General Education Requirements

At the University of Missouri-St. Louis, General Education affords both freshmen and transfer students the opportunity to develop and apply intellectual tools and to acquire a breadth of knowledge necessary to succeed in a rapidly changing, technology-driven, and diverse world. The UMSL Core and Explore curriculum challenges students to investigate various disciplines as potential majors and prepares them for success in major fields of study. It provides foundational knowledge in the basic competencies of Valuing, Managing Information, Communicating, and Higher-Order Thinking.

UMSL CORE & EXPLORE

  • Native students (those with less than 11 hours of college credit from another institution, excluding any dual enrollment credit earned in HS)
  • Students who plan to complete their degree at UMSL
  • Transfer students in professional degree programs:
    • BS, Actuarial Science
    • BS, Accounting
    • BS, Education
    • BS, Nursing
    • BS, Engineering
    • BSW, Social Work
  • General transfer students may opt in to this program

MISSOURI CORE 42

The core transfer curriculum, known as CORE 42, is a state-wide framework for general education that was implemented in the 2018-2019 academic year by all public two- and four-year institutions of higher education in the State of Missouri. CORE 42 provides a common framework that allows transfer students to fulfill general education requirements at any participating institution by completing courses with MOTR designations. Except for transfer students pursuing professional degrees, those who complete all CORE 42 requirements will have satisfied the general education requirements of UMSL. Students who partially completed CORE 42 at another institution may finish the remaining requirements to satisfy the general education requirements of UMSL. 

  • Transfer students (those with 11+ hours of college credit from another institution, excluding any dual enrollment credit earned in HS)
    • Students who plan to transfer and complete their studies at an institution other than UMSL
    • Students with transcripted MOTR courses not seeking a professional degree
    • Native students may not opt in to this program

I-Transfer

Students fulfilling the general education requirements outlined by the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) and certified by the sending institution will have met the lower division general education requirements at UMSL following the completion of the American History and Government course required by the state of Missouri. Courses listed under American History and Government  will meet that requirement.