General Education
General Education is an important and required component of every Michigan Tech degree. Accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission requires that general education “imparts broad knowledge and intellectual concepts to students and develop skills and attitudes that the institution believes every college-educated person should possess.” (Accreditation Criterion 3b2)
At Michigan Tech, the General Education curriculum enables all students, regardless of major, to develop an understanding of science and the social and cultural contexts of our contemporary world. (University Strategic Goal 2)
The goals of the General Education program are goals 2-8 of the University Student Learning Goals:
- Disciplinary Knowledge (accomplished in the major)
- Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world
- Global literacy
- Critical and creative thinking
- Communication
- Information literacy
- Technology
- Values and Civic Engagement
These learning goals were influenced by the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ LEAP (Liberal Education and America's Promise) initiative, which offers a strong set of rubrics to assist universities with assessment of the learning outcomes for general education.