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The link above is provided as a guide to planning and is not intended to be a comprehensive summary of Thomas Nelson courses that students may use to meet general education requirements in the associate’s degree programs. For the purposes of transfer, the list includes courses most commonly accepted to meet core requirements at public four-year institutions. While transfer students who complete the associate’s degree can expect to have met their lower-level general education requirements at the four-year institution, transcripts for transfer students who do not complete the associate’s degree are reviewed by the receiving institution on a course-by-course basis. Not all courses listed below will meet core requirements at all four-year institutions, but students may receive elective credit.
Although not intended for transfer, several of the College’s applied degree programs may be transferred to four-year institutions based upon guaranteed admissions and articulation agreements. Students should consult with their advisor early in the program to ensure optimal transferability of their courses.
In selecting courses to meet the general education requirements, students are expected to follow the curriculum outline for their major. While general education courses other than those designed specifically for transfer may be used to meet portions of the general education requirements, principles published by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges require that general education courses be general in nature and not “…narrowly focused on those skills, techniques, and procedures peculiar to a particular occupation or profession.” Credits transferred into Thomas Nelson from another institution may be used to satisfy these requirements, but students should request a transcript evaluation to determine which courses may be applied. With careful planning, some general education courses may also meet prerequisites for courses in the major. Students are advised to consult a Thomas Nelson advisor and appropriate transfer guides to ensure that selected courses will meet Thomas Nelson’s and the transfer institution’s requirements.
General Education Requirements
General education is a required component of all degree programs and selected certificate programs at Thomas Nelson. General education requirements address the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values characteristic of educated persons. They are unbound by disciplines and honor the connections among bodies of knowledge. Thomas Nelson degree graduates will demonstrate competency in the following general education areas:
Communication: A competent communicator can interact with others using all forms of communication, resulting in understanding and being understood. Graduates will demonstrate the ability to:
- understand and interpret complex materials
- assimilate, organize, develop, and present an idea formally and informally
- use Standard English
- use appropriate verbal and non-verbal responses in interpersonal relations and group discussions
- use listening skills
- recognize the role of culture in communication
Critical Thinking: A competent critical thinker evaluates evidence carefully and applies reasoning to decide what to believe and how to act. Graduates will demonstrate the ability to:
- discriminate among degrees of credibility, accuracy, and reliability of inferences drawn from given data
- recognize parallels, assumptions, or presuppositions in any given source of information
- evaluate the strengths and relevance of arguments on a particular question or issue
- weigh evidence and decide if generalizations or conclusions based on the given data are warranted
- determine whether certain conclusions or consequences are supported by the information provided
- use problem solving skills
Cultural and Social Understanding: A culturally and socially competent person possesses an awareness, understanding and appreciation of the inter connectedness of the social and cultural dimensions within and across local, regional, state, national, and global communities. Graduates will demonstrate the ability to:
- assess the impact that social institutions have on individuals and culture-past, present, and future
- describe their own as well as others’ personal ethical systems and values within social institutions
- recognize the impact that arts and humanities have upon individuals and cultures
- recognize the role of language in social and cultural contexts
- recognize the interdependence of distinctive world-wide social, economic, geo-political, and cultural systems
Information Literacy: A person who is competent in information literacy recognizes when information is needed and has the ability to locate, evaluate, and use it effectively. (Adapted from the American Library Association definition.) Graduates will demonstrate the ability to:
- determine the nature and extent of the information needed
- access needed information effectively and efficiently
- evaluate information and its sources critically and incorporate selected information into his or her knowledge base
- use information effectively, individually or as a member of a group, to accomplish a specific purpose
- understand many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and access and use information ethically and legally
Personal Development: An individual engaged in personal development strives for physical well-being and emotional maturity. Graduates will demonstrate the ability to:
- develop and/or refine personal wellness goals
- develop and/or enhance the knowledge, skills, and understanding to make informed academic, social, personal, career, and interpersonal decisions
Quantitative Reasoning: A person who is competent in quantitative reasoning possesses the skills and knowledge necessary to apply the use of logic, numbers, and mathematics to deal effectively with common problems and issues. A person who is quantitatively literate can use numerical, geometric, and measurement data and concepts, mathematical skills, and principles of mathematical reasoning to draw logical conclusions and to make well-reasoned decisions. Graduates will demonstrate the ability to:
- use logical and mathematical reasoning within the context of various disciplines
- interpret and use mathematical formulas
- interpret mathematical models such as graphs, tables and schematics and draw inferences from them
- use graphical, symbolic, and numerical methods to analyze, organize, and interpret data
- estimate and consider answers to mathematical problems in order to determine reasonableness
- represent mathematical information numerically, symbolically, and visually using graphs and charts
Scientific Reasoning: A person who is competent in scientific reasoning adheres to a self-correcting system of inquiry (the scientific method) and relies on empirical evidence to describe, understand, predict, and control natural phenomena. Graduates will demonstrate the ability to:
- generate an empirically evidenced and logical argument
- distinguish a scientific argument from a non-scientific argument
- reason by deduction, induction, and analogy
- distinguish between causal and correlational relationships
- recognize methods of inquiry that lead to scientific knowledge
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