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Definitions for General Education Courses
General Education Course - any course approved to fulfill credit towards state and college requirements for general education and graduation with any of the following degrees: Associate in Arts (A.A.), Associate in Science (A.S.), Associate in General Studies (A.G.S.), or Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S). General education courses typically are non-developmental and non-professional in orientation, and are offered as electives or required courses from within broader subject areas.
The essential objective of general education is to educate the individual student to be a rational and humane person. General education courses are subdivided into two “zones”, Foundation Courses and Introductory Courses, and eight “sectors”: Written and Oral Communication, Mathematical Reasoning, Technological Skills, Global Issues and Diversity, Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, Mathematics and Pure Science, and Personal Well-Being. The minimum distribution of credits and general education courses vary by degree.
Types of general education courses are further defined as:
- Foundation Courses – a degree-specific general education course that fulfills course or credit requirements in written and oral communications, mathematical reasoning, technological skills and global issues and diversity.
- Introductory Courses – a degree-specific general education courses that fulfills course or credit requirements in arts and humanities, social sciences, mathematics and pure science, and personal well-being.
- Studio Course – Any course in the Fine Arts (Humanities) that instructs students on the techniques used in artistic expression and significantly involves students (individually or as a group) in the production of tangible, physical artistic products.
- Performance Course – Any course in the Fine Arts (Humanities) that instructs students on the techniques used in artistic expression and significantly involves students (individually or as a group) in ephemeral activities that relate to public entertainment and/or personal enrichment.
Check out the sections below to review course requirements by degree.