Wayne Community College - SACS Website

Core Requirement 2.7.3: General Education

The institution offers a general education program at the collegiate level that is (1) a substantial component of each undergraduate degree, (2) ensures breadth of knowledge, and (3) is based on a coherent rationale. For degree completion in associate programs, the component constitutes a minimum of 15 semester hours or the equivalent. These credit hours are to be drawn from and include at least one course from each of the following areas: humanities/fine arts; social/behavioral sciences; and natural science/mathematics. These courses do not narrowly focus on those skills, techniques, and procedures specific to a particular occupation or profession. The institution provides a written justification and rationale for course equivalency.

Judgment of Compliance: The College certifies COMPLIANCE.

Narrative:

As part of the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS), Wayne Community College (WCC) requires that each degree program include general education courses that constitute a substantial component of that degree. Each of the forty associate degree programs (AA, AS, AFA, and AAS) includes a minimum of fifteen semester hours of general education requirements. Each curriculum program contains a minimum of six semester hours in Communications, three semester hours in Social/Behavioral Sciences, three semester hours in Humanities/Fine Arts, and at least one course in Natural Science/Mathematics. These local requirements can be found in the WCC General Catalog. General education courses included in the Associate of Arts and Associate of Sciences degree programs have also been approved under the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) between the NCCCS and the University of North Carolina System.

The academic division and department heads and faculty design and monitor programs, including the general education requirements, based on the NCCCS Curriculum Standards (Link requires internet connection.). Courses used to meet the general education core requirements are selected from the NCCCS Common Course Library (Link requires internet connection.) (CCL) and are taught according to the description from the CCL. Course descriptions are the same for the courses, regardless of the degree program in which they are offered. The NCCCS Curriculum Standards and the Common Course Library validate that the general education courses used by WCC are based on a coherent rationale. Faculty qualified and assigned to the appropriate general education departments at WCC offer the required general education courses.

General education courses provide broad competencies and knowledge and do not narrowly focus on skills for specific workforce training. For example, English course sections do not cater to a single program of study. Hence, any given English course will have a student population representative of several different programs of study. To be suitable for all students, course content must be presented in an inclusive manner that is not limited by the perspective of a particular profession (sample ENG 111 syllabi).

The general education core requirements are included in WCC’s Educational Philosophy and as such, are a part of WCC's college-level student outcomes. Additional information concerning this requirement can be found in the compliance report for Comprehensive Standard 3.5.1.

As stated in the WCC General Catalog, "Students are expected to follow the curriculum as shown in the catalog for their chosen program. Substitutions may be made when it is educationally sound and is determined to be in the best interest of the student’s educational and career objectives. Course substitutions must meet the following criteria: no non-college transfer course, either individually or in combination with another course, may be substituted for a college transfer course, and in order for one course to be substituted for another, there must be a clear relationship between the two courses." In rare cases, students may substitute one course for another by obtaining the approval of the department head, division head, and the Vice President of Academic Affairs. The department head will review the equivalency of the requested course substitution, obtain the signatures of the division head and the Vice President of Academic Affairs, and then submit the completed course substitution form to the Records office.