Essential Studies

Essential Studies (ES) is UND's program in general education. Along with your major, it helps form the core of your UND undergraduate education. We focus on more than general coursework, we focus on the essential skills employers are seeking. The heart of ES is its six learning goals. Each learning goal is aligned with the competencies employers report wanting most in employees. Essential Studies helps to set UND students up for a successful career. Every ES course you take at UND will focus on at least one of the six learning goals.

Learning Goals

Critical Inquiry & Analysis

Collect and analyze information to reach conclusions based on evidence.

Inquiry is a systematic process of exploring issues, objects or works through the collection and analysis of evidence that results in informed conclusions or judgments. Analysis is the process of breaking complex topics or issues into parts to gain a better understanding of them.

Quantitative Reasoning

Be competent and comfortable when working with numbers and graphic displays of information based on numbers.

Quantitative Reasoning is competency and comfort in working with numerical data, using it to reason and solve quantitative problems from a wide array of authentic contexts and everyday life situations, and to create and clearly communicate sophisticated arguments supported by quantitative evidence, such as by using words, tables, graphs, mathematical equations, etc., as appropriate.

Written Communication

Develop and express ideas in writing or with a mix of words, data and images.

Written Communication is the development and expression of ideas in writing. Written communication involves learning to work in many genres and styles. It can involve working with many different writing technologies, and mixing text, data, and images.

Oral Communication

Present information (formally or informally) in various settings and sizes to achieve some purpose.

Oral communication involves a purposeful verbal presentation designed to increase knowledge, to foster understanding, or to promote change in the listeners' attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors.

Information Literacy

Find necessary information, understand where that information comes from, evaluate and use the information appropriately.

Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.

Intercultural Knowledge & Skills

Acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to interact successfully with others from different backgrounds, and apply that understanding to contemporary issues.

Intercultural knowledge and skills foster the capacity to meaningfully engage with the perspectives of people whose cultures and identities are different from one's own. To meaningfully engage with others' perspectives, one must be aware of how those perspectives are shaped by larger social structures, by issues of contemporary importance, and by issues that arise in global society.

Breadth of Knowledge Requirements

Courses must be on the approved list during the semester you complete them in order to count toward your Essential Studies requirements.

Some courses count toward both your Breadth of Knowledge and your Special Emphasis.

You must complete at least 9 credit hours in each of the Breadth of Knowledge areas. Fine Arts & Humanities are combined as one area so that you need a total of 9 credits among them with at least 3 in each:

Special Emphasis Requirements

Courses must be on the approved list during the semester you complete them in order to count toward your Essential Studies requirements.

Some courses count toward both your Breadth of Knowledge and your Special Emphasis.

You must complete at least 3 credit hours in each of the Special Emphasis areas:

If you are a student who began at UND prior to Fall 2020 and are looking for US Diversity or Global Diversity courses, they can be found here: https://und.edu/academics/essential-studies/courses.html

Capstone Requirements

Courses must be on the approved list during the semester you complete them in order to count toward your Essential Studies requirements.

Essential Studies Capstone courses are taken at the end of your undergraduate program (within 3 semesters of graduation).

Some courses count toward both your Capstone and the Special Emphasis of Advanced Communication.

Essential Studies
Code	Title	Credits	Goals	Special Emphasis
American Indian Studies
IS 410	Indigenous Identities (Open to all majors)	3	Intercultural Knowledge & Skills
Anthropology
ANTH 480	Senior Seminar	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Art
ART 498	Seminar in Art and Design Capstone	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Atmospheric Sciences
ATSC 492	Senior Project I	1	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
ATSC 493	Senior Project II	2	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Aviation
AVIT 485	Aviation Senior Capstone	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Biology
BIOL 480	Senior Capstone Seminar	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
BIOL 481	Fisheries & Wildlife Senior Capstone	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
BIOL 489	Senior Honors Thesis	1-15	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Biomedical Engineering
BME 480	Senior Innovation Based Learning I ^*	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Chemical Engineering
CHE 411	Plant Design I: Process Design and Economics ^*	4	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Chemistry
CHEM 495	Chemistry Capstone	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Civil Engineering
CE 483	Civil Engineering Design II ^*	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Criminal Justice
CJ 401	Administration of Criminal Justice Systems ^*	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Communication
COMM 410	Senior Capstone in Communication ^*	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Communication Sciences & Disorders
CSD 485	Clinical Practicum II: Speech Language Pathology	3	Written Communication
Computer Science
CSCI 482	Senior Project for Data Science I ^*	3	Critical Inquiry & Analysis
CSCI 492	Senior Project I ^*	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Cybersecurity
CYBR 492	Cyber Capstone II ^*	3	Critical Inquiry & Analysis
Electrical Engineering
EE 492	Senior Design I ^*	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
English
ENGL 415	Seminar in Literature	3	Critical Inquiry & Analysis
Forensic Science
FS 499	Forensic Entomology - From Crime Scene to Courtroom	3	Oral Communication	Advanced Communication
Geography
GEOG 454	Conservation and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources (Open to all majors)	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Geological Engineering
GEOE 484	Geological Engineering Design ^*	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Geology
GEOL 420	Geology Capstone ^*	3	Oral Communication	Advanced Communication
History
HIST 440	Research Capstone	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Honors
HON 489	Senior Project: Honors Research ^*	1-8	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Inclusive Rehabilitation Sciences
RHS 493	Senior Capstone Seminar ^*	3	Oral Communication	Advanced Communication
Interdisciplinary Studies
IDS 495	Service and Citizenship (Open to all majors) ^*	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Kinesiology
KIN 491	Senior Capstone ^*	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Languages
LANG 480	Capstone: Global Connections (Open to all majors) ^*	3	Intercultural Knowledge & Skills
Law
LAW 160	(Lawyering Skills I )	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Mathematics
MATH 488	Senior Capstone	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Management
MGMT 475	Strategic Management ^*	3	Written Communication
Mechanical Engineering
ME 480	Mechanical Engineering Seminar ^*	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Medical Lab Sciences
MLS 449	Capstone in Medical Laboratory Science ^*	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Music
MUSC 441	Methods and Materials for Middle and Secondary School Music	3	Oral Communication	Advanced Communication
MUSC 490	Seminar in Music	3	Oral Communication	Advanced Communication
Nursing
NURS 450	Transition to Practice: Seminar	2	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
NURS 453	Clinical Practicum V: Transition to Practice	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
NURS 474	Leadership & Professional Nursing Development	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Nutrition & Dietetics
N&D 441	Nutritional Biochemistry ^*	4	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Occupational Therapy
OT 503	Research Methods in OT 2: Outcomes to Translation to Practice	4	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Petroleum Engineering
PTRE 485	Senior Design ^*	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Philosophy
PHIL 480	Public Philosophy (Open to all majors)	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Physics
PHYS 499	Physics Capstone	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Physical Therapy
PT 627	Integrated Clinical Experience	1-4	Oral Communication	Advanced Communication
Political Science
POLS 495	Senior Colloquium in Political Science and Public Administration ^*	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Psychology
PSYC 405	History and Systems of Psychology ^*	3	Information Literacy
Sociology
SOC 475	Sociology Capstone ^*	3	Critical Inquiry & Analysis
Social Work
SWK 483	Field Education II ^*	5	Information Literacy
SWK 484	Field Education Seminar II ^*	1	Written Communication
Teaching & Leadership
T&L 489	Senior Capstone: Responsive Teaching ^*	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
Theatre Arts
THEA 424	History of the Theatre: Seventeenth Century to the Present (Open to all majors)	3	Written Communication	Advanced Communication
*Course offered online