What are ‘General Education Requirements?’
All bachelor’s degrees are made up from three types of courses: general education, major field of study (program), and elective coursework.
General education requirements, or GERs, are the foundation of bachelor’s degrees. Your chosen degree program (major) will provide you with a depth of knowledge. General education courses are intended to provide you with a breadth of knowledge and skills. Additionally, these foundational courses help ensure you have a versatile skillset in areas such as communication, critical thinking, and self-reliance.
Each university has its own GERs. Your Success Coach (SC) will assist in creating your Academic Plan of Study (APS), which will incorporate your general education requirements, program requirements, and elective options. All transferable prior college coursework will be considered in meeting these requirements.
If you have earned an Associate of Arts and Sciences degree from a University of Wisconsin institution, your GERs are satisfied.
What are ‘Residency Requirements?’
Every college or university requires a certain number of credits earned in residency. This simply means that in order to earn a degree or certificate from an institution, you need to complete a minimum number of credits at that institution. Residency in this case does not mean you have to attend in-person or live in Wisconsin. You will need to meet the minimum residency requirements of your home campus even if it means the total credits you earn is greater than 120 for bachelor’s degrees or 60 for associate degrees.
Select your home campus to view its requirements:
UW-Milwaukee (Bachelor)
If you are enrolled in a UW Flexible Option bachelor’s program at UW-Milwaukee, you will follow the general education requirements (GER) as described in the UW-Milwaukee catalog. The GERs are listed on this website for your convenience, but you should always review UW-Milwaukee’s website for the most up-to-date information.
Oral and Written Communication (6 credits)
Quantitative Literacy (6 credits)
Foreign Language Requirement (6 credits)
Distribution Requirements (21 credits)
Cultural Diversity (3 credits)
Residency Requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree at UW-Milwaukee
At UW-Milwaukee, a minimum of 120 credits are required to earn a bachelor’s degree. Transfer students must complete at least 30 credits with UWM, even if this brings the total number of earned credits beyond the total number of credits required for the degree. Some colleges specify that those must be the last 30 credits earned. Consult your Success Coach to learn more.For example, if you enter a UW Flexible Option program with 100 transferable credits, you must still complete 30 credits with UWM to receive the bachelor’s degree (even though normally the degree requires 120 credits).
Remember, residency in this case does not mean you have to attend in-person or live in Wisconsin; you simply must complete the required number of credits at UW-Milwaukee.