Molly Burke / Jumper
At its March 13 meeting, Youngstown State University's Academic Senate unanimously approved a 2025-2026 general education model for students based on the 2024-2025 model.
YSU's public speaking requirement was met by the Communication Fundamentals course, which has been removed for the 2024-2025 model year. From 2025 he will not be required until 2026, but universities may decide to make this course mandatory in certain programs.
The advanced capstone requirement is also removed for the 2024-2025 model year and remains unnecessary for the 2025-2026 model year.
From 2024 to 2025, students were required to take two social and personal development credits. For the 2024-2025 model year, he will instead require three generational electives. Students can choose any of her three classes: Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, or the Social and Personal Awareness class they are already taking. Communication infrastructure may also be taken away.
Unlike the three generational electives in the 2024-25 model, the 2025-26 model allows programs to implement “thematic micro-credentials.” Certification may be optional or required depending on the program.
Martha Pallante, vice president of the Academic Senate and chair of the special committee, said the micro-credential requires students to choose a topic from three courses from different disciplines.
“This will be a group of three courses from a pre-selected list built around a theme. For example, it might be Leadership, it might be Ecology, it might be Statistical Mining, Data Mining, etc. “The three courses should be from different program codes and will be offered based on a list prepared by the proposer,” Pallante said. “In most cases, students have five or six courses to choose from.”
To earn a certificate, students must earn a C or higher in the micro-credential course. Pallante said students studying optional micro-credentials may have their courses counted as generational if they fail to earn her C or better in their respective courses.
“Other special notations on the transcript, such as majors and minors, require at least a C. Currently, general education courses in which you earn a D count toward general education. The real difference is that if a student earns a D If you want to get the grade and graduate anyway, you can take courses in general education, but you just can't get the diploma. [thematic micro credential] It’s a certificate,” Pallante said.
Pallante said a theme has not yet been set, but will be proposed and approved by the Senate General Education Committee. She added that in the first iteration she will probably have eight themes.
For all generative models, students must complete Writing I, a math course, and a natural science lab. From 2025 to 2026, students were required to take an additional writing course, Writing II. According to Pallante, in the 2025-2026 model, programs can replace the Writing II course with a writing course that applies to the program's area.
“Students who are taking history and majoring in the humanities might take a writing humanities course instead of just writing.” [writing II]. Similarly, engineering students may benefit from writing in courses in their field of study. [such as] Either you write for engineers or you write for science,” Pallante said.
Starting with the 2025-2026 model year, social sciences will be referred to as social and behavioral sciences. Each student will take two of her courses, both in this category and in Arts and Humanities. However, the courses must be from different disciplines. Depending on the program, students may have the option to count required courses toward their major.
The 2025-2026 model may apply to current YSU students graduating after summer 2025 and undergraduate students enrolling or re-enrolling in fall 2025, spring 2026, and summer 2026.
The 2024-2025 model may apply to current YSU students graduating after summer 2024 and students enrolling or re-enrolling in fall 2024, spring 2025, or summer 2025.
Pallante said students will have the option of continuing with their current generation course or switching to one of these models.
“Current students basically have two options: They can continue with their current general education model, or they can choose to take a new model if it streamlines what they have to take. '' Pallante said. “We encourage current students to meet with their advisors by fall 2025 to discuss which model is most prudent for them, and which model will provide the most efficient mobility within the university. Masu.”
Pallante said the change was made based on orders from YSU's Board of Trustees and the Ohio Department of Education.
“Four or five years ago, the Ohio Department of Education introduced a series of reforms to general education at the state level to streamline the academic process, increase consistency, and give more meaning to education.” Palante said. “The idea was very similar to our boards. They should have greater meaning and more consistency. That became a program called Ohio 36, which moved from one state agency to another state agency. It will be a state-guaranteed transition module if you move to.”
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