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University Core Curriculum (General Education) Requirements

All IUK students seeking a bachelor's degree must complete the university's core curriculum (General Education) requirements summarized in the below sections. The main objective of the university's core curriculum is to provide our students with a foundational knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world, mathematics and science, and to develop principles of personal and social responsibility to be global citizens.

The General Education Requirement provides students with knowledge and skills in:

 

Objectives of the Core Curriculum

The Core Curriculum courses will help develop and upgrade students' skills in the following areas:

 

General Education Courses

The below list depicts the objectives and the courses that comprise each area of the University core curriculum:

1. Compulsory Group (21 Credit Hours – All students)

This group consists of four areas:

• Communication and languages Area (12 Credit Hours):

Students must complete all the following courses:

* PT= Placement Test
Course code Course Title Credit Hours PRE-requisite CO-requisite
ENGL 100 Academic English 3 PT* or ENGL 095  
ENGL 110 English Composition 1 3 PT* or ENGL 100  
ENGL 120 English Composition 2 3 ENGL 110  
ARAB Arabic Language 1 or 2 3    
• Islamic Civilization and History knowledge Area (3 Credit Hours):

Students must select one of the following courses:

Course code Course Title Credit Hours PRE-requisite CO-requisite
HIST 110 HIST 110 Islamic and Arab Civilization 3   ENGL 100
ISLM 101 Islamic Culture 3   ENGL 100
• State of Kuwait Knowledge Area (3 Credit Hours):

Students must select one of the following courses:

Course code Course Title Credit Hours PRE-requisite CO-requisite
POLS 120 Kuwait Constitution & Government 3 ENGL 100  
HIST 120 Kuwait History 3   ENGL 100
• Creative thinking and Information Management Knowledge Area (3 Credit Hours):

Students must select one of the following courses:

Course code Course Title Credit Hours PRE-requisite CO-requisite
INFS 120 Intro. to Comp. & information Systems 3   ENGL 100
COMS 131 Computers and Problem Solving 3   ENGL 100
• Humanities, Arts, and Culture Knowledge Area (6 Credit Hours)

Students can select any six credits from the below table:

* Any other approved course
Course code Course Title Credit Hours PRE-requisite CO-requisite
ARAB 102 Arabic Language 2 3   ARAB 101
ARAB 230 Introduction to Arabic literature 3 ARAB 101  
ARTH 180 Art and Society 3   ENGL 110
MEDI 101 Introduction to Media and Communication 3 ENGL 100  
ARTH 190 Kuwait Art 3 ENGL 100  
ENGL 205 Introduction to English literature 3 ENGL 110  
HIST 251 History of Islamic Art & Architecture 3 HIST 110  
PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy 3 ENGL 100  
PHIL 105 Introduction to Ethics 3   ENGL 110
BUSG 100 Globalization & Environment 3 ENGL 100  
MUSI 262 History of Music I 3 ENGL 100  
• Social and Behavioral Sciences Knowledge Area (6 Credit Hours)

Students can select any six credits from the below table:

* Any other approved course
Course code Course Title Credit Hours PRE-requisite CO-requisite
ANTH 202 Intro. to Cultural Anthropology 3 ENGL 100  
ANTH 203 Intro. to Archaeology 3 ENGL 100  
ISLM 101 Islamic Culture 3   ENGL 100
COMM 130 Introduction to Public Speaking 3   ENGL 110
ECON 201 Global Economic Concepts 3   ENGL 110
HRMA Tourism 3 ENGL 100  
POLS 254 Law and Society 3 ENGL 110  
ARAB 110 Arabic Writing 3 ARAB 101  
PSYC 100 Introduction to Psychology 3 ENGL 100  
SOCS 100 Intro. to Sociology 3 ENGL 110  
TECH 113 Impact of Modern Tech on Society 3 ENGL 100  
• Mathematics and Natural Sciences Knowledge Area (9 Credit Hours)

Students can select any nine credits from the below table with at least six credits in Mathematics and three credits Science courses.

* Any other approved course
* Non-Engineering only
**PT = placement test
Course code Course Title Credit Hours PRE-requisite CO-requisite
MATH 100 Mathematics for Social Sciences 3 Only Art students  
MATH 110 College Algebra 3 PT/MATH 095  
MATH 114 Calculus for Business* 3 PT/MATH 095  
MATH 131 Calculus 1 3 PT/MATH 110  
MATH 211 Intro. to Probability & Statistics 3 MATH 110  
PHYS 101 Physics 1 4 PT ENGL 100
CHEM 131 General Chemistry 1 4 PT ENGL 100
BIOL 109 Human Genetics and Society 3 PT ENGL 100
BIOL 110 General Biology 1 3 PT ENGL 100
GEOL 102 Intro. to Global Climate Change 3 PT ENGL 100
GEOL 130 Intro. to Environmental Studies 3 PT ENGL 100

General rules of the University Core Curriculum:General Education

  • All undergraduate students from all disciplines at the International University of Kuwait must complete 42 units of general university requirements as a condition of meeting the degree’s requirements.
  • When registering for any general education course, students should meet the prerequisite or co-requisite preconditions.
  • All students must complete compulsory English courses during the first and the second years, i.e., before completing 60 modules.
  • Some disciplines, such as engineering, have special requirements for general education requirements.
  • If some courses satisfy both the general education requirements and the college or major requirements, they cannot be counted twice but must be substituted by other courses within the general education requirements.