Academic Advising

The liberal arts portion of your degree ensures that you have some exposure to the arts, humanities, social/behavioral sciences, and natural/computer sciences. This is part of becoming an informed citizen, with a broad understanding of different disciplines.

You need 6 credits each in the humanities, social/behavioral sciences, and natural/computer sciences; and 3 credits in the arts. That's a total of 21 credits.

Approved General Education courses are listed in the undergraduate catalog. You should consult with your advisor to see if your intended major has specific requirements in these areas. No Interdisciplinary course may be used for other distributive requirements; the requirement for an Interdisciplinary course is a separate part of General Education.

Your Degree Progress Report (DPR), which can be accessed on MyWCU, is the best way to determine the status of your General Education requirements. It also includes comments about requirements entered by your advisor or graduation analyst in the Registrar's Office. Discuss it with your advisor to ensure accuracy.

No course automatically transfers into WCU as a “J” course, even if the WCU equivalent is an established diversity course.  A student may seek diversity approval by completing a Course Substitution Request and submitting it to the Office of the Registrar along with a copy of the syllabus for the course.

Yes, but always check to make sure you attain at least 120 credits of coursework for graduation. (Different majors may have specific J course requirements.)

Yes, one course may count as:

• Both a "J" and an "W" if it has been approved for both attributes
• Both a "J" and an "I" if it has been approved for both attributes
• A Diversity course and a Major Requirement simultaneously

(Different majors may have specific J course requirements.)

You must show competency in a foreign language through the 102 level, the rest of the requirement may then be fulfilled by taking 3 Culture Cluster courses; or you may show competency through the 201 level, and take 2 Culture Cluster courses.

Check with your department before signing up for a Culture Cluster. Some programs require that students show competency in the foreign language through the 202 level of coursework instead of a culture cluster.

The 3 courses must pertain to the foreign language that you have studied. There must be at least 2 different prefixes and no more than 1 course may come from your major program.

Courses are listed according to their foreign language in the undergraduate catalog, at the very end of the Degree Requirements section.

• Culture Clusters cannot be used to fulfill a Gen Ed Distributive Requirement, such as a humanity or a social/behavioral science.
• Culture Clusters can be used to fulfill an Interdisciplinary, Diversity, or Writing Emphasis requirement.

Yes, and it will carry the "I" designation. Remember: Interdisciplinary courses stand alone and cannot be used to fulfill any other General Education requirement.

Interdisciplinary courses help you see the interconnectedness of different disciplines. They might show how social issues impact our decisions in science based problems, for example. Or they might show how history, religion, and art are interconnected.

Yes, one course may count as:

• Both a "I" and an "W" if it has been approved for both attributes
• Both a "I" and an "J" if it has been approved for both attributes
• A Diversity course and a Major Requirement simultaneously

An "I" course can count as an Interdisciplinary course and as a Major Requirement simultaneously.

Interdisciplinary courses stand alone and cannot be used to fulfill a General Education requirement in the distributive areas (science, behavioral and social sciences, humanities, and the arts). 

All students who begin their academic careers at WCU must take three "W" courses, and one must be at the 300 level or above.

Transfer Students

• Students who transfer fewer than 40 credits must take three "W" courses.
• Students who transfer in with 40-70 credits must complete two "W" courses.
• Students who transfer more than 70 credits (71 or more) need only complete one "W" course.

Majors may require specific "W" courses and students should consult with advisors and advising documentation for their majors.

Yes, one course may count as:

• Both a "W" and an "I"
• Both a "W" and an "J"
• Both a “W” and another degree requirement simultaneously

First, discuss your plans with your advisor. Consider any additional requirements and time will be involved in changing your major. You can meet with or transfer to a special program in Exploratory Studies that will allow you to work on meeting any entrance requirements for your new major. Once you decide to change your major, you can request a change of major through your myWCU account.

You can pursue a variety of careers with every major. Have a conversation with your advisor about your interests and ideas; advisors can provide options and resources for further exploration. Schedule an appointment in the Career Development Center to get individual assistance with clarifying your interests and goals; the center has extensive easy-to-use online resources to learn more about career options for all WCU disciplines.