General education
The purpose of general education courses for Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in the College is to provide a foundation for lifelong learning among our students. This foundation includes the six core competencies of written communication, oral proficiency, critical thinking, information fluency, ethical and social responsibility, and quantitative literacy.
The College’s general education curriculum encourages students to pursue multiple interests simultaneously and creates opportunities for connecting learning across courses, disciplines and contexts. Additionally, it provides students with effective communication skills, the ability to analyze situations and think critically about the world around them, locate and analyze information to make informed decisions, and integrate knowledge from multiple perspectives and disciplines. The College’s general education curriculum proposes to foster academic community by linking the liberal arts and professional learning, and provides a strong foundation of knowledge, skills and experiences that are the hallmark of a VCU undergraduate education.
The College’s general education program totals 33-47 credit hours; hours vary according to foreign language placement and variations in individual course credit hours. The general education program includes three distinct tiers plus a senior capstone experience that is part of the major requirements.
- Foundational courses
- Supporting courses
- Experiential courses
- Senior capstone
Foundational courses lay the groundwork for developing skills in the six identified competencies and lay the groundwork for future learning. These courses satisfy a portion of the University Core Curriculum.
- UNIV 111 Focused Inquiry I
- UNIV 112 Focused Inquiry II
- ENGL 200 Writing and Rhetoric II
- Math and statistics: Complete one of the following courses – MATH 131 Introduction to Contemporary Math, STAT 208 Statistical Thinking, or a 100 or 200-level MATH/STAT course, except MATH 121, 122 and 123, as listed on the major curriculum worksheet guide and recommended by the academic advisor.
Supporting courses further develop the core competencies while providing a vehicle for intellectual inquiry within specific areas of study. Students must complete 18 credits, successfully taking at least one course and no more than two in each of the following four categories.
Human, Social and Political Behavior
These courses are designed to deepen students’ understanding of the study of society and the behavior of its citizens in various contexts.
- ANTH 103 Introduction to Anthropology
- ECON 101/INTL 102 Introduction to Political Economy
- HUMS 300 Great Questions of the Social Sciences: ______
- POLI 103 U.S. Government
- PSYC 101 Introduction to Psychology (4 credits)
- SOCY 101 General Sociology
Science and Technology
These courses are designed to enhance students’ literacy in science and technology, including an understanding of the natural world, experience with the fundamental ideas and methods of the sciences, and greater scientific literacy, particularly in relation to energy, evolution and evaluation.
- BIOL 101 Biological Concepts (3 or 4 credits)
- BIOL/ENVS 103 Environmental Science (4 credits)
- CHEM 110 Chemistry and Society
- FRSC 202 Crime and Science
- INSC 201 Energy!
- PHYS 103 Elementary Astronomy
Diverse and Global Communities
These courses are designed to provide students with an understanding of communities, cultures and identities other than their own, and with the ability to apply methods of inquiry from various academic disciplines to the understanding of diverse cultures and societies and the interactions among them.
- INTL 101 Human Societies and Globalization
- MASC/INTL 151 Global Communications
- POLI/INTL 105 International Relations
- RELS 108 Human Spirituality
- WNMS 201 Introduction to Women’s Studies
Literature and Civilization
These courses are designed to help students explore the relationships between human expression — in texts, films and material culture — and human societies, as well as between the present and the past.
- ENGL 215 Readings in Literature:______
- HIST 201 The Art of Historical Detection:______
- HUMS 250 Reading Film
- PHIL 201 Critical Thinking about Moral Problems
- WRLD 203 Cultural Texts and Contexts
- WRLD 230 Introduction to World Cinema
These courses complement the other areas of inquiry by providing practical and experientially based knowledge both within and outside of the traditional classroom setting.
Foreign Language (0-8 credits)
The study of a foreign language enhances students’ appreciation for and knowledge of other cultures. Students who have studied a foreign language have cognitive development, creativity and divergent thinking. Students must complete a foreign language through the 102 level or equivalent through credit, placement testing or other demonstrated proficiency.
Experiential Fine Arts (1-3 credits)
Students involved in the fine arts gain a greater understanding of the cultural and aesthetic possibilities of the world around them. Students satisfy this requirement by the completion of one course offered by the School of the Arts.
HUMS 202 Choices in a Consumer Society (1 credit)
This online personal finance course focuses on participatory, application-based exercises designed to arm students with the ability to make educated decisions in relation to future financial choices, such as payment of student loans, understanding credit card statements, applying for mortgages, credit rating and planning for retirement.
This course provides a discipline-specific culminating intellectual experience. Students must take at least 1 credit of a senior capstone experience within their major. Students must have senior status (at least 85 credit hours towards graduation) when completing this requirement.
