About the general education in first 2 years of college?

Question

So what courses are they generally? Do you get to choose, generally. Say if I wanted to take physics in high school but didn't get a chance to, can I take it as a general ed? Plus would it affect my chances of being chosen by a college if I want to major in possibly medicine or optometry? Please discuss the essentials of general eds. Thanks!

Answer 1

General ed courses are things that everyone has to take. In some cases, there are very specific requirements - for example, you need to take a specific English composition course. Our students need to take a particular philosophy class. For other things, there may be a list of courses which will fill the requirement. Sometimes it is very narrow, like they can choose one of three English literature courses, and at other times it is very general, like they can take just about any creative arts class. Your own college (area within the university) may narrow the requirements further. Our general ed includes a social science requirement, but for some reason I've never fully understood, someone in our college decided that our students cannot take anything but Psych 101. As far as physics go, if your college has a science requirement which includes physics as one of the options, you can definitely take it in college. As long as you didn't take dumbed down classes in high school instead, the fact that you didn't get a chance to take physics shouldn't affect your chances at getting into college.

Answer 2

This really depends on what school you're going to, different schools have different systems. Usually though, most of the general ed classes have at least something to do with your major

Answer 3

At my school they just set up a list of General Ed. classes we should, or not take. You just have to finish it all before you graduate. For my school you have to take a science. There should be a catalog, or something saying at your school if this class fills general ed. requirements. I think a Physics class would fill it.

Answer 4

Most universities allow you to take nearly any course other than the required ones. You may have to take prep courses to bring you up to standard. Choose the university that will be most likely to provide what you want and at a high standard.

Answer 5

In general, yes it counts. The problem might be that there are specific prerequisites that you should have taken in computer science and math. If you missed these, it could take an extra semester.

Answer 6

The general education requirements are often set by a State, college, and or accrediting association. So the specific courses and combinations of courses can vary from state to state, school to school. For any particular college, get a copy of the "Catalog" which is the official contract between you and
the school. An updated Catalog is often printed each year as the requirements and school policies change.

If medicine is your goal, in the US, virtually ANY undergraduate major can go on to medical school (if and when you pass the entrance exam). It is often a misconception that you must be a science major to go into medicine. What they want are well-rounded, decent, compassionate human beings seeking to become doctors.

That's where the General Education requirements come in. Colleges categorize classes under various headings, then set required classes and electives. In many cases, you have choices of various classes to meet the General Education requirement for a category.

I've enclosed a sample for you so it will be more obvious and clear to you rather than talking in generalities. Look over the sample list of General Ed categories and the choices of courses you find under each category and subcategory.

I have taught in schools (colleges and high schools) in developing countries and in the US. One stark difference is the broad range of choices and the General Education requirements assuring US students get a broad sampling of diverse subjects. Overseas, the students are very, very limited by having fewer schools and teachers...and as a result, a smaller and more restrictive choice of classes / subjects. For example, by middle school, you have to decide if you will go into the sciences or the humanities. All through high school you prepare for one or the other...and no matter which you chose, you rarely have the chance to study any of the other. Science students only study science, no art, music, literature, etc. And humanities students get no exposure to science.

Anyway, have a look at this sample below...it comes from a school in California...but a similar pattern exists in nearly all US schools. For specifics in your area, get a copy of the catalog from a local college.

---here's the sample GE requirements.
AREA A - Communication and Critical Thinking (9 Units)
Choose a minimum of 3 units from each of the following areas: (Must be completed prior to transfer)

A1 - ORAL COMMUNICATION
Speech 1, 10

A2 - WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
English 1A

A3 - CRITICAL THINKING
English 1C
Philosophy 25, 30, 33
Physical Science 2
Speech 6, 12

AREA B - Physical Universe and Its Life Forms
9 semester or 12-15 quarter units required with at least one course each from Physical Science, Life Science, and Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning. At least one of the science courses must contain a laboratory component (see AREA B3 below)

B1 - PHYSICAL SCIENCES
Astronomy 1, 12
Chemistry 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 8A, 8B, 10, 22
Geography 1
Geology 1, 1F, 2, 2F, 3, 3F, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 22, 30A - L
Physical Science 37
Physics 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 2A, 2B, 10, 31A, 31B

B2 - LIFE SCIENCE
Anatomy 25
Anthropology 1
Biology 1A, 1B, 1C, 2, 3, 4, 11, 14, 16, 30, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40
Microbiology 2
Physiology 1, 2A, 2B
Psychology 2

B3 - LABORATORY ACTIVITY
Anatomy 25
Anthropology 1L
Astronomy 1
Biology 1A, 1B, 1C, 2, 3, 4, 11, 14, 16, 30, 37, 38, 39, 40
Chemistry 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 8A, 8B, 10L, 22
Geography 1L
Geology 1, 1F, 2, 2F, 3, (effective Summer 2004) 3F, 6, 8, 12F, 12L, 30A-L
Microbiology 2
Physical Sciences 37
Physics 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 2A, 2B, 10L, 31A, 31B
Physiology 1, 2A, 2B

