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The Kent Core is the foundation of the university's mission to prepare students to live in today's complex, global society. It broadens intellectual perspectives, fosters ethical and humanitarian values and prepares students for responsible citizenship and productive careers. Through this learning experience, students develop the intellectual flexibility they need to adapt to an ever-changing world.
Kent Core courses enable students to:
- Acquire critical-thinking and problem-solving skills
- Apply principles of effective written and oral communication
- Broaden their imagination and develop their creativity
- Cultivate their natural curiosity and begin a lifelong pursuit of knowledge
- Develop competencies and values vital to responsible uses of information and technology
- Engage in independent thinking, develop their own voice and vision and become informed, responsible citizens
- Improve their understanding of issues and behaviors concerning inclusion, community and tolerance
- Increase their awareness of ethical implications of their own and others' actions
- Integrate their major studies into the broader context of a liberal education
- Strengthen quantitative reasoning skills
- Understand basic concepts of the academic disciplines
Although not every Kent Core course will address all these goals, learning within the Kent Core as a whole enables students to acquire the tools for living rich and meaningful lives in a diverse society.
Requirements
- As part of the requirements for any bachelor's degree and the Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees, all students must complete a minimum 36-37 credit hours of the Kent Core distributed as indicated within the specific categories.
- As part of the requirements for any applied and technical associate degrees (A.A.B., A.A.S., A.T.S.), all students must complete a minimum 15 credit hours of the Kent Core distributed as indicated within the specific categories.
- Colleges or degree programs may augment the university's minimum Kent Core, and they may specify for their students certain courses in fulfillment of the requirements. It is essential, therefore, that students consult that section of the catalog for their college and degree program.
- The Kent Core should normally be completed within the 60 credit hours that immediately follow the first date of enrollment in a bachelor's degree program.
- Honors equivalents shall satisfy the Kent Core.
- None of the courses on the Kent Core list may be taken pass/fail.
Transfer Credit, Proficiency Testing and Other Options in Meeting the Kent Core
- Certain alternatives to formal Kent State coursework may be recognized in the fulfilling of the Kent Core.
- Credits earned for specified courses within the Kent Core course list through external credit-conferring testing programs, such as the College Board Advanced Placement and College Level Examination Program (CLEP), will be applied toward the fulfillment of the Kent Core as appropriate for the specific courses for which credit is received.
- Courses transferred from accredited post-secondary institutions will be applied toward fulfillment of the Kent Core as appropriate for the specific courses for which credit is awarded.
- The university's Credit-By-Examination (CBE) program may be utilized in fulfillment of the Kent Core within the conditions, guidelines and policies established for that program and for the course (s) for which credit is sought.
- Proficiency, as established by placement examinations or other recognized procedures and mechanisms for this purpose, can be used to fulfill Categories I (Composition) and II (Mathematics and Critical Reasoning) of the Kent Core. For example, students who are placed into ENG 21011 and complete it with a passing grade will have met the Category I. It is assumed that students who are placed at and pass the higher level of one of these sequenced courses have also mastered the content of the prerequisite course. While students may meet the requirements of Categories I and II through proficiency, minimum credit hours must be met in Categories III, IV, V and VI. Students meeting Categories I and II requirements through proficiency must substitute other courses, which shall be elective, to earn the minimum credit hours required for the bachelor's or associate degree.
To fulfill the purposes of general education, any of the above alternatives to the fulfillment of the Kent Core by formal coursework at Kent State University must be exercised by the students within the first 60 credit hours of academic credits earned at and/or transferred to Kent State University.
Students who transfer to the university with more than 45 credit hours of applicable credits (including students with associate's degrees in technology from the Kent State University Regional Campuses or those who transfer to bachelor's-level programs from associate-level technology programs) must exercise such option(s) within the first calendar year of their Kent State University enrollment.
Post-undergraduate students who have earned a baccalaureate from a regionally accredited institution will be deemed to have completed the equivalent of the university’s Kent Core requirement. By virtue of having earned a bachelor’s degree, these students will be recognized as having completed their general education requirements. If they pursue an academic program at Kent State University that requires specific courses that are also in the Kent Core but are unmet, they can be held to those requirements because the courses are considered program requirements first and foremost.
Kent State students who update their official catalog from a year prior to 2010 to the current catalog year will be given special consideration in determining completion of the Kent Core. If students have met all of the general education requirements (or Liberal Education Requirement) in their prior catalog, their Kent Core will be considered complete. Students must contact their advisor to determine eligibility.
