University College

General Education Program

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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, study knowledge from multifaceted sources and establish the habits to be life-long learners. 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 41 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 component to introduce students to concepts related to the scientific processes of studying natural phenomena; a Sustainability and Climate Literacy component; an Intercultural Literacy component; and a Humanity and Its Systems component to give students the opportunity to explore different perspectives on the study of humanity and the systems it creates. As part of the Sustainability and Climate Literacy, Intercultural Literacy and  Humanity and Its Systems components 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:

To contact the General Education Office: