Course and Experience Proposals

We support proposing a course or experiences to satisfy Common Curriculum requirements. 

Please review restrictions and requirement for each Common Curriculum component below. Please also note that each type of requirement has its own proposal form. The Office of General Education staff are able to assist you in developing your proposal.

Faculty may propose courses or experiences for Foundation Requirements, Breadth Requirements, or Proficiency & Experience requirements. Faculty proposing courses for Common Curriculum requirements must commit to teaching the course regularly (approximately every two years), to uploading a current syllabus to the SMU syllabus library each semester the course is taught, to administering an assessment assignment through Canvas each semester the course is taught, and to participating in the course portfolio process during the assessment cycle for the course (approximately every two to three years).

Staff may propose experiences (programs or organizations) for Proficiency & Experience requirements.

General Education Mission and Goals

All proposals must fit the mission and goals of General Education, and must address how they do so. 

The essence of Southern Methodist University’s educational philosophy is that intellectual and professional excellence rises from the solid foundation of a liberal arts education. Most importantly, general education should provide an intellectual foundation consisting of the broad outlines of human knowledge, providing a context for discipline-specific study, and a framework for a future of lifelong learning. In light of these considerations, an ideal general education course is one which builds a broad, context-rich framework in its content area. To the extent possible, it should transcend departmental boundaries, connecting to ideas in related fields, and relevant social and ethical questions.

The goals of the Common Curriculum are to:

  • prepare students to be informed, ethical, and engaged citizens.
  • prepare students to think critically across domains.
  • prepare students to communicate clearly in writing and speaking.
  • provide students the scientific, mathematical, and technological competence to navigate a changing world.
  • prepare students to understand, work, and live with people from different races, nationalities, religions, backgrounds, and experiences.

Proposal forms

Common Curriculum Component Associated Requirements Proposal Forms
Foundations Quantitative Reasoning; Academic Writing; Critical Reasoning; Second Language Requirement  Course Proposals
Breadths Creativity & Aesthetics; Exploring Science; Historical Context; Literary Analysis & Interpretation; Philosophical, Religious, and Ethical Inquiry; Social & Behavioral Sciences; Technological Advances & Society Course Proposals
Proficiencies & Experiences Community Engagement; Civics & Individual Ethics; Global Perspectives; Human Diversity; Oral Communication; Quantitative Applications; Writing

Course Proposals

Experience Proposals



Submitting a proposal

Upon completing your proposal form(s) above, please submit your proposal via our electronic course proposal system. No email submissions will be accepted. You and your department chair/supervisor will receive status updates and communications along the review process.

Submit a Proposal