General Education

All degree-seeking CAPS students (those pursuing A.A., A.S., B.A., and B.S. degrees), must fulfill the general education requirements in addition to major and elective requirements. The CAPS general education curriculum contains courses categorized into six goal areas corresponding to the goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum listed below. In each general education course, students work on personal capacities such as mathematics, writing, and speaking that help them succeed personally and professionally.

Goal Area 1 Communication
Goal Area 2 Critical Thinking
Goal Area 3 Mathematical/Logical Reasoning
Goal Area 5 History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences
Goal Area 6 The Humanities and Fine Arts

Students may transfer in some or all of those requirements from other colleges or universities. Students seeking to transfer in general education requirements should review the Catalog section entitled "Transfer Credit Policies."

The CAPS general education requirement in academic research writing may be fulfilled by the completion of a course or sequence of courses typically comprising at least 4 credit hours of instruction in written English only if the course(s) display all of the following components:

  • Academic focus: Students compose, format, and edit text according to the language expectations of the academic community.
  • Research: Students complete a library research project at the undergraduate level.
  • Research writing: Students compose a formal essay compiling accumulated research.
  • Documentation: Students document their information sources according to a standard academic format such as those maintained by the APA or MLA.
  • Completion of sequence: The course completes a lower division sequence of writing courses required of all graduates.
 

Associate of Arts Degree

General Education and Electives 60 semester credit hours
Required to Graduate 60 semester credit hours

Associate of Science Degree

General Education and Electives 30 semester credit hours
Major 30 semester credit hours
Required to Graduate 60 semester credit hours

Baccalaureate Degree

Bethel Distinctives, General Education, and Electives 71-89 semester credit hours
Major 33-51 semester credit hours
Required to Graduate 122 semester credit hours

Students may take more than the minimum of 60 or 122 credits required to graduate. Additional elective credits are created when a course satisfies more than one requirement. This does not reduce the total credits required for graduation.

Minors: Although minors are not required, many students choose to complete one in order to pursue an area of interest or to complement their baccalaureate major. Students may choose to use their elective credits toward the minor or take additional credits. Students may not earn a minor in a program in which they are earning or have earned a major or certificate except where specifically noted in the Academic Programs and Disciplines section of this catalog.

Bethel Distinctive Courses

The Bethel Distinctives curriculum comprises two upper-division courses (8 credits) required of students intending to earn a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree through the College of Adult & Professional Studies.  Bethel Distinctive courses must be taken in residence. Students who have already completed a bachelor's degree from the College of Arts & Sciences are exempt from this requirement.

CORE 300Community, Self and Formation4
CORE 330HExamining Crucial Questions4
Total Credits8

Outcomes

  1. Understand foundational concepts of Christianity.
  2. Develop method for evaluating sources of influence.
  3. Apply sources of influence to personal and professional life philosophy.

Foundations of Math Readiness 

The Foundations of Math Readiness (FMR) course helps students who need additional preparation to increase their probability of success in CAPS programs. Any CAPS student may take the FMR course, but it is required for all new students who are admitted to CAPS with fewer than 45 credits and who have a cumulative high school or college GPA below 2.5 or a combined GED score below 451. Students admitted with 45 or more credits are not required to take the FMR course.  

MATH090 Foundations is a pre-college course that does not lead to college-level credit that would be applied to degree, certificate, or license requirements. The course does not result in a tuition charge to students but does require a fee that provides access to materials.

MATH 090 • Foundations of Mathematics 0 Credit

 

Connect with Bethel