Andrews Core Experience (General Education) Program

Nethery Hall, Room 135
ge@andrews.edu

Philosophy of the Andrews Core Experience (ACE) Program

The rapid expansion of knowledge in a global community requires those who would be truly educated citizens to adopt a philosophy of lifelong learning. One must engage the mind in the study of many fields, from the fine arts and humanities to the empirical, quantitative, and social sciences. This broad encounter with the varied perspectives of the liberal arts tradition forms the domain of General Education.

Transmitting this foundational heritage—along with an appropriate level of knowledge and skills—is the essential purpose of the Andrews Core Experience at Andrews University.

The Andrews Core Experience (ACE) seeks to prepare graduates who possess the knowledge, ethical values, interests, abilities, communication competence, quantitative skills, and analytical thinking for both leadership and service, so that they may contribute effectively to their homes, work places, communities, and churches.

Anchored in key 100-level courses, the first-year ACE curriculum provides an introduction to academia and a balanced university life, further development of essential academic skills, and a sense of belonging to the Andrews University community.

Andrews Core Experience Learning Outcomes

The Andrews Core Experience addresses the following Andrews University Undergraduate Institutional Outcomes :

1. Demonstrate competence in intellectual, affective, and practical skills to prepare for careers in the twenty-first century, lifelong learning and service.

Skills for undergraduate students are: information literacy, quantitative literacy, engaging diverse perspectives, ethical reasoning, analytical inquiry in the form of problem solving and creative thinking, communication, wellness and transferable life skills.

2. Pursue enduring questions through study in core fields and explore the connections between those fields.

3. Articulate a biblical worldview in order to interpret life, learning, and civic responsibility from a Seventh-day Adventist perspective.

Honors General Education (SAGES)

The Andrews Honors Program offers a series of interdisciplinary courses which apply to the General Education requirement. See Scholars Alternative General Education Studies  (SAGES).

Andrews Core Experience (ACE) Program Requirements

Andrews Core Experience: Bachelor’s Degrees

The Andrews Core Experience requirements for all bachelor’s degrees are listed below. The table can also be viewed in a printable PDF format . 

Outcomes:

1. Demonstrate competence in intellectual, affective, and practical skills to prepare for careers in the twenty-first century, lifelong learning and service.
2. Pursue enduring questions through study in core fields and explore the connections between those fields.
3. Articulate a biblical worldview in order to interpret life, learning, and civic responsibility from a Seventh-day Adventist perspective.

Andrews Core Experience: AA/AS Degrees

The Andrews Core Experience requirements for Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) degrees are listed below. The table can also be viewed in a printable PDF format  .

Andrews Core Experience: AT/AAS Degrees

The Andrews Core Experience requirements for Associate of Technology (AT) and Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees are listed below. The table can also be viewed in a printable PDF format  .

Outcomes:

1. Demonstrate competence in intellectual, affective, and practical skills to prepare for careers in the twenty-first century, lifelong learning and service.

2. Pursue enduring questions through study in core fields and explore the connections between those fields.

3. Articulate a biblical worldview in order to interpret life, learning, and civic responsibility from a Seventh-day Adventist perspective.

Multiculturalism/Diversity in the Andrews Core Experience Curriculum

The Andrews Core Experience Program at Andrews University includes an explicit emphasis on multiculturalism and diversity. This emphasis recognizes the historical development of various cultures and groups in the United States, the global nature and mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the diverse student body and faculty of the university with more than ninety countries from around the world represented on campus. The focus on multiculturalism and diversity includes specific emphasis in the following courses: COMM 104 - Communication Skills , ENGL 115 - College Writing I , RELT 100 - God and Human Life , and HIST 110 - Worldviews, Cultures and Gods .

Andrews Core Experience Mathematics

The Andrews Core Experience mathematics requirement can be fulfilled by any of the following classes: STAT 285 , MATH 145 , MATH 165 , MATH 166 , MATH 168 , or MATH 191 . Based on a student’s background, a student may need to complete MATH 105 and/or 106 before enrolling into one of these courses. The Mathematics Placement Exam determines which course a student is ready for. Students with ACT, SAT, or Accuplacer scores will have an official MPE score assigned, based on their performance on the math portion of the test. All incoming students, new and transfer (see exceptions below), should check their record for an MPE score. If they do not have a score or believe that the placement is inaccurate, then they can obtain an official MPE score by taking a proctored assessment. For details go to the department website.

Introductory mathematics courses
MATH 105 Beginning Algebra and MATH 106 Intermediate Algebra prepare students with an MPE scores lower than P2 for the ACE mathematics courses. Students with an E0 score should enroll in MATH 105 Beginning Algebra during their first semester, and those with a score of P0 should sign up for MATH 106 Intermediate Algebra.

Transfer courses
Courses transferred to meet the ACE mathematics requirement must be broadly equivalent, both in content and level, to those offered at Andrews to meet the requirement. Andrews students who wish to take a course elsewhere to meet the reasoning requirement must first meet the skill requirement and must have the proposed course accepted by petition before enrolling in it. Courses titled Intermediate Algebra, Elementary Algebra, Basic Algebra, Pre-algebra, College Arithmetic, or Business Mathematics are likely equivalent to MATH 105 and 106 which do not fulfill the ACE mathematics requirement.

Exceptions

1. Students who at admission transfer College Algebra, College Algebra with Trigonometry, Precalculus, Precalculus Algebra, Precalculus Trigonometry, Calculus, a Cambridge “A Level” pass in Mathematics, or an AP Calculus score of 4 or 5 fulfill the ACE mathematics requirement.
2. Some courses other than those listed in 1 above may be accepted for the ACE mathematics requirement, provided they are presented at admission. Students wishing to have a course evaluated should email the Andrews University Department of Mathematics a copy of the course syllabus and a link to the course description found on the website of the institution offering that course.
3. Students enrolled in the Center for Intensive English Programs are not required to obtain an official MPE score until the first semester of enrollment in regular college-level courses.

Transfer Policy

Applicants who have completed an AA/AS degree at a regionally accredited institution or a state core curriculum (e.g. MTA) will be considered to have met all general education (Andrews Core Curriculum) requirements with the exception of Religion.  Please refer to the transfer Religion table below.  

Michigan Transfer Agreement

The Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) is designed to ease the transition from a Community College to a Michigan baccalaureate institution. The MTA satisfies a portion, but not all of the Andrews Core Experience (ACE) Requirements for general education. Transfer students from sending institutions who are accepted into Andrews University and have satisfied the MTA will have their courses evaluated to determine how the transferring courses meet ACE Requirements (See Table below). The MTA does not satisfy major, minor, or cognate course requirements. Students are responsible for requesting official transcripts from the awarding institution.