The General Education Program provides each student with knowledge and proficiencies across the main fields of learning. The faculty of the College of Liberal Arts is responsible for defining the General Education Program using the principles and procedures described in this document. The Major provides a depth of knowledge in a single discipline or in an interdisciplinary field of study.
Every student is required to choose a major.
For some students, the major supplies the foundation for a subsequent career, but for many others the major is an organizing center in which are learned important intellectual capabilities that can be brought to a variety of future endeavors. The major is an arena in which students acquire skills in critical thinking. Through courses in the major, students learn to think clearly and deeply about complex problems and to develop the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that comes from knowing a subject well. The disciplinary or interdisciplinary unit offering the major is responsible for specifying major requirements. Electives provide students the opportunity to round out their college educations through individual choices of courses or course combinations.