GE & Degree Designation Application

Designation Application

As we prepare to move a new curriculum management system in 2024 and stand up the new General Education requirement structure we are temporarily processing all applications manually. If you wish to apply for a new GE or BD designation on a course or make other GE-related curricular changes please contact robyn.moreno@utah.edu or lindsay.massman@utah.edu.

Applications for new designations to be considered for Fall 2025 are due by January 6th.*

*Implementation of the Experiential Learning (EL) Requirement has been paused, and the GECC is no longer accepting applications for the EL designation. More detailed information regarding the process and structure for moving the EL requirement forward will be forthcoming. Please reach out to the Office of General Education or your Undergraduate Council or General Education Curriculum Committee representatives with questions.

• Be sure to meet the deadlines given by the Office of General Education. Applications go through a number of review steps and committee members before designations can be approved. The timeline is tight in order to meet course schedule and catalog deadlines.
• Answer the application questions in complete paragraphs. While you don’t need to write a novel, generally a few sentences do not provide enough depth and detail for the committees.
• Avoid being overly general in your responses. The committee likes to see as much detail as possible in the answers. For example, rather than saying the course is “highly interactive”, describe the specific assignments and activities that facilitate interaction.
• Keep in mind that your application will be reviewed by committee members who are outside your discipline. This means they will not be familiar with discipline-specific jargon and practices. It is always best to describe aspects of your course as if you are explaining them to someone with no familiarity of your field, this is especially true when responding to the Content Criteria of the application.
• Clearly reference the course syllabus in your answers—but do not cut and paste your syllabus. The committee member’s task is to understand how your course will be experienced by students and they will review the syllabus and other course materials carefully. Members often notice if the syllabus and question responses do not align.
• For GE designation applications select assignments for learning outcome assessment intentionally. When selecting specific assignments that can be used to assess learning outcomes, please understand that at some point we will ask you for examples of that student work.
• Your department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies or General Education Curriculum Committee Representative are great resources from which to receive feedback on your application.