The General Education Program at Northern Illinois University is designed to help students attain a sound liberal education and to acquire sufficient general knowledge and intellectual versatility to enable them to become informed and resourceful members of society.

The program is comprised of coursework in core competencies, and distributive studies in four areas:

1. Humanities and arts
2. Science and mathematics
3. Social sciences
4. Interdisciplinary studies

To achieve the goals of the general education program, students are required to demonstrate competency in the core content areas of mathematics, english, and communications.  These courses will help students attain a sound liberal education and acquire sufficient general knowledge and intellectual versatility to enable them to become informed and resourceful members of society. Therefore, students will be introduced to widely varied modes of thinking and points of view in courses that develop their intellectual processes, perspectives, and methodologies implicit in each discipline.

Additionally, students are to complete a minimum of 29 semester hours chosen from the four distributive studies areas. The coursework will:

• Expand the student’s awareness of human thought and appreciation of cultural heritage
• Give an appreciation of the scientific method of inquiry
• Engage the student in an analysis of scientific facts and principles pertaining to the physical, biological, social, and cultural world
• Impart an understanding of their implications for human welfare