Competency requirements include the following three components:

• Written Communication (BC, IC)
• Oral Communication (OC)
• Quantitative Experience (QE)

Success in college and the ability to function as an educated citizen require not only the ability to master areas of foundational knowledge, but also a series of fundamental skills that underlie and make possible the acquisition of knowledge. Since competencies or skills are preconditions for higher education, basic competencies should be demonstrated early in one's academic career. Multiple methods of demonstrating competency are available, including satisfactory completion of designated courses or earning appropriate scores on designated examinations.

Competency Requirements should be met early in a baccalaureate degree program. Students who fail to meet the specified deadline will be allowed two additional semesters (or equivalent) in which to satisfy the competency requirement. During this time, they must be actively involved in taking the appropriate course or otherwise preparing themselves to demonstrate competence. After the two-semester limit, students who have not satisfied the requirement may be barred from enrolling in courses other than those which satisfy the competency requirement until the requirement has been completed.

The following general principles apply to all competency requirements:

1. Students who satisfy any Competency Requirement by passing a prescribed Wayne State University placement, qualifying, screening, competency or proficiency examination shall be excused from equivalent course work but shall receive NO course credit.
2. Course credit granted for satisfactory completion of an Advanced Placement, CLEP, International Baccalaureate, or Departmental Examination will satisfy the appropriate Competency or Group Requirement; credit so earned will be applicable to a baccalaureate degree.
3. Courses used to satisfy Competency Requirements shall not generally be used to satisfy Group Requirements.
4. All Competency Requirements must be completed with a grade of C or higher.

Written Communication (BC, IC)

Writing ability is a cornerstone of academic studies and is often considered the touchstone of a university education. Skill and effectiveness in writing serve the individual throughout life — in career, in community, and in social and leisure activities. The ability to write well must be developed so that specialized audiences within professional fields as well as general audiences can be addressed effectively. While writing proficiency may be honed and refined in composition courses, writing is a skill that serves many purposes; one that requires constant renewal. The requirement in Written Communication is structured not only to provide training in how to write well, but also to insure that writing skills continue to be exercised and enhanced throughout the undergraduate years. The progression of the Written Communication requirements reflects the important notion of 'writing across the curriculum,' and Intermediate Composition courses are expected to build from the skills learned in Basic Composition.

Basic Composition (BC) Requirement

All students must demonstrate competence in basic English composition prior to completing thirty credits. Basic composition competence shall be determined by satisfactory completion of a designated course that includes instruction in multiple genres of writing, or its course equivalent or earning credit for basic composition through a national standardized test. 

BC has four program learning outcomes.

After successful completion of this requirement, students will be able to demonstrate their ability to:

1. Describe the arguments, purpose, context, and audience in college level texts.
2. Integrate credible, relevant sources in ethical ways.
3. Employ the conventions of a genre.
4. Explain their own writing choices and process.

Satisfactory completion requires a grade of C or better.  Course(s) satisfying the basic composition requirement include:

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
ENG 1020	Introductory College Writing	3

Students can also demonstrate competence in basic composition by:

1. Earning credit for basic composition through Advanced Placement CLEP or International Baccalaureate; OR
2. Transferring credit received for successful completion of a comparable course completed with a grade of C or better at another college or university.

Intermediate Composition (IC) Requirement

All students must complete satisfactorily a designated intermediate, or more advanced, course in which the teaching of English composition and rhetoric is a major component prior to completing seventy-five credits. 

IC has four program learning outcomes.

After successful completion of this requirement, students will be able to demonstrate their ability to:

1. Employ the practices of specific discourse community.
2. Use sources in ethical ways when writing texts.
3. Synthesize academic research that is relevant and appropriate for a specific discourse community.
4. Construct a research argument that adequately responds to scholarly questions in a specific discourse community.

