{"683265":{"#nid":"683265","#data":{"type":"news","title":"College \u2018General Education\u2019 Requirements Help Prepare Students for Citizenship \u2014 But Critics Say It\u2019s Learning Time Taken Away From Useful Studies","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat do Americans think of when they hear the words \u201cgeneral education\u201d?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy definition, general education covers introductory college courses in arts and humanities, social sciences, and science and mathematics. It has different names, including core curriculum or distribution requirements, depending on the college or university.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is also sometimes called liberal education, including by the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.aacu.org\/trending-topics\/what-is-liberal-education\u0022\u003EAmerican Association of Colleges and Universities\u003C\/a\u003E, which describes it as providing \u201ca sense of social responsibility, as well as strong and transferable intellectual and practical skills.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe liberal label can be fodder for conservative groups who argue that today\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ncfamily.org\/general-education-could-be-getting-a-makeover-at-public-universities\/\u0022\u003Egeneral education is part of an indoctrination\u003C\/a\u003E into higher education\u2019s purported left-leaning belief systems. Some other \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/education\/report\/liberal-educations-antidote-indoctrination\u0022\u003Econservatives support\u003C\/a\u003E general education as a concept but want more emphasis on so-called traditional values and less on cross-cultural understanding. These initiatives position general education and college as a space for ideological battles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ritter.lmc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Escholar of historical connections between literacy and social class\u003C\/a\u003E, I know that general education was designed to provide opportunity for all students without regard for their political preferences.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/675235\/original\/file-20250618-56-kqchqs.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=45\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=1000\u0026amp;fit=clip\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/675235\/original\/file-20250618-56-kqchqs.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=45\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=754\u0026amp;fit=clip\u0022 alt=\u0022A young Black man is sitting in front of students in a lecture hall, gesturing as they smile\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe value of a college education can be shaped by political affiliation. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/photo\/professor-engaging-with-students-during-university-royalty-free-image\/2190479100?phrase=college%20education%20for%20all\u0026amp;adppopup=true\u0022\u003Ebernarddobo\/iStock via Getty Images\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EAn Education for All\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEighty years ago, a group of Harvard University faculty created what many colleges and universities still follow as a template for general education. This plan was outlined in the book \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/generaleducation032440mbp\u0022\u003EGeneral Education in a Free Society\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHarvard\u2019s plan \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.harvard.edu\/president\/speeches-faust\/2009\/remarks-by-drew-gilpin-faust-at-the-general-education-launch-event\/\u0022\u003Ewas meant for all students\u003C\/a\u003E, including veterans studying under the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.va.gov\/education\/about-gi-bill-benefits\/\u0022\u003EGI Bill\u003C\/a\u003E, and others we today refer to as first generation, where neither parent had a college degree.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeneral education made college more accessible to students who were not becoming doctors or lawyers but who also wanted careers outside the vocational trades. It helped make college a place for educating all citizens, not just students of socioeconomic privilege.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EExpanding access to higher education was central to the 1947 special report \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/acct.org\/advocacy\/legislative-priorities\/college-promise-resources\u0022\u003EHigher Education for American Democracy\u003C\/a\u003E, commissioned by President Harry Truman. The goal was to provide a foundational education for all, especially in math and science. But the report, commonly known as the Truman Commission Report, also included disciplines that help students understand the world \u2013 such as writing and communication, literature, psychology and history.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe purposes of general education are central to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chronicle.com\/article\/where-the-public-sees-value-in-higher-ed?sra=true\u0022\u003Etwo competing views of college\u003C\/a\u003E today, views that I also hear expressed by students and parents I\u2019ve met in my 28 years as a professor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne view of college is of an on-campus experience \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/education\/articles\/q-and-a-how-strengthening-liberal-education-can-help-college-students-become-good-citizens\u0022\u003Esteeped in the liberal arts\u003C\/a\u003E that holistically prepares students to live in a functioning democracy. These benefits are seen as worth the time and costs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe other view is of college as a sum of career-focused credentials that can begin and end anywhere, not specific to one college campus. These benefits are completely financial, to be \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/08\/13\/your-money\/college-degree-investment-return.html\u0022\u003Egained via the cheapest, quickest means\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBoth of these views are informed by national perspectives that further divide citizens on higher education as a whole, such as Vice President \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/fact-check-yes-vance-once-030000127.html\u0022\u003EJD Vance\u2019s 2021 statement\u003C\/a\u003E that \u201cthere was a wisdom in what Richard Nixon said approximately 40, 50 years ago. He said, and I quote, \u2018The professors are the enemy.\u2019\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBoth these groups of Americans, however, hope that obtaining a college degree \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/04\/09\/nx-s1-5342479\/survey-college-degree-associate-bachelors\u0022\u003Ewill pay off for graduates\u003C\/a\u003E who find employment and reach a standard of living better than their parents\u2019 generation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor the first group, general education is critical to developing the whole student for jobs and life. For the latter, it is an expensive obstacle to it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENot surprisingly, these views on education and college often correspond to political party identification and whether a person attended college themselves.