General Education Program

General Education Program

The basis of an Appalachian education is the General Education Program. Through its interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning, students learn to adapt to new environments, integrate knowledge from diverse sources and continue learning throughout their lives. The General Education Program draws on nationally identified best educational practices, as well as what employers say they want from today's graduates.

The General Education Program has four goals:

  1. Thinking critically and creatively
  2. Communicating effectively
  3. Making local to global connections
  4. Understanding responsibilities of community membership.

Beginning with the First Year Seminar, the General Education Program accounts for 44 semester hours of a student's degree program. The program includes: writing courses at the freshman and sophomore levels; a wellness literacy requirement to enhance students' knowledge and management of their personal health in all its dimensions; a quantitative literacy component to develop reasoning and numerical skills; a science inquiry theme to introduce students to concepts related to the scientific processes of studying natural phenomena; an Integrative Learning Experience to provide students the opportunity to study a focused, thematic topic from multiple disciplinary perspectives; a Liberal Studies Experience to give students the opportunity to explore several disciplines from across the campus. As part of the Integrative Learning Experience and Liberal Studies Experience students are required to complete Fine Arts, Historical Studies, Literary Studies, and Social Sciences requirements. The General Education Program also incorporates a Writing in the Discipline course and a Senior Capstone Experience in a student's major.

General Education requirements and courses:

Contacts

Dr. Ted Zerucha
Assistant Vice Provost, General and Experiential Education
218 Howard Street Hall
Dr. Rick Klima
Director, First Year Seminar
215 Howard Street Hall
Kristin Hyle
Assistant Director, General Education
217 Howard Street Hall
Jane Green
Office Manager
216 Howard Street Hall