Academics 101

Core IMPACTS

Core curriculum is how the university ensures that you’ve been exposed to a broad array of subjects and approaches to understanding the world. Such exposure is one of the hallmarks of a college education.

At Georgia Southern, we use the Core IMPACTS framework, which helps students find meaning in the core through orienting questions and career-ready competencies for each IMPACTS area.

Core IMPACTS is composed of 1000- and 2000-level courses in seven areas. These areas, comprised of 42 credit hours, are common across all degree majors.

While some courses may be available to satisfy more than one area of IMPACTS requirements, credit hours earned will only be applied to one area and will not count in multiple categories.

Majors

A major is an academic course of study, with specific requirements within an academic department. The major comprises roughly one-half (60 hours) of a degree program. To graduate, students must have a major.

Minors

A minor is a secondary area of academic emphasis, usually requiring 15 credit hours beyond introductory course work. Bachelor of Arts degrees require minors. Most other degree programs do not require minors, although students in these fields may elect to earn one. In these cases, students may be required to earn more hours than the minimum number of hours necessary for the degree program.

Additional Requirements Beyond Core IMPACTS and Major

FYE 1220 – First-Year Seminar (2 hours)

KINS 1525 – Concepts of Health and PE (2 hours)

Here is a quick introduction of the different components that make up Core IMPACTS.

I – Institutional Priority, Global Engagement (7 Credit Hours)

Orienting Question: How does my institution help me to navigate the world?

Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate the ability to think critically and solve problems related to academic priorities at their institution.

Institutional Learning Outcome: Students will recognize and articulate global perspectives across diverse societies
in historical and cultural contexts.

Career-Ready Competencies:

• Critical Thinking
• Teamwork
• Time Management

Curriculum:

• CORE 2000 Core Capstone – 1 Credit Hour
• World History I or II – 3 Credit Hours Required
• Institutional Priority Elective – 3 Credit Hours Required. Choose one class from the list of approved options.

M – Mathematics and Quantitative Skills (3 Credit Hours)

Orienting Question: How do I measure the world?

Learning Outcome: Students will apply mathematical and computational knowledge to interpret, evaluate, and communicate quantitative information using verbal, numerical, graphical, or symbolic forms.

Career-Ready Competencies:

• Information Literacy
• Inquiry and Analysis
• Problem-Solving

Curriculum:

• Choose one 1000-level Math course from the list of approved options.

P – Political Science and United States History (6 Credit Hours)

Orienting Question: How do I prepare for my responsibilities as an engaged citizen?

Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the history of the United States, the history of Georgia,
and the provisions and principles of the United States Constitution and the Constitution of Georgia.

Career-Ready Competencies:

• Information Literacy
• Inquiry and Analysis
• Problem-Solving

Curriculum:

• POLS 1101 American Government – 3 Credit Hours
• U.S. History – 3 Credit Hours Required. Choose one class from the list of approved options.

A – Arts, Humanities and Ethics (6 Credit Hours)

Orienting Question: How do I interpret the human experience through creative, linguistic,
and philosophical works?

Learning Outcome: Students will effectively analyze and interpret the meaning, cultural significance, and ethical implications of literary/philosophical texts or of works in the visual/performing arts.

Career-Ready Competencies:

• Critical Thinking
• Intercultural Competence
• Persuasion

Curriculum:

• Choose one 2000-level English or Philosophy course from the list of approved options.
• Arts, Humanities and Ethics Elective – 3 Credit Hours Required. Choose one class from the list of
  approved options.

C – Communication in Writing (6 Credit Hours)

Orienting Question: How do I write effectively in different contexts?

Learning Outcomes: Students will communicate effectively in writing, demonstrating clear organization and structure, using appropriate grammar and writing conventions.
Students will appropriately acknowledge the use of materials from original sources.
Students will adapt their written communications to purpose and audience.
Students will analyze and draw informed inferences from written texts.

Career-Ready Competencies:

• Critical Thinking
• Information Literacy
• Persuasion

Curriculum:

• ENGL 1101 English Composition I – 3 Credit Hours
• ENGL 1102 English Composition II – 3 Credit Hours

T – Technology, Mathematics and Sciences (11 Credit Hours)

Orienting Question: How do I ask scientific questions or use data, mathematics or technology to understand
the universe?

Learning Outcome: Students will use the scientific method and laboratory procedures or mathematical
and computational methods to analyze data, solve problems, and explain natural phenomena.

Career-Ready Competencies:

• Inquiry and Analysis
• Problem-Solving
• Teamwork

Curriculum:

• Laboratory Sciences – 8 Credit Hours Required. Choose two sets of lecture/lab courses from the list of approved options. (For Clinical Health programs, students will need to select a sequence of lab sciences from the options in our Clinical Health core.)
• STEM Elective – 3 Credit Hours Required. Choose one class from the approved list of options, or an additional lecture/lab course from the specified Laboratory Science options.

