Student Information

Durable skills are a set of transferrable, long-lasting competencies that combine cognitive abilities, interpersonal skills, and personal character traits, that enable individuals to adapt and thrive in different professional environments. These include skills like critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity, alongside character qualities such as leadership, resilience, and a growth mindset.

In the last year, conversations about durable skills have been part of statewide conversations about general education. Initial research at the U of I showed that our general education faculty are already incorporating durable skills into general education courses, with faculty reporting critical thinking, growth mindset, and communication as the most frequently addressed durable skills in the general education curriculum.

For more information about Durable Skills, visit https://www.durableskillsadvantage.org/.

NACE Competencies are eight essential career readiness skills identified by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) that prepare students for success in the workforce. These competencies include critical thinking, communication, teamwork, leadership, professionalism, career and self-development, technology, and equity and inclusion. They are valued by employers across all industries and help students develop the ability to adapt, collaborate, and problem-solve in professional environments.

General education courses play a key role in building NACE Competencies by fostering foundational skills that apply to a wide range of careers. For example, writing and communication courses strengthen students' ability to express ideas effectively, while science and math courses enhance critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. Through a combination of coursework, extracurricular activities, and hands-on experiences, students can develop and refine these competencies, making them well-rounded and prepared for their future careers.

For more information about the NACE Competencies, visit https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/career-readiness-defined/.

The UI General Education Curriculum prepares undergraduate students to be life-long learners by aligning with the University Learning Outcomes that state all students at the UI will learn to:

• Learn and integrate
• Think and create
• Use multiple and interdisciplinary methods and strategies
• Communicate and collaborat
• Clarify purpose and perspective
• Practice good citizenship

Your academic advisor will help you select General Education courses that can be used to satisfy both state and institutional general education requirements. Together, these are the classes known as the General Education Curriculum.

Students at the University of Idaho must take courses in the following nine categories to complete the UI General Education Curriculum:

1. Written Communication (3-6 credits, depending on placement)
2. Oral Communicaiton (2-3 credits)
3. Scientific Ways of Knowing (8 credits from two different disciplines which include two accompanying labs, OR 7 credits which includes a Core Science course (CORS) and one course with an accompanying lab)
4. Mathematical Ways of Knowing (3 credits)
5. Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing (6 credits from two different disciplines)
6. Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing (6 credits from two different disciplines)
7. American Diversity (1 course)
8. International (1 course or an approved study abroad experience)
9. Capstone Experience (1 course)

The courses that fall into each of the above categories can be found in the Catalog in section J-3.

All undergraduate students at the University of Idaho must fulfill the UI General Education Curriculum requirements. See the Catalog for more information about General Education Curriculum requirements for Transfer Students. Below, you’ll find a summary of the information presented in the Catalog:

If you have completed one of the degrees or programs listed below prior to admission to the UI, you are considered to have already satisfied the UI General Education Curriculum requirements:

1. An A.A. or A.S. earned at a regionally accredited institution.
2. A completed Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) at a regionally accredited California community college.
3. The completion of the 36 credits of general education requirements, as defined in Idaho State Board Policy III.N, without an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree AND you transfer from a regionally accredited postsecondary institution in Idaho.

If you come to the UI without having completed an A.A. or A.S. or are not certified as having completed the equivalent of Idaho’s State Board of Education general education core, you have two options for fulfilling the UI General Education Curriculum:

1. Complete the UI General Education Curriculum using a combination of transfer credits and credits you take at the UI. In this case, transfer credits are evaluated on a course-by-course basis for equivalency to courses specified in J-3, and missing coursework is made up by completing the necessary credits outlined in J-3.
2. Complete the Idaho State Board of Education general education requirements as listed in the “Alternative General Education Requirements for Transfer Students” under the “General Education Requirements for Transfer Students” in the “Admission to the University” section of the Catalog.