»Frequently Asked Questions about General Education

Because every student comes to Chapman with a different background, and each student will choose a different secondary area of study, it is difficult to predict exactly how many credits will be required for you to complete Chapman’s General Education (GE) program. 

• If you are a first year student who has test credit or completed dual enrollment credit, you will need fewer credits than students who do not have those experiences. 
• If you have studied language in high school, you may only need one course at the intermediate level or if you are demonstrably proficient in a language other than English, you may be exempt from the language requirement.

If you have to complete every GE requirement because neither of these apply, you would need 45 credits at a minimum to complete the program.

However, you may end up sharing from one to three courses in your major with your GE requirements, so that 45 credit minimum can be reduced by as much as 9 credits, making the minimum 36 credits. Transfer students should consult the GE Policies for Transfer Students to get a better idea of the number of credits they will need to complete.

The computer will automatically assign GE courses in a specific sequence, but you can change that just by asking. If a GE course is assigned to a category other than the GE category that you want to use it in, email the Registrar at registrar@chapman.edu.

You will need to tell them the name of the course and where you wish it to be applied. When emailing the office, be sure to send the message from your Chapman email and include your student ID number. (You can fill out the GE Course Usage form, but an email is sufficient!).

No. Students may not request GE review of an existing Chapman course. This may only be requested by faculty.

There may be specific reasons that an academic unit does not want a course to be included in the GE program (usually that they are not able to provide enough seats to accommodate GE students, or it is a course only open to majors).

The first place to start for most courses is at the Registrar’s Transfer and Articulation page.  Read the Policies and Guidelines for instructions. If there is no information available on the course you have taken or plan to take, you may request review of that course by providing the syllabus and attaching it to the Transfer/Study Abroad Course Petition for GE Approval.

If the course is part of the study abroad program, please refer to the GE and Study Abroad page.  If there is no information available on the course you have taken or plan to take, you may email articulation@chapman.edu and ask for a review of the course based on the course description.

The instructions and guidelines for developing and declaring a self-designed major or minor can be found on the forms:

• Self-Designed Major Form
• Self-Designed Minor Form

It is important that you work with a faculty advisor to design the major or minor so that it meets the purposes for those degree opportunities, and has integrity as an academic area of study.

Self-designed majors and minors are approved by faculty committees and there is no guarantee of approval.  You also must apply for approval for a self-designed major or minor prior to completing 75 credits. 

Check with the Office of the University Registrar. You need to request that the certification of completion is sent to Chapman. Simply completing an associate’s degree does not mean that you have completed the certification process. Any further questions? Check with the Registrar.

If you are fluent (reading, writing and speaking) in a language other than English, there are a few ways you can waive or complete the Language Inquiry requirement.

• If you attended secondary school and it was taught in a language other than English, we need verification from your former school indicating the primary language of instruction. Send proof to the Office of the University Registrar.
• You can take a proficiency test in your native language. See Language Proficiency Testing information.
• You can take a Chapman course at the 300-level or above taught in the language in which you are proficient. To get permission to waive the pre-requisite 201-level course, contact the Chair of the World Languages and Culture Department.

• If you are an American student who has completed a high school-equivalent program outside the U.S., you satisfy the Global Studies Inquiry requirement in full.
• If you are an international student, you have completed the Global Studies Inquiry requirement in full. If you are an international student for whom English is a second language and you completed high school abroad in a language other than English, it is recommended that you consult with the Office of the University Registrar about documentation required to waive you from the Language Inquiry requirement.

Interterm class registration is done at the same time as registration for spring semester in the late fall. Summer class registration takes place at the same time as fall registration in late spring.

A laboratory science class is not mandatory to complete the Natural Sciences Inquiry. Science classes that do not have a laboratory requirement can be used to complete the Natural Sciences Inquiry as long as they are on the approved Natural Sciences Inquiry course list. Some science courses have laboratory sections that are mandatory for the course, and in this case, you have to take the lab.

No, classes may only be used in one GE category. GE classes also cannot be shared with the Themed Inquiry.