Kent Core for the Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Science (A.S.) and Bachelor's degrees
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| I. Composition | 6 | |
| II. Mathematics and Critical Reasoning | 3 | |
| III. Humanities and Fine Arts | 9 | |
| IV. Social Sciences | 6 | |
| V. Basic Sciences | 6-7 | |
| VI. Additional | 6 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 36-37 | |
Kent Core course listing in PDF format
Kent Core for A.A.B, A.A.S and A.T.S. degrees
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| I. Composition | 3 | |
| II. Mathematics and Critical Reasoning | 3 | |
| III. Humanities and Fine Arts | 3 | |
| IV. Social Sciences | 3 | |
| V. Basic Sciences | 3 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 15 | |
Kent Core course listing in PDF format
Kent Core Coursework
I. Composition
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 11011 | COLLEGE WRITING (KCMP) (OT36 for both courses) | 3 |
| or ENG 11002 | COLLEGE WRITING-STRETCH (KCMP) | |
| ENG 21011 | RESEARCH WRITING (KCMP) (OT36) | 3 |
| HONR 10197 | FRESHMAN HONORS COLLOQUIUM I (KCMP) | 1-4 |
| HONR 10297 | FRESHMAN HONORS COLLOQUIUM II (KCMP) | 1-4 |
II. Mathematics and Critical Reasoning
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CS 10051 | COMPUTER SCIENCE PRINCIPLES (KMCR) | 4 |
| MATH 10041 | INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS (KMCR) (OT36 for both courses) | 4 |
| or MATH 10040 | INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS PLUS (KMCR) | |
| MATH 10051 | QUANTITATIVE REASONING (KMCR) (OT36 for both courses) | 4 |
| or MATH 10050 | QUANTITATIVE REASONING PLUS (KMCR) | |
| MATH 11008 | EXPLORATIONS IN MODERN MATHEMATICS (KMCR) | 3 |
| MATH 11009 | MODELING ALGEBRA (KMCR) 1 | 4-5 |
| or MATH 10772 | MODELING ALGEBRA PLUS (KMCR) | |
| MATH 11010 | ALGEBRA FOR CALCULUS (KMCR) (OT36) 2 | 3-4 |
| or MATH 10675 | ALGEBRA FOR CALCULUS BOOST (KMCR) | |
| or MATH 10775 | ALGEBRA FOR CALCULUS PLUS (KMCR) | |
| MATH 11012 | INTUITIVE CALCULUS (KMCR) (OT36) | 3 |
| MATH 11022 | TRIGONOMETRY (KMCR) (OT36) | 3 |
| MATH 12002 | ANALYTIC GEOMETRY AND CALCULUS I (KMCR) (OT36) | 5 |
| MATH 12011 | CALCULUS WITH PRECALCULUS I (KMCR) (OT36) | 3 |
| MATH 12012 | CALCULUS WITH PRECALCULUS II (KMCR) (OT36) | 3 |
| MATH 14001 | BASIC MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS I (KMCR) 3 | 4-5 |
| or MATH 10771 | BASIC MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS I PLUS (KMCR) | |
| MATH 14002 | BASIC MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS II (KMCR) | 4 |
| PHIL 21002 | INTRODUCTION TO FORMAL LOGIC (KMCR) (OT36) | 3 |
III. Humanities and Fine Arts
Minimum one course must be selected from the Humanities in Arts and Sciences area, and minimum one course must be selected from the Fine Arts area.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities in Arts and Sciences | ||
| AFS 23001 | BLACK EXPERIENCE I: BEGINNINGS TO 1865 (DIVG) (KHUM) | 3 |
| AFS 23002 | BLACK EXPERIENCE II: 1865 TO PRESENT (DIVD) (KHUM) | 3 |
| CLAS 21404 | THE GREEK ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM) (OT36) | 3 |
| CLAS 21405 | THE ROMAN ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM) (OT36) | 3 |
| ENG 21054 | INTRODUCTION TO SHAKESPEARE (KHUM) (OT36) | 3 |
| ENG 22071 | STORIES THAT BUILT THE WORLD: HEROES, QUESTS AND LEGENDS (KHUM) (OT36) | 3 |
| ENG 22072 | STORIES TO SAVE THE WORLD: LITERATURE AND THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY (KHUM) (OT36) | 3 |
| ENG 22073 | MAJOR MODERN WRITERS: BRITISH AND UNITED STATES (KHUM) (OT36) | 3 |
| HIST 11050 | WORLD HISTORY: ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL (DIVG) (KHUM) (OT36) | 3 |
| HIST 11051 | WORLD HISTORY: MODERN (DIVG) (KHUM) (OT36) | 3 |
| HIST 12070 | EARLY AMERICA: FROM PRE-COLONIZATION TO CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION (DIVD) (KHUM) (OT36) | 3 |
| HIST 12071 | MODERN AMERICA: FROM INDUSTRIALIZATION TO GLOBALIZATION (DIVD) (KHUM) (OT36) | 3 |
