The Pioneer Path Requirement
The Pioneer Path provides a common intellectual experience for all Marietta College students. The Pioneer Path is designed to support student learning and success by intentionally tying together the various degree components--the General Education, the Major, and the secondary concentration(s)...so that the whole of a Marietta College education is greater than the sum of its parts.
The core courses that form the Pioneer Path provide mile-posts for students to measure their progress toward graduation while fostering student growth in essential intellectual skills as well as personal/social responsibilities vital to success in all areas of life, benefits that will continue long after graduation.
To this end, Marietta College students will complete the following requirements:
PIO 101 Information Literacy
PIO 102 Student Engagement
WRIT 102 College Composition*
COMM 203 Fundamentals of Communication*
PIO 201 Integrated Learning Seminar
A Junior Core Course
A Capstone Course
Transfer students matriculating at Marietta College with 24 or more credits, excluding those completed while a high school student, are exempted from taking PIO 101/102. However, a transfer student section of PIO 102 is available for transfer students who may find the course beneficial in acclimating to the Marietta College community.
Students enrolled in PIO 101/102 may not drop or withdraw from the course without special permission from the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Curriculum.
*Students whose ACT/SAT scores and/or high school GPA are below expected minimums may be required to take WRIT 101 Basics of Composition before enrolling in WRIT 102. A minimum grade of C- is required in WRIT 102 before students may enroll in COMM 203, which also requires completion with a C- or better to fulfill the graduation requirement.
PIO 201 Integrated Learning
PIO 201 will be taken after successful completion of COMM 203 with a C- or better. This integrated learning course will reinforce and further build upon learning outcomes established in the first year. Students will focus on the writing process through projects that integrate the liberal arts and information literacy.
Junior Core
The Junior Core is a 3-credit course at an advanced level that demonstrates the ethical and moral problems posed by the discipline of the major and exposes students to the communication and professional skills prevalent in their field. This requirement will normally be fulfilled with a single course; however, in select disciplines, it may be met by a combination of courses at an advanced level. PIO 201 is a prerequisite to the Junior Core with the exception that a transfer student who enrolls at Marietta College with at least 59 prior credit hours may enroll in PIO 201 and the Junior Core concurrently.
Capstone
All majors will include a capstone course or combination of courses. These capstone experiences will culminate and synthesize the learning that has taken place over the entire undergraduate career, building not only on the courses within the major, but also exercising the student’s abilities in writing, speaking, thinking critically, and solving problems. While the specific form of the Capstone varies across the programs, it should include independent (individual or group) work. Examples include original research, an internship, artistic performance or creation, a teaching practicum, a practical consultancy that applies theory and knowledge to a business or other organization, etc.