Skip to content

Arts & Sciences General Education Requirements

Reference Table for A&S General Education
FOR USE WITH EARS

Table for Use with SDB

Waive 1 credit of composition
Waive 1 credit of writing
Foreign Language: Native Speaker

Waive 1 credit in an AofI

Second foreign language as A&H
Allow an unusual course toward AofIs
DARS fails to apply a course to the correct AofI
Waive AofI credit for postbaccalaureate
Remove AofIs for postbaccalaureate

ENGLISH COMPOSITION:  5 credits

You can waive 1 credit ONLY
if the student has a 4-credit comp course from Western Washington University.

In –  Select an exception from this list  (at the bottom of the Degree Audit page) select:
Waive required credits 
(third one down)

Within the exception, enter …

Requirement name (PSNAME): ENGLCOMPOSITION
Credit change desired: -1
Comment to display on audit: WWU COURSE

… and click on Submit.

WRITING:  10 credits

You can waive 1 credit for any student.

In –  Select an exception from this list  (at the bottom of the Degree Audit page) select
Waive 1 credit of an Area of Inquiry or Writing

Within the exception, after A of I:, select the 4th choice:  Writing (A&S)
… and click on Submit.

You can reject a course from the requirement.

In –  Select an exception from this list  (at the bottom of the Degree Audit page) select:  
Reject a course from counting toward a requirement

Within the exception, make these entries:

Requirement name (PSNAME):  WRITINGREJ

Course: 0 ENGL__ 141 (for example)

… and click on Submit.

 

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

DARS usually knows whether a student is a native speaker of another language and will automatically show this requirements as satisfied.  Occasionally that information isn’t available to DARS.  If the student satisfies the very specific requirements to qualify, as described in the AIF, …

In  Select an exception from this list  (at the bottom of the Degree Audit page) select:
Waive foreign language requirement
(the 6th from the top).

Within the exception, enter …

Student is a native speaker of: SPANISH  (for example)

… and click on Submit.

AREAS OF INUIRY:  75 credits

You can waive 1 credit for any student in one or two areas, but the total required in all three remains 75.

In –  Select an exception from this list  (at the bottom of the Degree Audit page) – select:
Waive 1 credit of an Area of Inquiry or Writing

Within the exception, after A of I:, select the appropriate one of the first three choices … 

A&H (A&S)
SSc (A&S)
NSc (A&S)

… and click on Submit.

You can allow a first-year course of the student’s second foreign language to count as A&H (Review this topic in the AIF).

In  Select an exception from this list  (at the bottom of the Degree Audit page) – select:  
Allow a course to count toward a major requirement
(even though it’s not a major requirement).

Within the exception, make these entries:

Requirement name (PSNAME): A&H1

Course: 0 SPAN__ 103 (for example)

Comment to display on audit:  SPAN IS 2ND FOREIGN LANG

… and click on Submit.


To allow additional courses from the sequence, create another exception for each.

You can allow a course to apply towards an Area of Inquiry for which it is not normally recognized.
(Review this topic in the AIF.)

In  Select an exception from this list  (at the bottom of the Degree Audit page) select:  
Allow a course to count toward a major requirement
(even though it’s not a major requirement).

Within the exception, make these entries:

Requirement name (PSNAME):

APPR-A&H   or –
APPR-SSC  
– or –
APPR-NSC

Course: 0 ANTH__  498 (for example)

… and click on Submit.

DARS occasionally fails to apply a course to the correct area. This most often happens when the student has a number of courses that are eligible for use in more than one area. You can fix it by forcing a course out of an area if it’s needed elsewhere.
NOTE: If the student has not yet completed all 75 credits, wait–and tell the student to be patient. The courses will most likely be applied correctly in the end.

In –  Select an exception from this list  (at the bottom of the Degree Audit page) select:  
Reject a course from counting toward a requirement

Within the exception, make these entries:

Requirement name (PSNAME):

             A&H-R
SSC-R    
– or –
             NSC-R     – or –
GE-REJ

Course: 0 COM___ 220 (for example)

… and click on Submit.

If a postbaccalaureate student has completed some but not all credits of AofIs elsewhere, you can waive those credits.  [Note: Admissions does not transfer credit for students in postbaccalaureate status.]
The “additional AofIs to reach 75” requirement is automatically removed from postbaccalaureate audits.

In –  Select an exception from this list  (at the bottom of the Degree Audit page) – select:
Waive required credits

Within the exception, enter …

Requirement name (PSNAME): A&H   (- or –   SSC   – or –   NSC)

Credit change desired: -#  (the number of credits completed elsewhere)

Comment to display on audit: # CR COMPLETED ELSEWHERE

… and click on Submit.  Create another exception for each AofI in which you want to waive credit.

