What is general education?
Almost all degrees and certificates have a general education component. General Education classes provide opportunities for students to explore new areas while improving communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. You will take between 30 and 39 general education credits. You must follow the general education requirements of your home college. Contact the UEC or your advising office for details.
The state of California requires that public university students take a variety of courses outside of their majors in order to provide a broad educational background in addition to the technical knowledge gained in a single major. These courses form the graduation requirements known as the General Education (GE) program at CSUS. The standard version of the General Education program requires students to select their classes from a smorgasbord of options. Many students may find–the focused and sequential GE Honors program more rewarding and more meaningful. The General Education Honors program is a structured set of interrelated classes that fulfills almost all of the GE requirements. Honors students take 3 classes within this curriculum for each of their first four semesters. With the easy addition of another two classes, the ‘lower division’ GE requirements should be completed at the end of the sophomore year.
General Education (GE) is a broad range of courses required for the Associate Degree and the Bachelor Degree. The courses required for GE are listed in the schedule of classes and the EVC catalog. Consult with a college counselor regarding the GE pattern to follow based on your goals and objectives.
There are three components to any degree: General Education (GE) classes, Major preparation classes, and Elective classes. GE classes are designed to provide you with a broad base of knowledge, and usually include the areas of English, Math, Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, and Physical & Biological Sciences. For students pursuing their Associate of Arts degree, please consult the catalog for a full list of general education requirements, or make an appointment with a counselor. For students preparing for transfer, please consult the Transfer Center web site for specific general education requirements, or make an appointment with a counselor.
The inclusion of General Education studies in every degree program reflects a deep conviction by the Penn State faculty, as well as by leaders in all professions, that successful, satisfying lives require a wide range of skills and knowledge. These skills include the ability to reason logically and quantitatively and to communicate effectively; an understanding of the sciences that make sense of the natural environment; a familiarity with the cultural movements that have shaped societies and their values; and an appreciation for the enduring art that expresses, inspires, and continually challenges these values. General Education, in essence, augments and rounds out the specialized training students receive in their majors and aims to cultivate a knowledgeable, informed, literate human being. For more information on general education go to: www.psu.