B4 - MATHEMATICS/QUANTITATIVE REASONING
Business 14B
Computer Science 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 43, 45
Mathematics 3, 5A, 5B, 5C, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 22, 38, 55
Statistics 15, 18, 50

AREA C - Arts, Literature, Philosophy, and Foreign Language
(9 semester or 12-15 quarter units required with at least one course each in Arts and Humanities area)

C1 - ARTS (Art, Dance, Music, Theater)
Architecture 24A, 24B
Art 1A, 1B, 2, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 5, 7, 8, 9
Chinese 22
Dance 21A, 21B
Italian 50
Music 7A, 7B, 21, 22, 23, 24A, 24B, 25, 26, 27, 28, 38A
Theater Arts 5, 7A, 7B

C2 - HUMANITIES (Literature, Philosophy, Foreign Languages)
American Sign Language 10A, 10B (both effective Fall 2005)
Arabic 1, 2
Armenian 1, 2
Chinese 1, 2, 2A, 3, 4, 10, 12
English 1B, 5A, 5B, 9, 10, 11(Fall 2007), 24, 25A, 25C, 25D, 25E, 25F, 25G, 25H, 25I, 25J, 26(Fall 2007), 30A, 30B, 30C, 44A, 44B, 44C, 45A, 45B, 46A, 46B, 47, 48, 49A, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 57, 59, 60, 61, 78A, 78B, 82A, 82B, 82C
French 1, 2, 3, 4. 5A, 5B, 10
German 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 10
Greek 1,2
Hebrew 1, 2, 3
History 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 5A, 5B, 7A*, 7B*, 8, 9A, 9B, 12, 16, 18, 19, 25A*, 25B*, 25C, 25D, 25F, 25I, 27A, 27B, 29A*, 29B*, 30, 31, 38, 41, 50
Humanities 1, 2, 3, 4
Italian 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 12
Japanese 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12
Latin 1, 2
Linguistics 10, 11(Fall 2007)
Philosophy 1, 3, 7, 8, 20A, 20B, 31, 37
Portuguese 1, 2, 3, 4
Religious Studies 1, 2, 3
Russian 1, 2, 3, 4, 11
Spanish 1, 2, 2A, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 12, 25, 42A, 42B, 44A, 44B

AREA D - Social, Political, and Economic Institutions and Behavior, Historical Background
(9 semester or 12-15 quarter units required with courses in at least two areas)

D0 - SOCIOLOGY AND CRIMINOLOGY
Sociology 1, 2, 14, 15, 16, 22, 24, 25, 29, 31, 41

D1 - ANTHROPOLOGY AND ARCHAEOLOGY
Anthropology 1, 1L, 2, 3, 4, 31

D2 - ECONOMICS
Economics 1A, 1B, Geography 5

D3 - ETHNIC STUDIES
Anthropology 31, History 12, 29A, 29B, 31, 41, Psychology 29, 31, 41, Sociology 14, 29, 31, 41

D4 - No courses currently available

D5 - GEOGRAPHY
Geography 2, 3, 5, 10

D6 - HISTORY
History 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 5A, 5B, 7A*, 7B*, 8, 9A, 9B, 12, 16, 18, 19, 25A*, 25B*, 25C, 25D, 25F, 25I, 27A, 27B, 29A*, 29B*, 30, 31, 38, 41, 50

D7 - INTERDISCIPLINARY SOCIAL OR BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
Comm 1(Fall 2007), English 12, Linguistics 12

D8 - POLITICAL SCIENCE, GOVERNMENT AND LEGAL INSTITUTIONS
Political Science l*, 2, 6, 7, 21, 22
D9 - PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology 1, 2, 5(Fall 2007), 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 31, 33, 41

AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS REQUIREMENT
All CSU campuses require the statutory requirement in U.S. History and Government. Some campuses will allow this requirement to be met with one asterisked (*) course in U.S. history within Area D6, as well as Political Science 1 (required). Other campuses may require coursework in addition to these two courses. If the requirement must be met separately, students should consult the specific campus for additional details.
History* 7A, 7B, 25A, 25B, 29A, 29B (choose one course)
AND
Political Science 1* (required)

AREA E - Lifelong Understanding and Self-Development (3 Units)
Anthropology 2
Biology 19
Counseling 12
Dance 1, 2, 3, 4A-H, 5AB, 6AB, 7AB, 8ABC, 9ABC, 10, 11ABC, 13, 15AB, 19ABC, 22ABC, 37ABC (max. 1 unit)
English 6, 8
Health Education 2A, 2E, 44
Nutrition 11
Physical Education Activity 3A-E, 27, 28A-B, 29A-C, 30, 32A-C, 33, 34A-B, 36, 37, 38, 39A-B, 46A-C, 48A-C, 49A-B, 53, 54A-C, 65A-C, 69, 81A-C (max. 1 unit)
Psychology 1, 21, 22, 23, 24
Sociology 2, 22, 24