What is General Education?

Required of all degree students, courses in the general education curriculum are those selected by faculty to develop degree-seeking students into educated persons with critical thinking skills in a broad range of academic disciplines, including those in mathematics, writing, speaking, social sciences, humanities, physical and/or biological sciences, foreign languages, and the arts.  While the selection of specific courses may be unique to each campus and often to each degree program, all university students must complete the general education requirement as part of their associate or bachelor degree.

The courses usually include a significant amount of theoretical elements and some applications of the theories to explain them.  This is in contrast to vocational post-secondary education and training, which focus primarily on practical applications with very little theoretical understanding required.  For students looking ahead to advanced degrees at the master and doctorate levels, these general education courses provide a background of knowledge preparatory to subjects outside.