Jun 03, 2025  
2025-2026 Academic Catalog 
    
2025-2026 Academic Catalog

Certificate of General Studies


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This certificate is currently under review for approval. Anticipated start date is fall semester 2025. 

The Certificate of General Studies is designed for students intending to pursue a degree at a four-year institution. Students must complete 30 general education, lower-division, semester credits that satisfy either the FVCC Core or the Montana University System (MUS) Core. This degree is not specific to a subject area. Students work closely with their advisors to create a plan of study that aligns with their future educational goals. Students who earn this certificate can transfer to any Montana University System school and be guaranteed the lower-division general education core requirements of that school have been met. 

Program Outcomes


Upon completion of this certificate program, students will be able to

  • Evaluate purpose and audience to create a well-developed, supported, and stylistically fluent rhetorical piece;
  • Demonstrate awareness of self as a member of a multicultural, global community;
  • Examine the nature of human experience and/or artistic expression; 
  • Examine the role of the Arts as a reflection of culture;
  • Use mathematical techniques to problem solve;
  • Apply scientific concepts and methods of inquiry;
  • Evaluate the legitimacy of multiple perspectives to reach an informed conclusion; and
  • Demonstrate organization, coherence, and clarity in writing.

Program Requirements


To earn this certificate, 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.

Students should choose which Core to pursue based on whether they plan to transfer before earning the General Studies CTS.  Students who complete 20 or more MUS Core credits may choose to complete either the MUS core or the approved general education program at the campus to which they transfer. The student should talk with a Student Support Center advisor and connect with the registrar and advisors at their new institution to complete the MUS Core.

Required courses for the FVCC Core and MUS Core are as follows:

 FVCC Core Credits MUS Core Credits
Communications (C) Oral Communication (C) 3
Global Issues (G) 3 Cultural Diversity (G)** 3
Humanities (H) 3 Humanities (H) / Fine Arts (F) 3
Humanities (H) / Fine Arts (F) 3 Humanities (H) / Fine Arts (F) 3
Mathematics (M) 3           Mathematics (M) 3
Natural Science (N) 3 Natural Science (NL) 3
Natural Science (N) or Natural Science with Lab (NL) 3 Natural Science (N) or Natural Science with Lab (NL) 3
Social Science (A) 3 Social Sciences / History (A or B) 3
Social Science (B) 3 Social Sciences / History (A or B) 3
Writing (W) 3 Written Communication (W) 3
Total Credits  30                        Total Credits 30*

*In order to satisfy the Montana University System (MUS) Core, students must successfully complete at least one course that includes significant content related to the cultural heritage of American Indians. It could be a course in the Cultural Diversity category, or it could also be a course in any other category, as long as it has the appropriate content. Below are the courses at FVCC that satisfy the Cultural Heritage of American Indians requirement.

Course Title Credits
ANTY 101A Anthropology and the Human Experience 3
ARTH 200FGH Art of World Civilization I 3
CAS 140 Addictions and Diversity 2
GPHY 141GA Geography of World Regions 3
HSTA 101B American History I 4
HSTA 255B Montana History 3
LIT 285H Mythologies 3
MUSI 101F Enjoyment of Music 3
THTR 101FH Introduction to Theatre 3

**The following link goes to the Global Issues (G) courses that satisfy the Cultural Diversity requirement, if a student chooses to complete the Cultural Heritage of American Indians requirement using a course from another category:

 

Advising Information:


For more information about this program, contact an FVCC Advisor.

FVCC Advisor: advisor@fvcc.edu

 

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