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General Education at UMass
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  • General Education Curriculum Areas
    • Basic Math and Analytic Reasoning (R1, R2)
    • Biological and Physical World (BS, PS)
    • Social World (AT, AL, HS, SB, I, SI, DU, DG)
    • Integrative Experience (IE)
    • Writing Requirements (CW, JYW)
  • For Students
    • General Education Requirements
    • Requirement Checklists
    • Gen Ed Course Offerings
    • FAQ
  • For Faculty
    • Creating and Managing Courses
    • Course Curriculum Management System
    • Exemplary Gen Ed Examples
    • Teaching the IE
    • Exemplary IE Syllabi and Assignments
    • Faculty Resources
    • FAQ
  • For Advisors
    • Requirement Checklists
    • FAQ
  • General Education Council
    • Meet the Chair
    • Historical Information
    • For Reviewers
    • CCMS

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For Students

The purpose of the General Education requirement is to stretch students’ minds, broaden their experiences, and prepare them for:

  • Their college experiences and subsequent professional training
  • Their careers and productive lives
  • Community engagement and informed citizenship
  • A diverse and rapidly changing world
  • A lifetime of learning

The General Education curriculum does this by engaging students in:

  • Fundamental questions, ideas, and methods of analysis in the humanities and fine arts, social sciences, mathematics, and natural and physical sciences;
  • The application and integration of these methods of analysis to real-world problems and contexts;
  • Creative, analytical, quantitative, and critical thinking through inquiry, problem-solving and synthesis;
  • Pluralistic perspective-taking and awareness of the relationship among culture, self, and others;
  • Understanding and evaluating the consequences of one’s choices and the implications of one’s actions.
  • Opportunities to develop and practice the skills of critical thinking, reasoning, communication, and integration of knowledge and perspectives, including:
    • Communicating persuasively and effectively orally and in writing;
    • Working effectively and collaboratively (in groups, across perspectives);
    • Developing information and technological literacy
General Education Requirements General Education Requirements Requirement Checklists Requirement Checklists Gen Ed Course Offerings Gen Ed Course Offerings FAQ FAQ
General Education at UMass
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