General Education - Philosophy

The general education program is committed to enhancing the confidence, communication skills, ethical decision-making, and self-knowledge necessary for students planning careers in technical fields or further education. Students completing general education will possess critical thinking, writing and speaking skills, and a heightened awareness of global, local, and social and cultural issues.

Course work explores oral and written expression, psychological and socio-cultural understanding, scientific and analytic methods, and mathematics and computer literacy. Skills learned in the classroom are applied first hand in laboratory and workplace settings through individual and collaborative projects using a variety of field and library research methods.

Research has indicated that ten of the top twelve skills required by employers involve communication, self-awareness, and problem-solving abilities. The opportunities available to students completing general education include mastering their chosen technical fields, continuing their education at other institutions, meeting the needs of potential employers, and adapting better to a current job in a constantly changing world.