General Education: Core Complete!

General Education Core Curriculum 

A General Education Core Curriculum (Gen Ed Core) consists of 30 credits from a specific list and is a required component of all Associate of Science (AS) and Associate of Arts (AA), as well as bachelor’s degrees. The multi-disciplined nature of a Gen Ed Core offers students foundational knowledge that supports success in college, in a career, and in life.

FVCC students may choose between two, 30-credit Gen Ed Cores, depending on their transfer goals: FVCC Core or Montana University System (MUS) Core. Once completed, both cores transfer to any MUS college as a guarantee that the lower-division Gen Ed Core requirements have been met: Core Complete!

Students should choose which Core to pursue based on whether they plan to transfer before or after earning an FVCC AA or AS degree:

Option #1: FVCC Core - Best for students who plan to earn an AA or AS degree from FVCC.

Option #2: MUS Core - Best for students who plan to transfer prior to earning an AA or AS degree from FVCC.

Students who complete 20 or more credits in the MUS Core, and plan to transfer without earning an AA or AS degree, should talk with a Student Support Center advisor and connect with the registrar and advisors at their new institution to complete the MUS core.

As a public institution legally committed to church-state separation, FVCC cannot accept as fulfilling the Humanities requirement those doctrinally-oriented courses in religion, scripture study and theology which are taught at Bible schools, seminaries, and theological institutes or which are directed primarily toward training clergy and lay missionaries in a specific faith or set of religious beliefs.

Rules for the MUS Core Option

An undergraduate student who has completed courses identified as part of the Montana University System Transferable Core, hereafter referred to as the MUS Core, will be governed by the following rules:

1. If the student has completed the entire 30 credit MUS Core, following the operating rules approved by the Montana Board of Regents, and transfers to another unit in the Montana University System, that student cannot be required to take additional general education courses at the lower division level.
2. If that student has completed fewer than 20 MUS Core credits, that student will be required to complete the approved general education program at the campus to which he/she transfers. All general education transfer credits that are part of the MUS Core will be reviewed for possible application in the approved general education program at the campus.
3. If that student has completed 20 or more MUS Core credits, that student may choose to complete either the MUS Core or the approved general education program at the campus to which he/she transfers. The student should make that decision in consultation with a faculty advisor.
4. The student may be required to take additional coursework at the upper division level that is part of an approved general education program at the new campus.

See the MUS Core information and course lists at https://mus.edu/Transfer/MUScore.asp

Montana University System Board Policy:

1. Policy:
   1. The Montana University System is committed to facilitating the ease of undergraduate student transfer to its campuses, particularly in the area of general education. Therefore, all campuses of the Montana University System will recognize the integrity of general education  programs and courses offered by units of the Montana University System, Montana’s three publicly supported community colleges, the seven tribal colleges and institutionally accredited independent colleges in the State of Montana. All campuses in the Montana University System shall also recognize the integrity and transferability of the Montana University System Transferable Core. https://mus.edu/borpol/default.asp.
2. Procedures:
   1. Campus General Education Programs: An undergraduate student who has completed the lower division coursework in an approved general education program at one of the institutions noted above, and who transfers to another of those institutions, cannot be required to take additional general education coursework at the lower division level. The student may be required to take additional coursework at the upper division level that is part of an approved general education program at the new campus. The approved general education program at each of the campuses can be found at this link: https://mus.edu/transfer/genedbycampus.asp.