What are General Education Courses?

So you've taken the plunge and enrolled at a four-year university or community college of your choice. You can't wait to get started since you'll finally be able to take the classes you actually care about. Unlike high school, you'll have more control over your schedule and you'll be taking classes that will directly apply to your future career.

Despite the excitement of entering college, many students are disheartened when they hear about the general education requirements that are expected for every student. These classes may not pertain to your major at all, and yet they must be completed in order to graduate. This can come as a shock to some students who were expected to jump right into the courses for their major. In fact, they may spend most of their first year or so of college completing these "gen ed" requirements.

What exactly are these courses and what is their purpose? Typically, general education courses are a selection of introductory classes over a wide variety of subject areas. Some of the most common classes you'll see listed as general education requirements are English 101, Introduction to Psychology, Advanced Algebra, etc. All students are expected to complete the required number of courses for each subject area. For example, students may need to take two English, one math, one government, one history and two science courses in order to complete their general education requirements. The requirements vary by school, so students should carefully look at the list of required classes. Most schools offer a choice of courses in the required subjects. For example, your history requirement may be able to be completed by taking either a U.S. history course, World History course or a History of World War II course. Students can often choose their classes according to either what works for their schedule or which topics interest them the most.

The purpose of general education requirements, despite how it may seem, is not a tactic used to get students to pay tuition for additional years of school. In fact, these courses are meant to provide a well-rounded educational background for each student, one that will prepare them to be thoughtful individuals who can work with diverse people in a number of different settings. It may not seem so at the time, but taking classes on a wide number of subjects help to broaden your worldview and give you more perspective when working in the real world.

Students are usually able to complete their general education requirements within two or three semesters. At community colleges, there may be fewer gen eds required since degree programs tend to be shorter in overall length. Meanwhile four-year schools referred to as liberal arts colleges tend to have the most general education requirements since they have a strong focus in a well-rounded educational experience. For students who are looking to avoid general education requirements and get into the workplace faster, technical and vocational schools require few, if any, gen ed courses in their curriculums.