Satisfactory completion requires a grade of C or better. Courses currently approved for intermediate composition are:

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
AFS/ENG 2390	Introduction to African-American Literature: Writing about Texts	3
ENG 3010	Intermediate Writing	3
ENG 3020	Writing and Community	3
ENG 3050	Technical Communication I: Reports	3

Schools and colleges may also have specific requirements, such that careful course selection can lead to meeting both General Education and college requirements. Please consult the College/School listing for specific requirements.

Oral Communication (OC) Requirement 

Educated persons should be comfortable in situations which require them to make oral presentations, be able to convince others of a point of view, or make appropriate remarks in an informal setting. Along with an ability to write cogently, communicating orally is mentioned most frequently by employers and others who evaluate the preparedness of college students as a fundamental skill to be able to compete in contemporary society. Consequently, oral communication is a crucial skill needed for success in virtually every field of endeavor.

OC has five program learning outcomes.

After successful completion of this requirement, students will be able to demonstrate their ability to:

1. Adapt to the needs of a distinct speaking situation.
2. Integrate credible, relevant sources in ethical ways.
3. Incorporate relevant presentation aids or technology in an oral presentation.
4. Employ verbal techniques for effective delivery in an oral presentation.
5. Employ non-verbal techniques for effective delivery in an oral presentation.

Courses satisfying the basic composition requirement include:

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
COM 1010	Oral Communication: Basic Speech	3
ENG 3060	Technical Communication II: Presentations	3

Students can also demonstrate competence in oral communication by: 

1. Passing the Oral Communication Competency Examination; OR
2. Transferring credit received for successful completion of a comparable course taken at another college or university.

Quantitative Experience (QE) Requirement

Individuals with competency in quantitative skills possess the ability to reason and solve problems from a wide range of authentic contexts and everyday life situations. They can interpret quantitative data and use that analysis to provide support for sophisticated arguments. They can clearly communicate those arguments in a variety of formats as appropriate. This requirement is aimed at developing those skills in all of our students.

QE has four program learning outcomes.

After successful completion of the QE requirement, students will be able to:

1. Convert real-world information into appropriate mathematical form.
2. Perform mathematical or symbolic computations relevant to a multistep problem.
3. Draw reasonable conclusions based on quantitative evidence.
4. Communicate arguments or interpretations supported by quantitative evidence.

_{*Please note, revised QE Learning Outcomes were approved on 3/24/2023. Previous versions are available in archived editions of the bulletin.}

Competency in quantitative skills must be demonstrated by all students prior to completion of the first thirty credits taken at Wayne State University. Quantitative skills competency shall be demonstrated by: a) Satisfactory completion of any QE designated course with a grade of C or better if taken at Wayne State University; OR b) Placing into a mathematics course above the level of MAT 1000 or MAT 1070 on the Mathematics Placement Examination; OR c) Achieving appropriate scores on national standardized tests; OR d) Transferring credit received for successful completion of a course equivalent to or higher than MAT 1000 completed with a grade of C or better at another college or university.

Courses satisfying the quantitative experience requirement include:

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
AST 2030	Life in the Universe	3
BA 1200	Personal Finance Planning	3
BA 2300	Quantitative Methods I: Probability and Statistical Inference	3
COM 3150	Science Communication	3
FPC 1010	Math for the Arts	3
MAE 1000	Detroit by the Numbers	3
MAT 1000	Mathematics in Today's World	3
MAT 1070	College Algebra	5
MAT 1110	Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers I	3
MAT 1120	Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers II	3
MAT 1800	Elementary Functions	4
MAT 2010	Calculus I	4
MAT 2020	Calculus II	4
PHI 1070	Games, Risk, and Logic	3
PHY 1020	Conceptual Physics: The Basic Science	3
PS 1050	Understanding Political Science Statistics	4
SOC 2211	Numbers in Society	3
STA 1020	Elementary Statistics	3
STA 2210	Probability and Statistics	4
THR 2651	Introduction to Life Skills for the Creative Entrepreneur	3