The Office of the Provost provides campus-wide leadership in undergraduate education and administers the General Education policy that has been enacted by the campus Senate. To contact the Office of the Provost with any questions related to the General Education program, coursework, or policy, please visit the Gen Ed Contact page.
Current General Education Policy (EP.17.74)
Proposed Revisions to the Guidelines for General Education Courses (EP.17.74) is the primary senate document used by the Gen Ed Board and Office of the Provost. This document outlines guidelines from the General Education Board that must be met by courses proposed for General Education credit. The first section of EP.17.74 outlines a set of guidelines that apply to all General Education courses, followed by separate sections outlining guidelines for courses within specific content areas.
Historical Senate General Education Policies and Guidelines
Below is an overview of General Education policy in chronological order from the 1962 policy to the one used today.
- Final Report on a Program of General Education at the University of Illinois (May 1962) All-University Committee
- Report created by the All-University Committee on General Education recommendations university-wide General Education requirements for all undergraduate students
- Proposal for Revision of Undergraduate General Education Requirements (EP.89.09) (May 1989) Senate Committee on Educational Policy
- Revises the 1962 General Education requirements and provides specific guidance on requirements, providing the first comprehensive Gen Ed policy
- Sets steps for implementation of policy
- Guidelines for General Education Courses (GB.91.02) (April 1991) General Education Board
- Sets the guidelines for courses in all areas of General Education
- Includes general guidelines that apply to all General Education courses, as well as guidelines for courses within specific content areas
- GB.91.02, written by the General Education Board in 1992, sets the guidelines for general education courses. It has both basic requirements for all courses as well as category-specific requirements. Academic units reference GB.91.02 for guidance in revising and proposing courses for general education certification and recertification, and the General Education Board uses the criteria outlined in GB.91.02 when reviewing these course proposals.
- Guidelines for General Education Courses (derived from GB.91.02 with revisions as of Spring 2002)
- Document created to list the requirements from GB.91.02 and available on campus websites for guidance
- Proposal to Amend EP.89.09 – Undergraduate General Education Requirements – to Revise the Cultural Studies Requirement (EP.16.80) (May 2016) Committee on Race and Ethnicity (CORE)
- Amended the general education requirements for all baccalaureate degree programs such that, effective starting in the Fall, 2018 term, undergraduates will be required to complete three Cultural Studies courses: One Non-Western Cultures course, one U.S. Minority Cultures course, and one Western Cultures course
- Charged the General Education Board to review criteria for approval of courses in all Cultural Studies categories and for courses to be approved in multiple General Education categories, and to submit proposed changes to the Senate Educational Policy Committee
- Charge the General Education Board to review disparities between EP.89.09 as amended here and GB.91.02 on one hand, and the campus implementation of General Education as amended here on the other hand, and recommend further amendments or revisions to those documents to the Senate Educational Policy Committee
- Proposal for review criteria for approval of courses in all Cultural Studies categories and for courses to be approved in multiple General Education categories (EP.17.51) (March 2017)
- Answers the above Charge for the General Education Board to review criteria for approval of courses in all Cultural Studies categories and for courses to be approved in multiple General Education categories, and to submit proposed changes to the Senate Educational Policy Committee
- Proposed Revisions to the Guidelines for General Education Courses (EP.17.74) (September 2017) *Most Recent document*
- Review disparities between EP.89.09 as amended by EP.16.80 and GB.91.02 on one hand and the implementation of General Education as amended by EP.16.80 on the other hand, and recommend further amendments or revisions to EP.89.09 and/or GB.91.02
- The purpose of EP.17.74 is a reconciliation mission—to bring up-to-date the policies that were established in 1989 such that they are aligned with current practice, and to incorporate the amendment of EP.89.09 by EP.16.80. It updates GB.91.02 so that the Gen Ed Board and the academic units who use this document for reference have clear and current guidelines.
- The Gen Ed Board did not propose any changes to general education policy in EP.17.74. The edits to the number of hours required in certain categories is not a change in policy; rather, this is reflective of practice around General Education on this campus that has been in place for several years. For the sake of transparency for all stakeholders, it is important to have an accurate practice document. EP.17.74 edits GB.91.02 to create that accurate documentation of practice.
- It was carried over from the 2016-2017 academic year and reviewed and approved by the Senate Educational Policy Committee at the first meeting of the 2017-2018 academic year on August 28, 2017.
- Provides a comprehensive overview of General Education policy and updated requirements and course criteria
General Education Course Offerings
Units are responsible for ensuring their Gen Ed offerings follow all Gen Ed course criteria and maintain active Gen Ed certified status. The Provost’s Office monitors Gen Ed courses each semester and will remove Gen Ed certification from inactive courses or those not submitted for Gen Ed Recertification.
General Education Policy: Inactive Courses provides additional information about the policy, justification, and the process and implementation.
Contact genedboard@illinois.edu with questions.