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Requirements by college and school

Each UW school and college interprets the General Education requirements somewhat differently. If you have not yet decided on a major, we recommend working toward the requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences. If no foreign language is indicated, it means that no college coursework is required if the undergraduate admission requirement (two high school years or two college quarters of one foreign language) has been met.  

Students entering the University in Autumn of 2014 (or later) must also meet a Diversity requirement. These three credits will simultaneously satisfy other Area of Knowledge requirements and do not add to the total number of credits you need to graduate.

College of Arts and Sciences

areas of knowledge eng. comp. add. writing for. language q/sr comments
Major – All majorsAreas of Knowledge – 20 VLPA, 20 I&S, 20 NW, 15 additionalEnglish Composition – 5 creditsAdditional writing – 10 creditsForeign language – through third quarterQ/SR – 4 or 5 credits from the Q/SR listComments –
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College of Built Environments

areas of knowledge eng. comp. add. writing for. language q/sr comments
Major – Architectural StudiesAreas of Knowledge – 20 VLPA, 20 I&S, 20 NW, 5 additionalEnglish Composition – 5 creditsAdditional writing – 7 creditsForeign language – noneQ/SR – MATH 112, 124, or 145Comments – No ARCH except 150, 151, 250, 251 may count toward AoK; NW includes calculus
Major – Community, Environment & PlanningAreas of Knowledge – 20 VLPA, 20 I&S, 20 NWEnglish Composition – 5 creditsAdditional writing – 10 creditsForeign language – noneQ/SR – 4 or 5 credits from the Q/SR list; MATH 112 or 124 recommendedComments – CEP 200 (I&S) recommended; Areas of Knowledge must include an approved Diversity course
Major – Construction ManagementAreas of Knowledge – 10 VLPA, 12-14 I&S, 24 NWEnglish Composition – 5 creditsAdditional writing – 7 creditsForeign language – noneQ/SR – MATH 112, 124, or Q SCI 291Comments – VLPA includes COM 220; I&S recommended ECON 200 and CM 250
Major – Landscape ArchitectureAreas of Knowledge – 20 VLPA, 20 I&S, 20 NWEnglish Composition – 5 creditsAdditional writing – 10 creditsForeign language – noneQ/SR – 4 or 5 credits from the Q/SR listComments – No L ARCH except 300 may count toward AoK; NW includes ESS 101 and BIOL 113; drawing class recommended

College of Education

areas of knowledge eng. comp. add. writing for. language q/sr comments
Major – Early Childhood and Family Studies & Early Care and Education (Online)Areas of Knowledge – 20 VLPA, 20 I&S, 20 NW, 15 additionalEnglish Composition – 5 creditsAdditional writing – 10 creditsForeign language – through 3rd quarterQ/SR – 4 or 5 credits from the Q/SR listComments – No more than 15 credits ECFS courses can count toward Areas of Knowledge
Major – Education, Communities and OrganizationsAreas of Knowledge – 15 VLPA, 15 I&S, 15 NW, 15 additionalEnglish Composition – 5 creditsAdditional writing – 10 creditsForeign language – through 3rd quarterQ/SR – 5 credits from the Q/SR listComments – No more than 15 credits EDUC courses can count toward Areas of Knowledge

College of Engineering

areas of knowledge eng. comp. add. writing for. language q/sr comments
Major – All majorsAreas of Knowledge – 10 VLPA, 10 I&S, 4-10 VLPA or I&S, 40+ NWEnglish Composition – 5 creditsAdditional writing – HCDE 231 & 333 (or dept-approved alternatives)Foreign language – noneQ/SR – MATH 124 +Comments – Foreign language below 3rd quarter may not count as VLPA; for HCDE major, see department.

College of the Environment

areas of knowledge eng. comp. add. writing for. language q/sr comments
Major – All majorsAreas of Knowledge – 10 VLPA, 20 I&S, 20 NW, 10 additionalEnglish Composition – 5 creditsAdditional writing – 10 creditsForeign language – noneQ/SR – 10 creditsComments – 10 credits of I&S and 10 credits of NW must be outside the major (i.e., not a major prefix and no overlap with major)

Information School

areas of knowledge eng. comp. add. writing for. language q/sr comments
Major – All majorsAreas of Knowledge – 20 VLPA, 20 I&S, 20 NWEnglish Composition – 5 creditsAdditional writing – 10 creditsForeign language – noneQ/SR – STAT 311 or QMETH 201Comments – I&S includes INFO 200; no more than 15 credits of INFO courses can count toward Areas of Knowledge.

Michael G. Foster School of Business

areas of knowledge eng. comp. add. writing for. language q/sr comments
Major – All majorsAreas of Knowledge – 20 VLPA, 20 I&S, 20 NWEnglish Composition – 5 creditsAdditional writing – 2 courses (see dept)Foreign language – noneQ/SR – MATH 112, 124, or 145Comments – I&S includes ECON; NW includes calculus and statistics

School of Medicine

areas of knowledge eng. comp. add. writing for. language q/sr comments
Major – Medical TechnologyAreas of Knowledge – 10 VLPA, 10 I&S, 40 + NWEnglish Composition – 5 creditsAdditional writing – 7 creditsForeign language – noneQ/SR – 1 from a list of STAT classesComments –
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School of Nursing

areas of knowledge eng. comp. add. writing for. language q/sr comments
Major – All majorsAreas of Knowledge – 15 VLPA, 15 I&S, 26 + NWEnglish Composition – 5 creditsAdditional writing – 5 credits + additional in the majorForeign language – noneQ/SR – STAT + 1 course from dept listComments – I&S includes NURS 201

School of Public Health

areas of knowledge eng. comp. add. writing for. language q/sr comments
Major – All majorsAreas of Knowledge – 10 VLPA, 10 I&S, 20 NW, 25 additionalEnglish Composition – 5 creditsAdditional writing – 10 creditsForeign language – noneQ/SR – 4 or 5 credits from the Q/SR listComments – SPH students are encouraged to use first-year language courses for the VLPA by completing the third quarter course.

School of Social Work

areas of knowledge eng. comp. add. writing for. language q/sr comments
Major – All majorsAreas of Knowledge – 20 VLPA, 20 I&S, 20 NW, and 15 additionalEnglish Composition – 5 creditsAdditional writing – 10 creditsForeign language – through 3rd quarterQ/SR – 4 or 5 credits from the Q/SR listComments –
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