General Education

As of Spring 2019, BYU-Idaho adopted a new General Education (GE) program. One of the primary highlights of the GE program is the flexibility it gives students to take degree-specific courses in their first and second semesters. Because of this, students will be able to explore their chosen major sooner to determine if it is a good fit for them.

Articulation Guide

Current General Education Program Provides Greater Flexibility

The strength of the current GE program is that it keeps the academic core requirements from Foundations but adds greater flexibility for students in their selection of exploratory credits.

Students may choose between 3-6 credits (for a total of 15 exploratory credits) in the following three areas: Natural Science, Arts, and Humanities, and Social Science. This gives students the opportunity to take more courses that complement their major and career interests. This can help students determine if their declared major is the right fit for them early in their educational experience.

In addition, a new one-credit College Success course has been added to the academic core requirements designed to help freshmen navigate their first year at BYU-Idaho.

General Education Requirements for Bachelor Degrees General Education Requirements for an Applied Associate's Degree

Foundations Still Applicable to Some Students

New students starting at BYU-Idaho on or after Spring Semester 2019 will automatically be assigned the GE program graduation requirements. Current students who want to declare one of BYUI’s new majors will also move to the new GE requirements.

While changing from Foundations to GE may benefit some current students, others may benefit from staying with their current course of study and Foundations program requirements. Students who are interested in switching program requirements or changing their major should contact Academic Advising to determine if it is the right choice for them.