| PHIL 11001 | INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (DIVG) (KHUM) (OT36) | 3 |
| PHIL 21001 | INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS (DIVG) (KHUM) (OT36) | 3 |
| REL 11020 | INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS (DIVG) (ELR) (KHUM) (OT36) | 3 |
| REL 21021 | MOSES, JESUS AND MOHAMMAD (DIVG) (ELR) (KHUM) (OT36) | 3 |
| Humanities in Communication and Information | ||
| COMM 26000 | CRITICISM OF PUBLIC DISCOURSE (DIVD) (KHUM) (OT36) | 3 |
| Fine Arts | ||
| ARCH 10001 | UNDERSTANDING ARCHITECTURE (KFA) (OT36) | 3 |
| ARCH 10011 | GLOBAL ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY I (KFA) (OT36) | 3 |
| ARCH 10012 | GLOBAL ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY II (KFA) (OT36) | 3 |
| ARTH 12001 | ART AS A WORLD PHENOMENON (KFA) (OT36) | 3 |
| ARTH 22006 | ART HISTORY: ANCIENT TO MEDIEVAL ART (KFA) (OT36) | 3 |
| ARTH 22007 | ART HISTORY: RENAISSANCE TO MODERN ART (KFA) (OT36) | 3 |
| ARTH 22021 | ART HISTORY: AFRICAN ART (DIVG) (KFA) | 3 |
| DAN 27076 | DANCE AS AN ART FORM (DIVG) (KFA) (OT36) | 3 |
| MUS 22111 | UNDERSTANDING WESTERN MUSIC (KFA) (OT36) | 3 |
| MUS 22121 | MUSIC AS A WORLD PHENOMENON (DIVG) (KFA) (OT36) | 3 |
| THEA 11000 | THE ART OF THE THEATRE (DIVG) (KFA) (OT36) | 3 |
IV. Social Sciences
Courses must be selected from two curricular areas.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 18210 | INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY (DIVG) (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| ANTH 18420 | INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGY (DIVG) (KSS) (18420) | 3 |
| CRIM 26704 | ISSUES IN LAW AND SOCIETY (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| ECON 22060 | PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| ECON 22061 | PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| ENVS 22070 | NATURE AND SOCIETY (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| GEOG 17063 | WORLD GEOGRAPHY (DIVG) (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| GEOG 17064 | GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA (DIVD) (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| GEOG 22061 | HUMAN GEOGRAPHY (DIVG) (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| GERO 14029 | INTRODUCTION TO GERONTOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| MDJ 20001 | MEDIA, POWER AND CULTURE (DIVD) (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| PACS 11001 | INTRODUCTION TO CONFLICT MANAGEMENT (DIVD) (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| POL 10004 | COMPARATIVE POLITICS (DIVG) (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| POL 10100 | AMERICAN POLITICS (DIVD) (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| POL 10500 | WORLD POLITICS (DIVG) (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| PSYC 11762 | GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| PSYC 20651 | CHILD PSYCHOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| PSYC 21211 | PSYCHOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE (DIVD) (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| SOC 12050 | INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
| SOC 22778 | SOCIAL PROBLEMS (DIVG) (KSS) (OT36) | 3 |
V. Basic Sciences
Minimum one laboratory course (marked "KLAB") must be selected. Students taking a 1-credit hour science lab course must take the lecture course in the same or previous term.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 18630 | HUMAN EVOLUTION (KBS) | 3 |
| ANTH 18631 | ISSUES IN HUMAN EVOLUTION (KBS) (KLAB) (OT36) | 1 |
| ATTR 25057 | HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
| or EXSC 25057 | HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I (KBS) (KLAB) | |
| ATTR 25058 | HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
| or EXSC 25058 | HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II (KBS) (KLAB) | |
| BSCI 10001 | HUMAN BIOLOGY (KBS) (OT36) | 3 |
| BSCI 10002 | LIFE ON PLANET EARTH (KBS) (OT36) | 3 |
