According to its mission statement, Northwest Nazarene University offers an undergraduate curriculum that "is designed to instill a habit of mind that enables each student to become God's creative and redemptive agent in today's world." This curriculum provides both depth (the student's major field of study) and breadth (the General Education Program) to nurture NNU's students' highest intellectual, physical, and spiritual development.
The General Education Program is the foundation of all undergraduate education at Northwest Nazarene University. It purposely expresses, through curriculum, the mission of the University as a Christian liberal arts institution in the Wesleyan heritage. The objective of the General Education Program is to provide a common experience for the personal and intellectual growth of each student. Students are brought into contact with the great persons, ideas, and movement of human culture and the Christian faith. The curriculum is intellectually challenging and designed to set the tone for all courses at the University.
Standard General Education Requirements at a Glance (49 credits)
When planning a schedule, students should carefully review the detailed requirements following this summary.
Christian Formation - 12 credits
| Course Code | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIBL1100 | Intro to Biblical Studies | 3 |
| THEO2100 | Intro to Christian Theology | 3 |
| BIBL/THEO | Approved Upper Division Bib Lit or Theology Elective | 3 |
| PHIL | Approved Philosophy Elective | 3 |
Humanities - 13 Credits
| Course Code | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL | Approved Literature Elective | 3 |
| ARDE/MUSC | Approved Art History or Music History Elective | 3 |
| HIST | Approved U.S. History Elective | 3 |
| HIST | Approved non-U.S. History Elective | 3 |
| Capstone (see list below) | 1 | |
Intellectual/Practical - 9 Credits
| Course Code | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL1040 | Introduction to Academic Writing | 3 |
| ENGL3000W | Studies in Composition and Rhetoric (or an ENGL course with a W designation) | 3 |
| COMM | Approved Speech Course | 3 |
| Math Proficiency |
Satisfactory score on the mathematics portion of the ACT, SAT, or |
0 |
| 0 |
Sciences - 15 Credits
| Course Code | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| KINE1000 | Fundamentals of Wellness | 1 |
| KINE | Approved Kinesiology Activity Elective | 1 |
| Natural Science | Approved Natural Science Lecture Elective | 3 |
| Natural Science | Approved Natural Science Lab Elective | 1 |
| Social Science | Approved Social Science Elective | 3 |
| Additional Electives | Electives from two of the following areas to equal 6 credits:
|
Cultural Competency - 0 credits
Students are required to complete the NNU Cultural Competency Requirement. Requirements are explained in the detailed requirements following this summary.
To complete the General Education Program at Northwest Nazarene University, the student must take 49 semester credits of courses distributed in five categories. The categories with the number of credits required in each are:
I. Christian Formation (12 credits)
BIBL1100 - To be completed during the first three semesters of residence, must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.
THEO2100 - To be completed during the first five semesters of residence, must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.
Upper-division Bible literature or Theology (3)
Select one course from:
Philosophy Elective (3)
Select one course from:
II. Humanities (13 credits)
Literature elective (3)
Select one course from:
Art History/Music History Elective (3)
Select one course from:
History Electives (one U.S. and one non-U.S.) (6)
Select one U.S. history course from:
Capstone: Completion of one of the following capstone courses approved by the General Education Council (1-6)
III. Sciences (15 credits)
Activities (2)
KINE2640 is only open to kinesiology majors.
Natural Science Elective to include a laboratory (4)
Social Science Elective (3)
Select one course from:
Additional Science Electives (6)
Select two additional courses from two of the following three areas:
1. Mathematics
- One of the following approved mathematics courses:
2. Natural Science
- Approved natural science course from the list above
3. Social Science
- Approved social science course from the list above
IV. Intellectual and Practical Skills (9 credits)
Must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.
ENGL1040 - to be completed by the end of the first year of residence.
Approved public speaking course:
Must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.
Mathematics Proficiency (0)*
One of the following minimum test scores. Test scores must have been obtained within the previous five years.
- ACT Math score of 21 or higher
- SAT Math score of 570 or higher
- Accuplacer QRAS Score of 250 or higher
- Completion of an approved college level math course with a grade of C- or higher
* Must be completed by the end of the fourth semester in residence.
V. Cultural Competency Requirement
Students are required to complete the Cultural Competency Requirement. This may be accomplished through one of the three following pathways:
- Participating in an international study program outlined at nnu.edu/studyabroad.
- Completing one course with a Cultural Competency Experience (CE) designation.
3. Completing two courses with Cultural Competency (CC) designation.
The following courses have been approved for the CC designation:
Courses will be added as they are approved.
Additional Cultural Competency information:
- Students that transfer to NNU with a minimum of 60 credits will be required to complete only one course (CC or CE).
- If a student grew up in a Bi-Cultural/Bi-Lingual home or spent time overseas after the age of seven, life experience may be considered as part of the Cultural Competency requirement. For consideration, students may fill out a request with the General Education Council.
- Concurrent credit or transfer courses will not be considered for CC or CE credit.
- A faculty-directed research or internship course may receive the CC or CE designation. For consideration, students should work with their major advisor.
Additional General Education Note:
Interdisciplinary courses may be offered periodically which will satisfy two general education requirements with one course. Completion of interdisciplinary courses will reduce the number of credits required to satisfy the general education requirements. However, the student must still complete 124 overall credits and 32 upper division credits to satisfy graduation requirements.