Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Being a wizard at programming is great, but both ISU and industry also want graduates to be "complete" people who can interact with their coworkers, business, and society.

General education electives are a small but important part of your electrical or computer engineering degree program. These courses can help you develop or expand skills necessary to achieve success within both industry and society.

What Classes Should I Pick?

The answer to that question depends upon what you want to do with your education and your life. General education courses are typically social sciences and humanities courses that focus on a wide range of aspects of human society, interactions, and life.

There is no list to select from (except for the U.S. Diversity and International Perspective requirements explained below), which means you have a lot of options available to you, so don't be afraid to try something different!

Requirements

All general education electives must be on an approved General Education Component, and they must be selected to meet the following requirements:

• 15 total credits
• 3 credits of U.S. Diversity (see below)
• 3 credits of International Perspectives (see below)
• 6 credits at the 300-level or higher
• No courses in engineering, physical sciences, mathematics, or computer science
• No "trade" courses (such as music lessons and groups, applied arts, physical education, etc)
• No remedial courses
• No courses taken on a Pass/Not Pass basis

To help in your research of which courses are appropriate, here is a list of what CANNOT be used for General Education: Courses Not Allowed [MSWord]

Software Engineering Only: General Education for SE Majors [PDF]

NOTE: Students who take a 300- or 400-level U.S. Diversity or International Perspective course may use the one course to fulfill both requirements (i.e. a student can take a 300-level U.S. Diversity course and use it to fulfill the U.S. Diversity requirement and three credits of the 300/400-level requirement). However, students who do this must still take a total of fifteen credits of general education electives.

U.S. Diversity and International Perspectives Requirements

One of Iowa State University's goals is to prepare its students to meet the challenges of responsible citizenship and effective professional roles in a culturally diverse global community. All students are required to have at least three credits of U.S. Diversity and three credits of International Perspective classes.

Refer to the U.S. Diversity/International Perspectives Requirements page for course lists and detailed guidelines. International students and students with any academic experience involving a stay in a foreign country should check the International Perspectives Requirements or see their academic advisor, because you may be exempt from this requirement.

Transfer Students

If you have transferred general education courses from another institution, you should discuss the general education requirements with your advisor.

The General Education Component represents the contract between you and the ECpE department that states what courses you are selecting to meet your General Education Elective requirements and why.

The General Education Component is an assignment in CprE/EE 166.

Students select courses, write a rationale to explain why they chose those courses, and have an ECpE faculty member and their advisor approve the form.

Because this is a contract, you will be required to redo the form if you take courses other than the ones you have had approved. The General Education Component Form is located on the Forms page.

Selecting Courses

Start with your Student (Educational) Objective and select courses that will help you to meet your stated goals and develop your non-technical skills. These courses must also fulfill several requirements. Refer to the General Education Electives for specific details.