| BSCI 10003 | LABORATORY EXPERIENCE IN BIOLOGY (KBS) (KLAB) (OT36) | 1 |
| BSCI 10110 | BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (ELR) (KBS) (KLAB) (OT36) 5 | 4 |
| BSCI 10120 | BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS (ELR) (KBS) (KLAB) (OT36) 5 | 4 |
| BSCI 11010 | FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I (KBS) (KLAB) (OT36) 5 | 3 |
| BSCI 11020 | FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II (KBS) (KLAB) (OT36) 5 | 3 |
| BSCI 21010 | ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I (KBS) (KLAB) (OT36) 5 | 4 |
| CHEM 10030 | CHEMISTRY IN OUR WORLD (KBS) (OT36) | 3 |
| CHEM 10031 | CHEMISTRY IN OUR WORLD LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) (OT36) | 1 |
| CHEM 10050 | FUNDAMENTALS OF CHEMISTRY (KBS) (OT36) | 3 |
| or CHEM 10060 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I (KBS) | |
| or CHEM 10970 | HONORS GENERAL CHEMISTRY I (KBS) | |
| or CHEM 11060 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I BOOST (KBS) | |
| CHEM 10062 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
| CHEM 10063 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
| CHEM 10055 | MOLECULES OF LIFE (KBS) | 3 |
| CHEM 10061 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II (KBS) | 4 |
| or CHEM 10971 | HONORS GENERAL CHEMISTRY II (KBS) | |
| ESCI 11040 | HOW THE EARTH WORKS (KBS) (OT36) | 3 |
| ESCI 11041 | HOW THE EARTH WORKS LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) (OT36) | 1 |
| ESCI 11042 | EARTH AND LIFE THROUGH TIME (KBS) (OT36) | 3 |
| ESCI 11043 | EARTH AND LIFE THROUGH TIME LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) (OT36) | 1 |
| ESCI 21062 | ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH SCIENCE (KBS) (OT36) | 3 |
| ESCI 21080 | ALL ABOUT THE OCEANS (KBS) (OT36) | 3 |
| GEOG 21062 | PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY (KBS) (OT36) | 3 |
| GEOG 21063 | PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) (OT36) | 1 |
| NUTR 23511 | SCIENCE OF HUMAN NUTRITION (KBS) | 3 |
| PHY 11030 | SEVEN IDEAS THAT SHOOK THE UNIVERSE (KBS) (OT36) | 3 |
| PHY 12201 | TECHNICAL PHYSICS I (KBS) (KLAB) | 3 |
| PHY 12202 | TECHNICAL PHYSICS II (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
| PHY 13001 | GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS I (KBS) (OT36) | 4 |
| PHY 13002 | GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS II (KBS) (OT36) | 4 |
| PHY 13012 | COLLEGE PHYSICS II (KBS) (OT36) | 2 |
| PHY 13021 | GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS LABORATORY I (KBS) (KLAB) (OT36) | 1 |
| PHY 13022 | GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS LABORATORY II (KBS) (KLAB) (OT36) | 1 |
| PHY 21040 | PHYSICS IN ENTERTAINMENT AND THE ARTS (KBS) (OT36) | 3 |
| PHY 21041 | PHYSICS IN ENTERTAINMENT AND THE ARTS LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) (OT36) | 1 |
| PHY 21430 | FRONTIERS IN ASTRONOMY (KBS) (OT36) | 3 |
| PHY 21431 | FRONTIERS IN ASTRONOMY LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) (OT36) | 1 |
| PHY 23101 | GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS I (KBS) (KLAB) | 5 |
| PHY 23102 | GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS II (KBS) (KLAB) | 5 |
VI. Additional
Select courses from I.-V. Any of the following courses below may also be selected:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 15000 | INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION (KADL) (OT36) | 3 |
| HONR 13597 | COLLOQUIUM: THE WESTERN IDENTITY (KADL) | 3 |
| MCLS 20001 | GLOBAL LITERACY AND CULTURAL AWARENESS (KADL) | 3 |
| PHIL 11009 | CRITICAL THINKING (KADL) | 3 |
- 1
MATH 10772 and MATH 11009 are equivalent; students earn credit once.
- 2
MATH 10775 is equivalent to MATH 11010; students earn credit once.
- 3
MATH 10771 and MATH 14001 are equivalent; students earn credit once.
- 4
ATTR 25057 and EXSC 25057 are equivalent, and ATTR 25058 and EXSC 25058 are equivalent; students earn credit once for each group.
- 5
Science-related major course; not recommended for non-science majors.