Program Structure

The integration of General Education into every undergraduate degree program reflects West Coast University’s conviction that academic, personal, and professional success requires the acquisition and application of a broad range of knowledge and skills. The  General Education program is built on a foundational and distributive studies model, which seeks to augment the specialized academic training students receive within their chosen undergraduate degree, and exposes students to the breadth and depth of information vital to success in their personal and professional endeavors. 

The Foundational Studies component prepares students with the skills to communicate effectively and reason critically and quantitatively. Distributive Studies coursework in the social and behavioral sciences helps students to appreciate, analyze, and understand the distinct cultural and ethical practices among groups that have shaped the beliefs and values of society; the life and physical sciences courses enable students to develop an understanding and appreciation of various divisions of the natural sciences. 

All incoming West Coast University undergraduate students are required to complete 46 General Education credits, all of which are completed prior to a student’s progression into the chosen academic degree program. Additional General Education credits are required by each academic degree program of study to be completed as a condition for graduation. Students may meet each categorical requirement via transfer credit or courses taken at West Coast University. Please see the Transfer Credit Policy for details regarding meeting General Education categories.


Foundational Studies

(Category A)

Collectively, courses within the following foundational categories provide students with the basic,
but essential college-level academic knowledge and skills critical to success in the programmatic core.

WCU Course Options  Credits 

A1. Written Communication

(Minimum 5 Semester Credits, Two Courses)

Develop knowledge and understanding of creative, academic, and professional written communication.
Students develop competency in written communication through intense study and practical application
of basic and advanced writing principles.

ENGL 140
Written Communication I 
3.0 
ENGL 240
Written Communication II 
3.0 

A2. Oral Communication

(Minimum 2.5 Semester Credits, One Course)

Develop knowledge and understanding of oral communication through research and best practice.

Students become critical consumers of communication through an examination and application of ethos,
pathos, logical fallacies, audience analysis, culture and communication, language choice,
nonverbal messages, effective listening, and speech delivery.



 
SPCH 142
Oral Communication 
3.0 

A3. Critical Thinking

(Minimum 2.5 Semester Credits, One Course)

Develop and understanding, recognition, and construction of critical thinking in relation to written and spoken arguments.

Students develop and understanding of how to differentiate and analyze critical thinking, perception, cognitive development,
decision making, emotional intelligence, deductive and inductive reasoning, and  formal and informal logic.



 
PHIL 341 
Critical Reasoning
3.0 

A4. Quantitative Reasoning

(Minimum 5 Semester Credits, Two Courses)

Develop quantitative reasoning by understanding and applying mathematical concepts beyond the level of
intermediate algebra and basic quantitative literacy.
Students further enhance quantitative reasoning skills through complex mathematical data analysis and
interpretation of data.



 
MATH 108
College Mathematics I 
3.0 
MATH 211  3.0 

Distributive Studies

(Categoy B)

Refine and integrate knowledge and skills gained within the foundational studies category of the
General Education Program and expose students to a variety of academic disciplines, while
challenging students to integrate and apply cultivated knowledge to their chosen academic program.

 
  

B1. Social and Behavioral Sciences/ Cultural, Diversity, Tradition

(Minimum 8 Semester Credits, Three Courses)

Develop an understanding and appreciation that human behaviors,
society, and cultural diversity and tradition are intricately interconnected.
Emphasis is placed on exploring and analyzing problems and issues in these
areas and the relative impact in a variety of historical and contemporary contexts.

PSYC 160
Psychology
 
3.0 
PSYC 290
Lifespan Psychology
 
3.0 
HUM 370
Cultural Pluralism 
 
3.0 
LDR 432
Principles of Leadership in Healthcare
 
3.0 

B2. Life and Physical Sciences

(Minimum 12 Semester Credits, Three Courses, Two must have labs)

Develop the knowledge and understanding of concepts, theories, and principles that form the foundation
and organization of living and non-living systems. Students will gain an understanding and
appreciation for scientific and investigative methodologies, while applying learned theory within
rigorous laboratory experiences.

 
ANAT 260
Human Anatomy
 
4.0 
PHYS 261
Human Physiology
 
4.0 
CHEM 280
Chemistry 
 
4.0 
MICR 290
Microbiology 
 
4.0 

B3. General Education Capstone

(3 Semester Credits)

The capstone seminar is a culminating in-depth experience whereby students formulate their integrated General
Education learning experiences into a final oral and written research based project, which comprehensively
addresses a pressing issue in health care and advances a proposed defensible solution. The application of
learned methods, concepts, and theories into the construction of this project serves as the culminating
summative evaluation of General Education Program Learning Outcomes achievement following
completion of the General Education courses.

 
CAPS 401
General Education Capstone
 
3.0 
  Total  46.0