General Education Program
When students pursue a higher education, they develop a sizable body of knowledge, a level of awareness of the world, and the skills needed for rigorous thinking. Regardless of their college major, educated persons share a body of knowledge and skills, commonly called a general education that consists of many of the courses taken during the first years of college. Through this educational experience, Bucks helps students become confident, creative, and balanced thinkers in preparation for transferring to other academic institutions and meeting the needs of prospective employers. In this way, beyond the short-term benefits of transfer or career preparation, a general education sparks a lifetime commitment to learning and growing in a complex and changing world. Therefore, the faculty of Bucks County Community College aims to help students become educated persons by assisting them to develop the following abilities and skills:
General Education Learning Goals
Students will be able to
- Arts/Humanities: Demonstrate an understanding of human intellectual heritage and/or creative expression
- Critical Thinking: Read critically, analyze and interpret information, and construct logical, well-supported positions
- Diversity: Demonstrate an understanding of diverse human perspectives in local, national, or global contexts
- Information Literacy: Find, evaluate, and ethically use information in a variety of formats for a variety of purposes
- Oral Communication: Communicate effectively through speech
- Quantitative Literacy: Demonstrate and apply quantitative reasoning.
- Scientific Literacy: Demonstrate an understanding of scientific reasoning
- Social Sciences: Demonstrate an understanding of human behavior and/or the relationships of people within societies
- Technological Competence: Demonstrate technological competence within the context of the major.
- Writing: Communicate effectively through writing
Associate Degree Program: How to Complete the General Education Program
Students must complete the General Education Program to earn an associate degree from Bucks County Community College. Students complete their General Education requirements as part of the program of the study in their major.
While many courses are aligned with the General Education Program, students cannot choose just any course from the list of aligned courses. Rather, the majors are designed so that students will take certain General Education courses that will enhance their learning experience in the major and maximize the number of courses that transfer into the relevant programs at transfer institutions.