Academics » Your CU Degree

Your CU Degree

 
There are five interconnected components to your CU degree that together allow you to develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities to lead change and accomplish personal and professional goals while earning the 120 credit hours required for a bachelor’s degree. These are your project, your major, five general education areas, free electives, and Big 10 leadership and change competencies.
 
This page describes these components, their purpose, and how you can demonstrate them. In addition, to complete your degree, you will need 30 semester credit hours at the 300 or 400-level, 30 semester credit hours at College Unbound, and a grade point average of at least 2.0. For degree requirements prior to Fall 2021, please see that year’s Academic Catalog.
Your CU Degree
 

1. Your Project

Your project sits at the center of your CU degree because all of your learning at College Unbound is in the service of advancing your project.

2. Your Major | 33 Credit Hours

Your major is about acquiring depth of knowledge in the area of leadership and change. At College Unbound, the major requirements mean that you will be able to use concepts and methods from the study of leadership, organizations, and change to develop yourself and others, to lead change and to transform organizations and communities. In your major, you have eight required courses and three required areas.
  1. WWL 200A Workplace and World Lab A, 3 credits
  2. OLC 215 Introduction to Organizational Leadership and Change, 3 credits
  3. OLC 220 Learning from Experience, 3 credits
  4. AAH 330 Writing for Change, 3 credits
  5. OLC 355 Reframing Failure, 3 credits
  6. SBS 208 Research Justice, 3 credits
  7. OLC 400 Capstone, 3 credits
  8. WWL 400Z Workplace and World Lab Z, 3 credits
3 credits in each of the following areas:
  1. Organization Studies
  2. Leadership Studies
  3. Change Studies

3. General Education | 40 Credit Hours

General education is about acquiring breadth of knowledge. You can think of it as knowing a little about a lot so that when you want or need to know more, you know where to look. At College Unbound, the General Education requirements mean that you will be able to use concepts and methods from across the liberal arts to interpret experience, make meaning, and act in the world. We divide the liberal arts into four areas at CU: civics, arts & humanities, science & math and social & behavioral science. Each area has two to four requirements:
  1. Civics, 9 credits:
    • Power & Difference, 3 credits
    • Global Citizenship, 3 credits
    • Civic Engagement, 3 credits
  2. Arts & Humanities, 12 credits:
    • Written Communication, 3 credits
    • Creative Expression, 3 credits
    • Interpreting Literature, Art & Philosophy, 3 credits
    • Historical Reasoning, 3 credits
  3. Science & Math, 10 credits
    • Using Science or Technology, 3 credits
    • Scientific Reasoning & Experimental Method, 4 credits
    • Quantitative Reasoning, 3 credits
  4. Social & Behavioral Science, 9 credits
    • Individual and/or Group Dynamics, 6 credits
    • Research Methods, 3 credits

4. Electives | 37 Credit Hours

Free electives allow you to pursue current or discover new interests.

5. Big10 Transformational Leadership & Change Competencies | 10 Credit Hours

The Big10 Transformational Leadership & Change Competencies are integral to CU's Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Change. Students submit a portfolio for each Big10 to showcase their liberatory leadership skills. These portfolios are assessed by CU Lab Faculty and Assessment Specialists using Big10 Rubrics. Portfolios are assessed for credit, or sent back to the student for revisions.To learn more about the Big10, click here. To learn about the Big10 portfolio process, click here.
  1. Accountability
  2. Advocacy & Agency
  3. Collaboration
  4. Communication
  5. Creativity
  6. Critical Thinking
  7. Equity & Justice
  8. Well Being
  9. Lifelong Learning
  10. Resilience

Map Your Path to Degree Completion

Download this attachment to start mapping your path to degree completion: