FAQ General Education 2026
A page within Faculty Senate
The following information reflects UWL’s current knowledge or the requirements as of October 15, 2025 and will be revised as more information becomes available. The Regents will be voting on the policy guiding this program in November and many details operational details are still forthcoming.
Summary: Based on impetus from Act 15 and guidance from the Universities of Wisconsin (UWSA), UWL will be working in Fall 2025 to modify our current General Education program to represent 36 credits.
Process: The General Education Committee will make recommendations to Faculty Senate who will have a first and second read in December.
Timeline: The new program will be in place for Summer 2026.
What are the current guidelines from UWSA for categories and credits?
| Core General Education Requirements (CGER) | UW CGER Credit Hour Requirements |
|---|---|
| Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-6 credit hours (1 course minimum) |
| Communication & Literacy | 6-9 credit hours (2 course minimum) |
| Social & Behavioral Science | 3-6 credit hours (1 course minimum) |
| Humanities & Arts | 6 credit hours (2 course minimum) |
| Natural Science & Wellness* | 4-8 credit hours (1 course minimum) |
| Civics & Perspectives | 3-6 credit hours (1 course minimum) |
| CGER Total | 10 course minimum 30 credit hour minimum to 36 credit maximum |
*The Natural Science & Wellness category requires completion of a laboratory course.
While typically one course is equal to three credit hours, there are courses that could be mapped to the above categories that are 1-2 credit hours or 4-5 credit hours. To reduce the restrictions in the old model caused by having minimum and maximum course number and credit hour requirements, the maximum course number has been removed. This allows for more flexibility in how a category is completed at a UW university, while remaining within the 30 to 36 credit hour range.
Last modified: 10/21/2025
What needs to be reported?
UWL will need to report the new general education program using this form: Core General Education Requirement Model Form
Last modified: 10/21/2025
Can a student complete more than 36 credits?
Yes, but a student must be able to complete General Education in 36 credits.
Last modified: 10/14/2025
Can a department propose that a class count in more than one category?
No. Just as in the current UWL General Education, departments will need to indicate one category.
Last modified: 10/14/2025
The credits and courses in the proposed guidelines do not necessarily line up, what is UWL going to do?
At this time, we are going with the following guidance from UWSA. As long as the overall program is not over 36 credits – the overall number of courses can exceed 12 by 1 or 2. This flexibility will allow for a limited number of 1 or 2 credit classes.
Last modified: 10/14/2025
Can there be subcategories?
Yes. As long as the subcategories align with the overall categories. For instance, UWL could require one science and one wellness class. However, when receiving transfer credit from another university, UWL will accept credits for the overall category and cannot require an additional course for subcategory reasons.
Last modified: 10/14/2025
Will the new program be audited?
Yes. We are expecting that state auditors will review the new program in the future.
Last modified: 10/14/2025
Where will students take courses if there are 6-fewer credits in General Education?
Unfortunately, it remains to be seen. Traditionally, students will “migrate” to courses in the majors and minors that follow their interest areas.
Last modified: 10/14/2025
What level of “double dipping” will be allowed? Can a college core requirement or a major or minor requirement?
Programs can set the level of “double dipping” (as they currently do) - so a major could indicate that “only 3-4 credits of general education credits can count toward the major.” It is currently less clear if a college core requirement that was also general education could be allowed to “only” count toward college core – encouraging students to take another general education course. It is likely a better route to have the college core require “an additional social science course” rather than restricting.
Last modified: 10/14/2025
What is the relationship of college core requirements to General Education?
College core requirements should align with the mission of the college. College core requirements are reviewed/approved by the college (or school) and UCC. General Education requirements are reviewed/approved by GEC, Senate and the Chancellor.
Last modified: 10/15/2025
Who determines the SLOs for the categories?
UWL will determine the SLOs. We hope there is some informal or formal collaboration across the campuses.
Last modified: 10/14/2025
Will UWL have three General Education Programs? Can students change to a different one?
Yes – the oldest version, the 2025 version, and the 2026 version. Yes, a student can move to a more current catalog.
Last modified: 10/15/2025
What is the relationship between UWSA’s work on General Education and UWL’s process?
It is complicated and not always clear. This chart gives an overview:
General Education Policy Determinations
We are working on a parallel path at this point to ensure governance participation on campus.
Last modified: 10/14/2025
Who is representing UWL on UWSA level committees?
UWSA Taskforces
- Bryan Kopp
- Leanne Vigue
- Trevor Sprague
UWSA Program Planning and Review
- Sandy Grunwald
UW Provosts
- Betsy Morgan
UW Faculty Reps
- Greg Ormes
Last modified: 10/14/2025
Faculty Senate Meeting Dates
Click on each date below to see the agenda, meeting minutes, and distributed documents.
Fall 2025
| Sept. 4 | Oct. 2 | |
| Oct. 16 | Oct. 30 | Nov. 13 |
| Dec. 4 |
Spring 2026
| Jan. 29 | Feb. 12 | Feb. 26 |
| Mar. 12 | Mar. 26 | Apr. 16 |
| Apr. 30 | May 7 |
All Faculty Senate meetings are scheduled in Union 2310 and typically start at 3:45 p.m.