Nearly a month after being presented, Wichita State’s Faculty Senate has approved a new general education plan for students. The vote was 39-1.

The Kansas Board of Regents, the governing board for higher education in Kansas, created the plan in hopes of making transferring from one Kansas school to another easier. 

Each university’s Faculty Senate was tasked with reviewing the “Systemwide General Education” program and making recommendations/changes.

The new plan will clip general education credit hour requirements by one or two hours, going from 36 to 34-35.

The program must go to General Assembly — all the faculty — before being adopted by the university. The General Assembly will vote on the plan on March 31.

Incoming freshmen or transfer students will need to fulfill seven “buckets.” 

Buckets:

Bucket 1: English Discipline Area

6 hours of English classes

Bucket 2: Communication Discipline Area

3 hours of a communication class

Bucket 3: Mathematics & Statistics Discipline Area

3 hours of a mathematics/statistics class

Bucket 4: Natural & Physical Sciences Discipline Area

4-5 hours of a class, like anthropology, biology, etc. (the class must include a lab portion).

Bucket 5: Social & Behavioral Sciences Discipline Area

6 hours of classes, like criminal justice, psychology, etc.

Bucket 6: Arts and Humanities Discipline Area

6 hours of classes, like philosophy, dance, etc.

Bucket 7: Institutionally Designated Area

3 hours of a first-year seminar (FYS)

3 hours of a class with diversity designation

The different classes approved and not approved for each section can be viewed here.