Degree Requirements

General Education and Program Requirements

Associate degree curricula require a variety of courses to broaden students’ understanding of the world as well as prepare them for employment or advanced study in their fields. Curricula therefore stress the students’ major subjects, but also include general education courses.

New Mexico Core Curriculum

The state of New Mexico adopted a new general education core curriculum in the fall of 2019.

By providing a base of knowledge and flexible tools for thinking, the general education core curriculum empowers students to face a rapidly changing world. General education equips students for success throughout their education and in future employment. It also provides pathways to community engagement, awareness of diverse local and global experiences, and enhancement of life through curiosity, learning, and tolerance.  A student's program of study offers the opportunity to specialize in an area of specific interest and in the practices belonging to a particular field (for example, General Science or Liberal Arts). In contrast, the general education core curriculum provides a set of essential skills: communication, critical thinking, information and digital literacy, quantitative reasoning, and personal and social responsibility. Students develop these skills from different angles by taking one or more courses in each of the areas of the core curriculum: Writing and Speaking, Mathematics, Physical and Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Humanities, Languages, and Arts.  Completing the general education core curriculum early on sets students up for achievement throughout their college careers.

All students must complete 31 credit hours of course work in general education, following the guidelines below. General education consists primarily of lower-division courses (numbered at the 1000- and 2000-level). Only some of these courses fulfill a requirement within a major and only some are prerequisites to the major. Except where noted (see the Student Services section of this catalog), students may apply AP or CLEP credit to general education requirements.

Departments and colleges at main campus or other four-year institutions may restrict student choices within the core curriculum to meet departmental and college degree requirements. A grade of C (not C-) is required in all courses used to the requirements of the core curriculum. Courses taken CR/NC can be applied to the core curriculum, subject to general university and individual college and department regulations on the number of credits that can be taken CR/NC and the applicability of courses taken CR/NC to the individual degree.

Transfer students who have demonstrated completion of all of the requirements for General Education at another higher education institution in New Mexico will not be required to General Education requirements at UNM, unless they opt to do so. Transfer students who have not completed all of the requirements for General Education at another higher education institution in New Mexico will need to follow the University of New Mexico requirements for General Education listed here. 

UNM-Valencia recognizes, however, that the highly structured nature of many degree programs and the presence of numerous transfer and non-traditional students requires flexibility on its part. Transfer and returning students will receive advising based on the program to which they are admitted in order to establish an appropriate program that will meet their needs and the aims of the core curriculum. Where degree program requirements are so structured that a student’s total academic program credits would be increased by taking a core curriculum course in a particular area, a department may approve a blanket substitution of a course in a particular area for all students pursuing a degree in that particular program. Approval of substitutions or exceptions is handled through the department and the Dean of Instruction, after the student consults with an advisor.

The General Education Core Curriculum requires a minimum of 31 credit hours of courses in eight areas of study: 

1. Communication (6 hours): ENGL 1120 (Composition II), plus one additional course from the following:

*Students who do not place into ENGL 1120 may apply three credit hours from Area 8 (Student Choice) to fulfill the pre-requisite ENGL 1110 (Composition I).

2. Mathematics and Statistics (3 hours): One course at the appropriate level as determined by placement from the following:

3. Physical and Natural Sciences (4 hours): One course and, where applicable, the related laboratory from the following:

4. Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 hours): One course from the following:        
   

5. Humanities (3 hours): One course from the following:  

6. Second Language (non-English language; 3 hours): One course in the student’s second language. Students will follow campus guidelines on placement in the appropriate language level. Languages regularly offered at UNM-Valencia include American Sign Language, French, and Spanish.

7. Arts and Design (3 hours): One course from the following:      

   * Students may elect to take one 3-hour studio course offered by the Humanities Division to fulfill this requirement.

8. Student Choice (6 hours): The remaining 6 credit hours of the general education core curriculum are student choice. A student should choose two additional courses from two of the different areas. Students who do not place into ENGL1120 may apply 3 credit hours from the Student Choice area to fulfill the pre-requisite ENGL 1110.
   
   ¹ These courses are not generally offered at UNM-Valencia.

Note: The University of New Mexico has a US and Global Diversity requirement, which can be satisfied with a qualified general education course. This is a university requirement that applies to all undergraduates, including transfer students.

Associate Degree and Certificate Program Requirements

1. Complete the number of credit hours and the specific course requirements as outlined for the degree or certificate.
2. Earn a minimum of 15 credit hours for the degree and/or 9 credit hours for the certificate in residence at UNM-Valencia Campus.
3. Complete all required coursework for the degree or certificate with a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA). Please be aware that UNM and other four year institutions may require a higher GPA for admission to upper division course work. Students are encouraged to consult with an academic advisor for specific requirements in this respect.
4. No basic skills courses (e.g., ENGL 099/100, MATH 099/100/021/022, ACAM 100, ACAD 099/100 are accepted toward the number of credit hours required for graduation.
5. Must receive a grade of “C” or better on all General Education and Degree Core Requirement courses.