Office of Assessment, Accreditation, and Academic Program Planning | Curriculum Committees | General Education Council | MAC Policies and Processes
MAC Policies and Processes
General education program completion policy
The GEC completion policy will apply to students who remain on catalogs between 2001-2002 and 2020-2021 and have completed the following general education requirements as outlined in their Degree Works evaluation:
• have earned a minimum of 30 hours in general education courses,
• have taken general education courses that span a minimum of 6 GEC categories, AND
• have earned credit for a minimum of 1 course with a GMT (GEC) or Quantitative Reasoning (MAC) designation.
When the above criteria are met, a student has fulfilled the requirements of GEC and no additional coursework will be required. This designation will be reflected on the student’s Degree Works evaluation.
Students who believe they have met these requirements may request a review of their transcript through the steps outlined on the accompanying procedures document.
Detailed steps for policy implementation are explained in a separate procedures document as discussed in the University Policy Development and Review Guidelines.
UNCG’s new general education curriculum, known as Minerva’s Academic Curriculum (MAC), is a foundational1 competency based program. First of all, MAC-certified courses introduce competencies at an introductory level, within the context of particular fields of study or disciplines. MAC-certified courses are primarily concerned with broadening general knowledge and promoting inquiry into an area of study, rather than delivering applied or professional training.
Given that 300 level courses imply delivery of content- or skill-related competence beyond the foundational and introductory levels, 100 and 200 level courses are most appropriate for inclusion in the program. The General Education Council (GEC) acknowledges that some departments or programs offer several levels and types of foundational or introductory courses, including some intended for majors and some for non-majors. That said, to approve a 300-level course into MAC would constitute an exception to the rule, given the pedagogical and programmatic spirit of MAC.
Programs or units that delivered 300- or 400-level courses through UNCG’s former General Education Program (GEP) may adjust to MAC by submitting a course level change request to the General Education Council (GEC). If such courses are genuinely foundational in nature and appropriate to the spirit of MAC, they should be re-classified as 100 or 200 level for continued inclusion in the program. However, there might be some unusual cases where courses cannot be reclassified as 100 or 200 level courses. The General Education Council will consider only 300-level appeals. For a 300-level course to be considered for MAC, it must meet the criteria below and must make a compelling case explaining criteria #2, 3 and 4.
Anyone requesting a 300 level MAC exemption must clearly answer and/or demonstrate the following criterion have been met. The GEC reserves the right to inquire and request more information as needed to properly review and assess the merits of the exemption. None of the following criteria should be used as justification for the exemption:
- The course was in the old General Education Program.
- A program needs the course to be in MAC. Programs should adjust to the MAC, not the other way around.
- This is how students achieve 36 hours at the 300+ level. It is not the function of MAC to satisfy such a requirement. At 34 credits, students have 86 credits to satisfy Program and University requirements. It is the responsibility of the Program to meet University requirements.
Click here to access the MAC 300 Level Exemption form.
To access this form, you must be logged into your UNCG iSpartan email account. If you’re not logged in, please log into your UNCG email account first, then continue your with your MAC 300 Exemption request.
1 Foundation skills are the knowledge or skills that make other learning possible. Foundational courses in the MAC should provide the college level bases of learning upon which other learning in the student’s UNCG career is built. They introduce college level skills and knowledge that are later developed in progressively more advanced courses.