• WMU Essential Studies

    As a member of Liberal Education and America's Promise, WMU is challenging the belief that students must choose either a liberal education or a practical education.  

  • Choose your future

    The flexibility packed into WMU Essential Studies means you will choose courses that make sure you are ready to take charge of your future.

  • Exploration and Discovery

    The hallmarks of general education. But WMU offers a twist on the traditional by letting you develop your own path and select the courses that are meaningful to you.

  • Making it Work

    As your progress to graduation, WMU Essential Studies gives you a chance to expand your understanding of the world through courses that focus on local, national or global perspectives and build on your foundation.

  • Students in the bike shop.

    Sustainability, Diversity and Inclusion

    Exploring subjects that impact every student and every career is part of WMU Essential Studies. To graduate, all students must take one course in sustainability and one course in diversity and inclusion. 

93% of employers agree that a college candidate needs a "demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems."

Preparing to move from student to professional can be daunting, but Western Michigan University has you covered. As a WMU student, you will complete  12 courses from WMU Essential Studies, a program that helps you develop the general education and intellectual skills employers seek most in graduates—demonstrated complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, judgment and decision making.

And, since WMU Essential Studies is all about your choices, the sequence of courses you select will help you succeed in your chosen major, minor, graduate degree and future career.  

  • Illustration of student taking selfieLevel 1 Foundations—Writing; Oral and Digital Communication; Quantitative Literacy; Inquiry and Engagement
  • Level 2 Discovery and Exploration—Personal Wellness; World Languages and Culture; Science and Technology; Scientific Literacy with Lab; Artistic Theory and Practice; Societies and Cultures
  • Level 3 Connections—Local and National Perspectives; Global Perspectives

Get ready. Anything is possible.

Explore the Requirements