University of Missouri-Kansas City General Education Requirements

Degree Requirements for Transfer students:

Catalog Year

Requirements and regulations are provided in the UMKC Catalog for every academic program. Transfer students from community colleges and other universities are permitted to complete degree requirements in effect at the time of their enrollment as freshmen at a community college or university, so long as their enrollment was continuous from year to year (summer semesters excluded), programs have not been discontinued, and the program is not one of the following selective programs: Conservatory, Professional Teacher Education, Nursing Pre-Licensure. Students admitted into a selective program are required to complete catalog requirements for the term in which the student is fully admitted to the selective program.

All transfer students may elect to complete degree requirements in place at the time they begin at UMKC as a degree seeking student. Your advisor will work with you in your first semester to help you determine an appropriate catalog year for your requirements. Visit the UMKC’s Catalog Year Policy for further details.

Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Examination

To comply with a requirement passed into Missouri law in 2018, all students entering UMKC for the first time in Fall 2019 or after who have not previously completed a bachelor’s degree will be required to pass the Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Examination with a score of 70% or higher as a condition of graduation. Successful completion of this examination at any Missouri institution will fulfill this state requirement for degree completion when noted on the student’s transcript.

General Education Requirements for Transfer Students:

All UMKC undergraduate students complete general education requirements. New incoming transfer students who have not completed an Associate of Arts degree (or an Associate of Science from JCCC) will have the option to elect either the UMKC Essentials or the Missouri Transfer (MOTR) Core 42 curriculum to meet general education requirements. Visit UMKC Essentials and MOTRCore 42 for more information. For most programs, MOTR Core 42 is recommended for transfer students. Students should refer to program-specific information when choosing general education courses.

Missouri Transfer (MOTR) Core 42: Per a requirement passed into Missouri law in 2016, a state-wide general education curriculum specific to transfer students was created to facilitate transfer among Missouri’s public colleges and universities. This state-wide Core 42 curriculum requires 42 hours of coursework spread amongst five knowledge areas:

• Written and Oral Communications – nine (9) credit hours (six in written communications and three in oral communications)
• Mathematical Sciences – three (3) credit hours minimum
• Natural Sciences – seven (7) credit hours minimum, from at least two disciplines, including a course with a lab
• Humanities & Fine Arts – nine (9) credit hours minimum, from at least two disciplines
• Social & Behavioral Sciences – nine (9) credit hours minimum, from at least two disciplines, including a civics course
• Additional hours – five (5) additional credit hours distributed amongst the above five knowledge areas

Transfer Students with a Completed Core 42, an Associate of Arts* degree or a bachelor’s degree: Students who complete the CORE 42 curriculum at a participating Missouri institution, an Associate of Arts degree from any regionally accredited institution (*or an Associate of Science degree from JCCC), or a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution before transferring will have met all UMKC general education requirements.

Transfer Students with General Education Coursework in Progress: Students transferring to UMKC without the completed Core 42 or Associate of Arts degree (or an Associate of Science degree from JCCC) may have the option to complete either the UMKC Essentials or Core 42.

• Your advisor will review your transfer credits with you prior to the end of your first semester at UMKC to help you determine which general education curriculum best suits your degree plan and education needs.
• Transferring to UMKC from JCCC? Did you complete at least 15 credit hours at JCCC before transferring? You may be eligible to earn your associate's degree while working towards your bachelor's degree at UMKC. JCCC students are eligible to participate in the Missouri Reverse Transfer program at UMKC.

Core 42 Exempt Programs - UMKC Essentials Curriculum Recommended

• Students who complete CORE 42 will meet the general education requirements for most liberal arts and sciences degrees at UMKC. However, general education requirements for some degrees differ due to professional licensing and other requirements. For these programs it is not to the student’s advantage to complete the Core 42 curriculum as it likely adds hours to the student’s individual plan of study to complete their UMKC degree. To avoid adding time and cost to the student’s UMKC experience, transfer students are encouraged to complete the UMKC Essentials for the following programs:
  • Dance, Bachelor of Fine Arts o Early Childhood Education, Bachelor of Arts o Elementary Education, Bachelor of Arts 
  • Jazz Studies, Bachelor of Music o Music Education, Bachelor of Music Education
  • Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Pre-Licensure program) 
  • Performance, Bachelor of Music (all instruments) 

UMKC Essentials: The UMKC Essentials curriculum is comprised of Foundational courses in Written & Oral Communication, Math Pathways, and Civics, along with Essential Questions courses that will offer opportunities for conversations about perspectives and thought processes that will ultimately help you in your career.

• Credit related to Foundational course requirements (Written Communication, Oral Communication, Mathematics Pathway) and the Constitution course will be based on a course-to-course equivalency evaluation for UMKC Essentials and/or Core 42 MOTR course designation.
• Six (6) hours or more of credit for approved Core 42 courses (listed in tables below) within designated disciplines related to an Essential Questions (EQ) in Natural & Physical Sciences, the Social & Behavioral Sciences, or the Arts & Humanities will indicate that the student has met the Learning Outcomes of the EQ area and the requirement will be considered satisfied.
• Nine (9) hours of UMKC Essentials coursework (First Semester Experience, Culture & Diversity, Civic & Urban Engagement) must be taken at UMKC.