General Education

Students in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts are required to complete the following list of general education courses (48 units):

Lower Division General Education Requirements:

  • College One Core Course Sequence, The World at Home (CORE 1), 4 units
  • College Reading and Composition (WRI 10), 4 units
  • Natural Science / Engineering Introductory Course with laboratory, field or studio, 4 units
  • Natural Science / Engineering Introductory Course with or without laboratory, field or studio, 4 units
  • Mathematical / Quantitative Reasoning Course, 4 units
  • Humanities, Arts or Foreign Language Course (outside of your major), 4 units *
  • Social Science Course (outside of your major), 4 units
Upper Division General Education Requirements:
  • College One Core Course Sequence, The World at Home (CORE 100), 4 units
  • Four Upper Division Courses Outside of Major, 16 units

Students in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts will have a freshman year that lays the foundation for further study in the majors. Students will have the opportunity to explore the different UC Merced majors during that year through freshman seminars, research experiences and informal contact with faculty and graduate students.

The first course of the Core course sequence, CORE 1, The World at Home is common for all UC Merced students. This course lays the foundation in skills and ideals articulated in the UC Merced Guiding Principles for General Education (see General Education section of this catalog). These include decision-making, communication, ethics, responsibility, leadership, teamwork, aesthetic understanding, creativity and an appreciation of diverse perspectives in both the global and community contexts. All UC Merced students will also take CORE 100, The World at Home, as a junior.

Foreign Language Placement Exams
Students wishing to take the online language placement exam for the "Humanities, Arts or Foreign Language" for general education in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (SSHA) are not permitted to take the exam unsupervised. Students should contact Megan Silva (msilva5@ucmerced.edu) to set up a time to take the exam proctored.

Spanish Placement Exam: Required for all students, including transfer students, who plan to:
  • Enroll in a Spanish course and have previously studied the language
  • Major in History or Literature and have not completed a year of college level language
  • Pursue a minor in Spanish

French Placement Exam: Required for all students, including transfer students, who plan to:
  • Enroll in a French course and have previously studied the language
  • Major in History or Literature who have not completed a year of college level language