S – Social Sciences (3 Credit Hours)

Orienting Question: How do I understand human experiences and connections?

Learning Outcome: Students will analyze the complexity of human behavior, and how historical, economic, political, social, or geographic relationships develop, persist, or change.

Career-Ready Competencies:

• Intercultural Competence
• Perspective-Taking
• Persuasion

Curriculum:

• Choose one Social Sciences class from the list of approved options.

Additional Requirements (4 Credit Hours)

• FYE 1220 First Year Seminar – 2 Credit Hours
• KINS 1525 Concepts of Health & Physical Activity – 2 Credit Hours

For a complete list of course options for each Core IMPACTS requirement for the current academic year:

If you are on an older catalog year, you can click here to find your CORE curriculum (Armstrong State University and Georgia Southern University). Your catalog year is based on when you entered Georgia Southern as a degree seeking student and/or when you declared your current major.

Academic Standing Policy

A policy that governs students whose Institutional GPA falls below a 2.0, the GPA necessary for graduation. Students will be placed on Academic Warning, Probation or Suspension based on several factors. See the policy here.

Catalog

Source for information about all of the university degree and program requirements, including course descriptions, prerequisite information, and academic policies and procedures. It also lists the academic credentials of the faculty.

Co-Requisite

Courses that must be taken together in the same term are co-requisites. Courses that require co-requisites are noted in course descriptions printed in the Catalog.

Drop/Add

A period at the beginning of each semester during which students are able to drop courses for which they have previously registered and/or add any additional available courses to their schedule. Usually ends on the fourth day of class in a 15-week semester. Short term courses will have a smaller window.

Full-Time

Students taking 12 or more credit hours are considered full-time; however, students should take 15 to 17 credit hours each Fall and Spring semester in order to graduate in four years.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

A measure of academic performance on a 4-point scale. There are several different kinds of GPA. Click on the “GPA and Academic Standing” button below for a description of the different types and for an explanation of how to calculate a GPA.

Prerequisite

A course that must be satisfactorily completed prior to taking another course. For example, before taking ENGL 1102, a student must first pass (with a minimum grade of C) ENGL 1101. Prerequisites may be found at the end of course descriptions in the Catalog.

Registration Access Number (RAN)

A six-digit number allowing a student to register for classes. RANs are issued to students by their academic advisors. They ensure that students have been advised for the term for which they seek to register. Students have a different RAN for each semester.

WINGS

“Web Interactive Network at Georgia Southern” is the University’s online student information system. Maintained by the Registrar’s office, it includes modules for registration, student information and records, student fees, financial aid, and more.

Withdrawing from a Course

Exiting a course after drop/add concludes. When done before the established deadline (roughly the 40th class day of a full semester), students are not assessed an academic penalty, although withdrawing can create significant problems for financial aid and delay graduation. Withdrawing should only be undertaken with the advice of a student’s instructor, academic advisor and financial aid counselor. Beginning in Fall 2018, students may withdraw from a maximum of six courses during their entire undergraduate careers (excluding summers). If students withdraw from courses beyond the maximum of six, they receive a failing grade in the course.

Types of GPAs

• Institutional GPA: GPA earned for all non-Learning Support courses taken at Georgia Southern, in all semesters. This GPA is what determines your academic standing and eligibility to enter some degree programs. The Institutional GPA excludes courses taken at institutions other than Georgia Southern.
• Term (or semester) GPA: The GPA you earn in a specific semester. Students make Dean’s List (3.5 or higher) or President’s List (4.0) based on their performance in a specific term. The mean (average) first-semester GPA for traditional first-year students at Georgia Southern is typically between 2.6 and 2.7. The Term GPA is particularly important if your Institutional GPA is below a 2.0; speak with your advisor early in the semester about this if your Institutional GPA is below 2.0.
• Transfer GPA: GPA earned in courses taken at other post-secondary institutions.
• Overall GPA: GPA earned in all post-secondary courses a student takes. Students graduating with honors must meet the GPA minimums for both Overall GPA and Institutional GPA.
• HOPE GPA: The GPA used to determine HOPE eligibility. Very similar to the Overall GPA, the HOPE GPA also includes Learning Support coursework.

Calculating Your GPA

Your grade point average (GPA) is calculated by dividing the total amount of quality points earned by the total amount of credit hours attempted. If you choose to withdraw from a course before the last day to withdraw without academic penalty, you will not include those hours. Your GPA may range from 0.0 to a 4.0.

Quality points are used to calculate your GPA. You can calculate your quality points by multiplying the number of credit hours by the quality point scale (see below).

A = 4

B = 3

C = 2

D = 1

F = 0

If you are taking a 3 hour course and anticipate making an A, you would multiply 3 x 4, giving you 12 quality points.

To calculate a GPA beyond the one semester, you will have to add up all past quality points and GPA hours from previous semesters. You will divide the quality points by the GPA hours. For previous semesters, this information can be found in your Web Transcript in WINGS.

Academic Standing

Click here to view the academic standing policy.