Catalogs & Handbooks

General Education Distribution

General Education Requirements

General education requirements ensure students are introduced to a diverse range of liberal arts and sciences. Major requirements ensure that students concentrate sufficiently in at least one liberal art or science to attain proficiency. Graduation requirements (required 2.0 minimum GPA & 128 earned credits) ensure the academic integrity of each degree the College awards.

All WC students must satisfy the following general education requirements with a passing letter grade, unless otherwise noted: 

The Writing Program

All students complete at least four deliberate writing experiences that comprise the Writing Program. These experiences, sequenced over four years develop  students' knowledge, skills, and habits essential to the clear thinking, sharp inquiry, careful analysis, and effective expression at the heart of the college’s tradition of liberal education. Writing is a prominent feature of the WC curriculum, and across all disciplines.  It serves to help students discover the purpose and passion that guides their intellectual endeavors. The sequenced writing framework states how writing continues to be the core of the College’s mission—and at the heart of our transformative student experience.

Students fulfill the Writing Program requirements by completing four courses, one in each of the following categories:

W1 Critical Inquiry:

W1 introduces all students to essential thinking activities of liberal arts education, including inquiry, critical thinking, discussion, writing, and argument. Students fulfill this requirement by completing a first-year seminar (FYS). Washington College’s First-Year Seminar program (FYS 101) introduces new students to critical inquiry and learning, and the key academic skills required for sustained collegiate success. FYS 101 covers a wide range of topics, but all share three essential elements: the passion of a dedicated instructor, a small-seminar format where students contribute and learn from each other, and a sustained focus on careful reading, sound research, thoughtful discussion, and clear writing—the ‘habits of critical inquiry’ at the heart of liberal education.

FYS 101 courses introduce students to library research and information literacy; offer instruction on the writing process, rhetorical knowledge, and academic conventions; and include significant research, writing, revision, and presentation work.

Students may drop one FYS seminar and add another within the Drop/Add period but may not withdraw from an FYS seminar without the approval of the Dean of Student Achievement and Success. Students approved to withdraw from an FYS seminar must enroll in an FYS seminar in the next possible semester. Students must earn a “D-” or better in FYS 101 First-Year Seminar in order to satisfy the requirement. 

W2 Process of Writing:

W2 courses continue rhetorical knowledge and critical thinking introduced in W1, providing additional time and attention to the practice of the writing processes. Students must complete one W2 course by the end of the second year, or by the time they have completed 60 credits. Course requirements are indicated on the Self-Service Class Schedule/Catalog tile. The W2 requirement may be completed by approved transfer credit by the Department of English and the Director of Writing.

W3 Writing in the Discipline:

The W3 requirement advances the larger program goals of persuasive analysis, flexible thinking, responsible inquiry, and effective expression into each department and major, focusing attention on the methods and modes of writing and critical thinking specific to a discipline or major field of study. Courses for requirement are indicated on the Self-Service Class Schedule/Catalog tile.  Each major has a W3 course required, so simply completing a major  ensures the W3 writing requirement is met.

W4 Senior Capstone Experience:

W4 is the capstone of the writing experience at Washington College. All seniors complete discipline-specific writing as part of their Senior Capstone Experience (SCE), demonstrating the elements of critical thinking, writing processes, rhetorical knowledge, and knowledge of conventions they have  developed in previous writing experiences across the curriculum and in the major. Students complete the W4 requirement by completing a required SCE.

Plus the Distribution Requirements

Transfer Student General Education Requirements.

Transfer students with 28 or more transferable credits do not have to take an FYS 101 First-Year Seminar seminar. Note that first-time college students bringing in 28 or more transferable credit hours will not have this requirement waived: only transfer students with 28 or more transferable credits hours will have the requirement waived.

Students entering the College with Advanced Standing credits (AP, CIE, CLEP, or IB) may apply those credits toward the distribution requirements up to a total of 32 credit hours. More information about Transfer credit and Advanced Standing credit equivalency is in the chapter on Academic Policies and Regulations that follows.

Students may drop one FYS seminar and add another within the Drop/Add period but may not withdraw from an FYS seminar without the approval of the Dean of Student Achievement and Success. Students approved to withdraw from an FYS seminar must enroll in an FYS seminar in the next possible semester. Students must earn a “D-” or better in FYS 101 First-Year Seminar in order to satisfy the requirement. 

Alternatives to General Education Requirements

Students who plan General Education outside of the normal guidelines may write a proposal to this effect and submit it to their advisor as a basis for discussion of the feasibility of the plan. After consultation with the advisor, the student sends the proposal to the Committee on Academic Standing and Advising (CASA) for a final decision. Approval of such proposals depends on convincing evidence the desired scheme provides an alternate way of adequately meeting the broad aims of the Distribution Requirement(s). Proposals must include provisions for meeting specific goals as the following: promotion of cultural breadth, introduction to empirical investigation, provision of some basis for aesthetic appreciation or creativity, acquaintance with the nature of language (natural or symbolic), and opportunity to view complex phenomena.