, or North American experience; HIST 515 History of Sport (crosslisted with KIN 515)
Kinesiology—KIN 515 (crosslisted with HIST 515)
Music—MUSIC 245
Political thought—POLSC 301, 661, 663, 667, 671, 675, or (SOCIO) 709
Sociology—SOCIO 507
Speech—SPCH460
Women's studies—WOMST 105, 205, 410, 500, 510, or 610
Literary or rhetorical arts (one course) Purpose: to ensure some interpretive or expressive competence in a traditional literary or rhetorical mode of artistic expression.
Choose from the following:
English—literature or creative writing—ENGL 230 to 799 except 300, 400, 415, 430, 435, 476, 490, 499, 516, 600-604, 757, or 759
Modern languages—literature courses including literature in translation
History of rhetoric—SPCH 330, 331, 430, 432, 434, SPCH460, 725, 730, 732, or 733
Women's studies: WOMST 205, 550
Exception: Students in BS programs who take two courses in one foreign language may use these to satisfy the requirements for Western heritage and for literary and rhetorical arts.
Four courses, 12 credit hours minimum, from three disciplines.
Purpose: to acquaint students with the adaptation of scientific method to the analysis of human social systems.
One course must be at 500 level or above, or carry a prerequisite in the same department.
Three of the four courses must be from these areas:
Cultural anthropology—including archaeology
Economics—any course
Geography—any course except GEOG220, 221, or 535
History—any course
Mass communications—MC 110, 111, 396, 466, 531, 612, 710, 715, 720, or 725
Political science—any course
Psychology—any course
Sociology—any course
The fourth course must be from the above areas or from:
American ethnic studies—AMETH 501
Anthropology—ANTH 520
Gerontology—GERON315, 600, or 615
Kinesiology—KIN 320, 340, 345, or 435
Linguistics—any course except LG 601
Speech—SPCH 323, 326, 425, 435, 526, 720, or 726
Women's studies—WOMST 105, 205, WOMST450 (ENGL 450), 500, 510, or 610
Three courses, 11 credit hours minimum
Life sciences (one 3- or 4-hour course with laboratory) Purpose: to introduce students to the systematic study of organisms and their interrelationships.
Choose from the following:
Biology—any course
Biochemistry—any course
Physical anthropology—ANTH 280, 281, 680, 684, 688, 691, 694, or 695
Physical sciences (one course with laboratory) Purpose: to introduce students to the appropriate attitudes and methods that characterize the systematic study of matter and energy.
Choose from the following:
Biochemistry—BIOCH 265 to 799
Chemistry—any course
Environmental geography—GEOG220, 221, 535, or 735
Geology—any course except GEOL 581 or 704
Physics—any course
One additional natural science course selected from life sciences or physical sciences lists above, or from the natural science list: KIN 220.
One course
Purpose: to equip students better to become citizens of a world where the most important problems are unavoidably defined in international terms and to understand cultures of the world outside the Western tradition.
A student must take one course of which at least half is devoted to: economic, political, and social relations or interactions between or among different countries, in which the major focus is upon the interdependency of nations of the modern world; or contemporary features or historical traditions of non-Western cultures (excluding those dealing primarily with Greek, Roman, Western European, or North American experience).
Students may satisfy the international studies requirement at the same time they satisfy requirements in the major, in the humanities, or the social sciences. These courses qualify:
Anthropology—ANTH 200, 204, 220, 260, 505, ANTH506, 508, 511, 512, 515, 516, 517, 536, 545, 550, 604, 618, 630, 634, 673, or 676
Economics—ECON 505, ECON506, 507, 536, 681, or 682
English—ENGL 580
Geography—GEOG 100, 200, 201, 505, GEOG506, 620, 640, 650, or 715
History—HIST 112, 250, 303, 330, 505, 506, 509, 510, 514, 543, 545, 560, 561, 562, 576, 577, 578, 591, 592, 593, or 598
Journalism and mass communications—MC 725
Management—MANGT 690
Marketing—MKTG 544
Modern languages—RUSSN 250, 504, 508, or 552; FREN503
Political science—POLSC 333, 505, POLSC506, 511, 541, 543, 545, 622, 623, 624, 626, 627, 629, POLSC642, 645, 647, 651, 652, 653, or 655
Sociology—SOCIO 363, 505, SOCIO506, 507, 535, 618, or 742
Women's studies—WOMST 380, 580
Students may use the fourth course in a single foreign language sequence (other than Latin) to satisfy the international studies overlay requirement.
Level 4 (i.e., French 4, German 4, Spanish 4, etc.) or the equivalent of level 4 in a foreign language sequence offered by the Department of Modern Languages. (Conversation “4A” courses do not meet the level 4 requirement.)
Purpose: to give students the basis for a command of a foreign language—a key for access both to a foreign culture and to much primary and secondary material in many special fields.
(One 3-credit-hour course, 100-799 level, or any other course for which there is a mathematics prerequisite)
Purpose: to give students a college-level competence in mathematical reasoning and analysis.
Any course used to satisfy this requirement cannot be used to satisfy any other general education requirement.
(One course, 3 credit hours minimum, with a prerequisite in the same department; for this requirement, biochemistry courses with a chemistry prerequisite qualify as upper-level courses.)
Purpose: to give students who elect the bachelor of science degree an especially solid foundation in the natural sciences.
Courses that qualify are those listed earlier under natural sciences, and:
Kinesiology—KIN 330, 335, or 650
Purpose: to give students training in a clear, nonambiguous, simplified language for the efficient transfer and logical analysis of information—a language in which a good deal of discussion is conducted in the sciences.
A course that satisfies this requirement may at the same time be used to satisfy any major requirement for which it qualifies. Students may fulfill this requirement one of three ways:
1. Three courses, 9 credit hours minimum, selected from:
Computer science—CIS 111 level or above
Mathematics—MATH 100 level or above
Philosophy—PHILO 110, 112, 320, or 510
Statistics—any course
2. One course and its Level II prerequisite, selected from:
Geography—GEOG 700 (with a statistics course)
Physics—PHYS 113 (with MATH 150) PHYS 223 (with MATH 221) PHYS 224 (with MATH 221) PHYS 325 (with MATH 222)
Sociology—SOCIO 520 or SOCIO725 (with STAT 330)
Social work—SOCWK 330 and 530 (with STAT 330)
3. Equivalent competency: Competency may be demonstrated by taking two Level II courses or a Level III course from:
Level II courses (two courses):
Computer science—CIS 200
Mathematics—MATH 150, 205, or 210
Philosophy—PHILO 510
Statistics—STAT 320, 330, 340, 350, 702, or 703
Level III courses (one course):
Computer science—CIS 300 or CIS350
Mathematics—MATH 220
Philosophy—PHILO 701
Statistics—STAT 341, 351, 704, or 705
At least 124 credit hours are required for graduation. (Students who entered K-State before the fall of 2003 require only 120 hours for graduation.)