If a postbaccalaureate student has completed 20 credits of an AofI elsewhere, you can remove the requirement from the audit.  [Note: Admissions does not transfer credit for students in postbaccalaureate status.]
The “additional AofIs to reach 75” requirement is automatically removed from postbaccalaureate audits.

In –  Select an exception from this list  (at the bottom of the Degree Audit page) – select:
Insert or remove a requirement, using a 1-character code
(3rd from the bottom)

Within the exception, enter the code for the area you want to remove (V=A&H, I=SSc, N=NSc)…

First code to attach: V  (or –  I  – or –  N)

If you want to remove a second area, use the next line:

Second code to attach:  (or N)

… and click on Submit.

If you want to remove a NSc also:

In –  Select an exception from this list  (at the bottom of the Degree Audit page) select:
Insert or remove a requirement, using a 1-character code
(3rd from the bottom)

Within the exception, enter the code for the area you want to remove…

First code to attach: 

… and click on Submit.

DIVERSITY:  1 course, minimum 3 credits

You can allow a course to apply towards Diversity when not normally recognized as such.  Follow the same guidelines for applying an AoI designation to a course.

You may only make this exception for courses within your own college. COURSES OUTSIDE OF YOUR COLLEGE MUST BE PETITIONED.

(Review this topic in the AIF.)

In  Select an exception from this list  (at the bottom of the Degree Audit page) select:  
Allow a course to count toward a major requirement
(even though it’s not a major requirement).

Within the exception, make these entries:

Requirement name (PSNAME):

APPR-DV

Course: 0 ANTH__  498 (for example)

… and click on Submit.

Reference Table for Use with the SDB

Guide to RU Exceptions on SDB
Guide to Postbaccalaureate Audits

Double Degree Exception on SDB

Proficiency Requirements
Postbaccalaureate Students and Areas of Inquiry
Areas of Inquiry
Second Foreign Language as A&H

REQUIREMENT

PSNAME

WHAT YOU CAN DO

FIELDS TO USE

ENGLISH COMPOSITION

5 credits

ENGLCOMPOSITION

Waive 1 credit: ONLY with a 4-credit composition course from Western Washington University.

REQHRS: – 1

WRITING

10 credits

WRITING

Waive one credit

REQHRS: – 1

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Native speaker

NATSPEAK

Waive the requirement

REQSRQ/REQCT: -1

3rd level or higher in high school

FL-HS

Waive the requirement

REQSRQ/REQCT: -1

POSTBACCALAUREATE AND AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE

Notes in blue are for postbaccalaureate who have satisfied AoI requirements with courses at another institution.

1.  If 20 credits of an area of inquiry were completed at another college and those credits were never transferred to UW:

Create an SQ exception.
NOTE:
(On EARS, select “Insert or remove a requirement, using a 1-character code (SQ exception)”
–Place a
V or I or N after AC1: and/or AC2:.
On EARS: Enter the code after “First code to attach.”
A second code can be entered after “Second code to attach.”
To remove all three, use AC1:
V and AC2: I. Create a second SQ exception with AC1: N.

2.  If the student has only partially completed the AoIs elsewhere, waive the number completed in an RU exception.

AREAS OF INQUIRY

NOTE: DARS will normally juggle courses in the AOIs to the student’s best advantage–after all required courses are taken. However, if it fails, you can bump one out by creating an exception with the psname
A&H-R,
SSC-R,
NSC-R
 or
GE-REJ
(final group–to bring total to 75) and entering the COURSE you want to move.

A&H

20 credits

A&H

Waive a credit

BLUE REFERS TO POSTBACS

REQHRS: – 1

REQHRS: -#
Comment: COMPLETED ELSEWHERE

A&H1

Allow a completed 1st year of a 2nd foreign language

COURSE:

Special topics courses which you determine to qualify as A&H (Ind study and research must be referred to Gateway)

APPR-A&H

Allow the course to count as A&H

COURSE:

SSc

20 credits

SSC

Waive a credit

BLUE REFERS TO POSTBACS

REQHRS: – 1

REQHRS: -#
Comment: COMPLETED ELSEWHERE

Special topics courses which you determine to qualify as SSc (Ind study and research must be referred to Gateway)

APPR-SSC

Allow the course to count as SSc

COURSE:

NW

20 credits

NSC

Waive a credit

BLUE REFERS TO POSTBACS

REQHRS: – 1

REQHRS: -#
Comment: COMPLETED ELSEWHERE

Special topics courses which you determine to qualify as NSc (Ind study, fieldwork and research must be referred to Gateway)

APPR-NSC

Allow the course to count as NSc

COURSE:

The “additional AoIs” requirement does not appear in postbaccalaureate audits.