The Wright State Core Requirements

The Wright State Core is the general education program required of all undergraduate degree students. Bachelor’s degree students complete a minimum of 36 credit hours in the Core. The number of Core hours required by Associate degree students varies by program.

The Wright State Core is divided into five Elements and some additional requirements. The Elements are the foundational skills, the broad areas of knowledge and practice, and the global, historical, and cultural perspectives that together provide Wright State University students with the ability to negotiate their roles successfully and constructively in a changing world. Even more than in the past, graduates must be proficient in all methods of communication, must be able to use and interpret mathematical and statistical information, and must understand the methods of inquiry of the historian, the scientist, and the humanist.

Within the 36 credit hours of the Wright State Core students must also successfully complete the following:

One Global Inquiry (GI) course
Two Inclusive Excellence (IE) courses
One to two Integrated Writing (IW) courses. To meet degree requirements all students must complete a minimum of three IW courses by choosing either (a) one in the Core and two in the major or (b) two in the Core and one in the major. Students should check their major program requirements for courses that fulfill this requirement.

Students who do not make choices within the 36 required hours of the Core to fulfill the GI, IE, and IW requirements will be required to take additional hours beyond the minimum of 36.

First-Year Seminar: (3 credit hours)

All students mus successfully complete a First-Year Seminar during their first year. Transfer students who transfer 24 or more credit hours (post high school graduation) are exempt from this requirement and will need to satisfy three additional credit hours in the Additional Core Courses category below.

Element A: English Composition and Oral Communication (6 credit hours)

First-Year Writing Course
Three Credit Hours Minimum

Second-Year Writing Course
Three Credit Hours Minimum

Element B: Mathematics, Statistics, and Logic (3 credit hours)
Three Credit Hours Minimum

Element C: Arts and Humanities (6 credit hours)

Students will select two Arts & Humanities courses with different prefixes. 1 course must fulfill the History requirement.

Three Credit Hours Minimum

AFS 2000 - What is the African and African American Experience? 3 (IW, GT, IE, T)
ART 2140 - Themes in Visual Culture 3 (T)
ART 2430 - Non-Western Art 3 (IW, GI, IE, T)
ATH 2150 - Comparative Nonwestern Cultures 3 (IW, GI, IE, T)
ATH 2500 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology for Health Care Professionals 3 (GI, IE)
ENG 2040 - Great Books: Literature 3 (IW, T)
ENG 2050 - African-American Literature 3 (IW, IE)
ENG 2310 - Comparative Literature: Non-Western Literatures 3 (IW, GI, IE, T)
FMS 1310 - Introduction to Film Studies 3
LA 1020 - First-Year Seminar in Liberal Arts 3
ML 2010 - French Culture 3 (GI, IE)
ML 2030 - Virtual Spain 3 (GI)
ML 2040 - The Hispanic World: Cultures in Motion 3 (GI, IE)
ML 2050 - Russian Culture 3 (GI, IE)
ML 2060 - Virtual Paris 3 (GI)
MP 1310 - The Moving Image 3 (T)
MUS 1210 - Music Listening 3
MUS 2140 - Music in Western Culture 3 (T)
MUS 2420 - Comparative Nonwestern Cultures: Music 3 (IW, GI, IE, T)
MUS 2900 - African American Music: America and Beyond 3 (IW, IE, T)
PHL 2050 - Philosophy: The Big Questions 3 (IW, T)
REL 1010 - Introduction to World Religions 3 (GI, IE)
REL 2040 - Bible, Qur’an, and Western Culture 3 (IW, IE, T)
REL 2320 - Nonwestern Religions 3 (IW, GI, IE, T)
RST 2510 - Regional Studies: Europe 3 (IW, GI)
RST 2610 - Regional Studies: Japan 3 (IW, GI, IE, T)
RST 2620 - Regional Studies: China 3 (IW, GI, IE, T)
RST 2710 - Regional Studies: Africa 3 (IW, GI, IE, T)
RST 2810 - Regional Studies: Latin America 3 (IW, GI, IE, T)
RST 2910 - Regional Studies: Middle East 3 (IW, GI, IE, T)
RST 2920 - Regional Studies: India 3 (IW, GI, IE, T)
TH 2140 - Theatre in Western Culture 3 (T)
UH 2010 - Studies in the Humanities 3 (IW)

One History Course
Three Credit Hours Minimum

CLS 1500 - Introduction to Greek and Roman Culture 3 (T, GI)
CLS 1600 - Introduction to Classical Mythology 3
CLS 2040 - Great Books - Classics 3 (IW, T)
HST 1100 - Western Civilizations to 1500 3 (GI, T)
HST 1200 - The West and the World since 1500 3 (GI, T)

Element D: Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 credit hours)

Two Courses
Six Credit Hours Minimum

ATH 2200 - Introduction to Archaeology 3 (T)
COM 1010 - Essentials of Public Address 3
CS 1000 - Technology and Society 3 (IW, GI, IE, T)
EC 2000 - Economic Life 3 (IW, T)
EC 2040 - Principles of Microeconomics 3 (T)
EC 2050 - Principles of Macroeconomics 3 (T)
EC 2100 - The Economics of State and Society 3 (GI)
EC 2500 - Economic Systems of the Global South 3 (IW, GI, IE)
EC 2900 - Global Economic, Business and Social Issues 3 (IW, GI, IE)
ED 2100 - Education in a Democracy 3 (GI, IE)
ED 2600 - Introduction to Education 3 (IW, GI, IE)
ED 2700 - Introduction to Educational Psychology 3 (IW)
ED 2800 - Cultural Humility for Working with Youth 3 (IW, GI, IE)
EDS 2900 - Individuals with Exceptionalities 3 (IW, GI, IE)
EES 2600 - Environmental Science and Society: A Cross Cultural Perspective 3 (GI, IE)
FAS 1050 - Amish Society 3 (GI, IE)
FAS 1070 - Rural Studies 3 (IE)
FIN 2050 - Personal Financial Decision Making 3
GEO 2210 - Nonwestern Human Environments 3 (IW, GI, IE, T)
IT 1100 - Communicational Ethics of Technology in Society 3 (IW, GI, IE)
MGT 1900 - Managerial Character and Competencies I 3
MKT 1500 - Personal Marketing for Career Success 3
PLS 2000 - Power and Politics 3 (IW, IE, T)
PLS 2120 - American National Government 3 (IE)
PLS 2510 - Comparative Nonwestern Social Systems 3 (IW, GI, IE, T)
PPH 2000 - Global Health 3 (IW, GI, IE)
PPH 2100 - Climate Change and Health 3 (IW, GI, IE)
PSY 1010 - Introduction to Psychology 4 (IW, IE, T)
PSY 1010L - Introduction to Psychology Laboratory 0 (IW, IE, T)
SOC 2000 - Introduction to Sociology 3 (IW, IE, T)
UH 2020 - Studies in the Social Sciences 3 (IW)
URS 2000 - Cities of the World 3 (IW, GI, IE, T)
WGS 1000 - Introduction to Sexual Health and Diversity 3 (IE)
WGS 2000 - Introduction to Women and Gender Studies 3 (IW, IE, T)

Element E: Natural Science (7 credit hours)

Two Natural Sciences courses. At least one course must contain a lab.

Seven Credit Hours Minimum

Additional Core Courses (0-5 credit hours)

Select up to 5 additional credit hours from Elements A-E to reach the 36 minimum hours required by the Core. Unless specified by the student’s major, these courses are selected by the student.

Total Hours Required = 36