New General Education Program
New General Education Program
The new General Education program consists of three major components: the Required (Fixed) Core (12 credits); the Flexible Core (18 credits); and the Medgar Evers College Option (12 credits). The Required Core and the Flexible Core compose what has been termed the Common Core (30 credits). The framework provided by the Fixed Core, the Flexible Core, and the Medgar Evers College Option has resulted in a reorganization of the former general education curriculum. The total number of credits in the new General Education Program is forty-two (42). All associate degree-seeking students must complete the Common Core and all baccalaureate degree-seeking students must complete the Common Core and the Medgar Evers College Option. The Common Core can actually range from 30 to 34 credits since a student may elect to use four-credit courses in mathematics, in the life and physical sciences, and in the area of the scientific world to fulfill requirements. Such courses are herein referred to as STEM variants. Students who transfer to Medgar Evers must meet the new requirements and at a minimum will be required to complete a portion of the College Option. See below to learn more about the requirements for the Required (Fixed) Core, the Flexible Core; the Medgar Evers College Option (for baccalaureate degree-seeking students, only); and STEM variants.
The Required Core:
The Required Core is comprised of four courses (12 credits) that provide the fundamental knowledge and skills to enable a student to pursue successfully his/her higher education goals. These courses offer students a foundation in critical thinking, effective writing, quantitative reasoning, research, ethics and ethical behavior, and scientific principles governing natural phenomena. The particular requirements inThe Fixed Core includes:
- English Composition (two courses, six credits)
- Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning (one course, three credits)
- Life and Physical Sciences (one course, three credits)
The Flexible Core:
The Flexible Core consists of six courses (18 credits) in the arts and sciences that broaden the perspectives of students while strengthening their knowledge about world cultures and global issues, diversity in the growth of America, development of social institutions, and the roles of creative work and of science and technology in advancing society. A student must take six courses in The Flexible Core with at least one course in each of the following five general knowledge areas:
- World Cultures and Global Issues
- U. S. Experience in its Diversity
- Creative Expression
- Individual and Society
- Scientific World
The Medgar Evers College Option Baccalaureate Degree-Seeking Students Only:
The Medgar Evers College Option (for baccalaureate degree-seeking students, only) involves four courses (12 credits) from two clusters of the former General Education program. The Option requirements include: one course from the Socio-Cultural Cluster and three courses from the Integrative Knowledge.
The Medgar Evers College Option is a set of courses that complements and supplements the Required Core and the Flexible Core. Associate degree-seeking students are not required to take the College Option. Associate degree-seeking students take only the Common Core of 30 to 34 credits to meet the new General Education requirements. The Medgar Option courses have been chosen because they have the potential to enrich both the student’s experience at the College and in the future as a lifelong learner. The Option requires that a student take from 6 to 12 credits, depending on the status of the student at the time of entry including:
- A student who enters the College in the fall of 2013 as a baccalaureate degree seeking student must take all 12 credits in the College Option.
- A course taken to meet the requirement in one part of the program cannot be used to meet the requirement in another part of the program. For example, a course taken and passed to fulfill a requirement in The Flexible Core cannot be used to satisfy a requirement in the Medgar Evers College Option.
In selecting courses to satisfy the new general education requirements all students should consult their respective academic program advisors.
STEM Variants
In attempting to meet the general education requirements in Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning, in the Life and Physical Sciences, and in the area of the Scientific World, students may elect to take a more demanding course in each category. Such a decision might be based on the major program of study and/or the interest of the student. For example, baccalaureate degree-seeking students with majors in Biology, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Mathematics, and Nursing have the option of fulfilling the Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning requirement by taking a mathematics course that also fulfills a major requirement. These students can also fulfill the Life and Physical Sciences and the Scientific World requirements by taking science courses that also meet major degree requirements. Courses that can be used this way are referred to as STEM Variants. A STEM variant is available for business majors in mathematics.