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA July 2023 Lumina Foundation and Gallup Poll showed that only 36% of Americans have a \u201cgreat deal\u201d of confidence in higher education, with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/646880\/confidence-higher-education-closely-divided.aspx\u0022\u003Esignificant partisan differences\u003C\/a\u003E between the 20% of Republicans who have this confidence, the 56% of Democrats and the 35% of independents who have it. There are also measurable differences between those who have earned a postgraduate degree and those who have not.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/679651\/original\/file-20250711-56-pey607.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=45\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=1000\u0026amp;fit=clip\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/679651\/original\/file-20250711-56-pey607.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=45\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=754\u0026amp;fit=clip\u0022 alt=\u0022A student wearing a hooded sweatshirt slumps over a textbook.\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo cut costs, more students are searching for ways to complete general education requirements before they begin college. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/photo\/preparing-for-finals-is-hard-work-royalty-free-image\/186575695?phrase=students%20studying%20hard\u0026amp;adppopup=true\u0022\u003EPeopleImages\/E+ via Getty Images\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EQuestioning Value\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs college costs continue to rise in 2025, families are struggling \u2013 even taking on payment plans for everyday purchases, also known as \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/12\/20\/business\/economy\/pay-later-credit-debt.html\u0022\u003Ephantom debt\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 to make ends meet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeneral education represents about a third of the requirements of a bachelor\u2019s degree and most of an associate degree.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor those who see college as a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/gen-z-graduates-college-poll-2064531\u0022\u003Ewaste of money\u003C\/a\u003E, general education courses are a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.lsa.umich.edu\/mje\/2022\/04\/19\/the-deadweight-loss-of-college-general-education-requirements\/\u0022\u003Ecalculable loss on future income\u003C\/a\u003E. In the past two decades, this \u2013 and the increasingly competitive admissions process for college \u2013 has contributed to a tenfold increase in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/11\/18\/us\/college-board-ap-exams-courses.html\u0022\u003Elow-income students who take Advanced Placement courses\u003C\/a\u003E and a 50% increase since 2021 in the number of students in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.newamerica.org\/education-policy\/edcentral\/unpacking-dual-enrollment-benefits-barriers-and-opportunities-for-expansion\/\u0022\u003Edual-credit coursework\u003C\/a\u003E. Both programs allow students to complete general education-equivalent courses for free while still in high school.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EComplete College America, a nonprofit advocacy group that works with states to increase college completion rates, supports these moves by students and parents, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/completecollege.org\/momentum\/\u0022\u003Eclassifying general education\u003C\/a\u003E under \u201cgateway courses\u201d to be completed \u201cas soon as possible.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOther groups promote \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.mdc.edu\/credentials\/\u0022\u003Estackable units\u003C\/a\u003E of credit toward college degrees. This push to complete general education requirements \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/apcentral.collegeboard.org\/about-ap\/ap-a-glance\/discover-benefits\u0022\u003Ebefore entering college\u003C\/a\u003E is gaining momentum, despite studies that show Advanced Placement classes, and exams, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/articles\/rethinking-the-goals-of-high-school-rigor-three-experts-weigh-in-on-the-ap-program-and-college-board\/\u0022\u003Efavor and benefit mostly white, middle- to upper-class students\u003C\/a\u003E because these students tend to have more time and resources to devote to AP coursework and also take multiple exams in order to earn college credit.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/675236\/original\/file-20250618-56-fr5sxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=45\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=1000\u0026amp;fit=clip\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/675236\/original\/file-20250618-56-fr5sxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=45\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=754\u0026amp;fit=clip\u0022 alt=\u0022Students sit on steps talking to each other on a sunny day.\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor college students, general education can offer benefits beyond career attainment. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/photo\/university-students-hanging-out-in-campus-royalty-free-image\/1759999680?phrase=college%20future%20happy\u0026amp;adppopup=true\u0022\u003Eferrantraite\/E+ via Getty Images\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EUnderstanding the World\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile arguments for streamlining college and its costs are evergreen, foundational lessons taught across fields of study are as relevant in 2025 as they were in 1945. The U.S. faces \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/dziblatt.scholars.harvard.edu\/challenges-democracy\u0022\u003Ethreats to its democracy\u003C\/a\u003E, is \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/focus-areas\/artificial-intelligence\u0022\u003Enavigating rapid advances in technology\u003C\/a\u003E, and is adapting to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cbo.gov\/publication\/59697\u0022\u003Epopulation shifts\u003C\/a\u003E that will change how its residents live and work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeneral education gives students broad foundational knowledge that can be used in a variety of careers. By design, it teaches an understanding of the world outside one\u2019s own and how to live in it \u2013 a core requirement for a functioning democracy.\u003C!-- Below is The Conversation\u0027s page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/257083\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\u0022 alt=\u0022The Conversation\u0022 width=\u00221\u0022 height=\u00221\u0022\u003E\u003C!-- End of code. If you don\u0027t see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis article is republished from \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe Conversation\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E under a Creative Commons license. Read the \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/college-general-education-requirements-help-prepare-students-for-citizenship-but-critics-say-its-learning-time-taken-away-from-useful-studies-257083\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Eoriginal article\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"full_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhat do Americans think of when they hear the words \u201cgeneral education\u201d?\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"What do Americans think of when they hear the words \u201cgeneral education\u201d?"}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2025-07-24 17:57:56","changed_gmt":"2026-03-19 13:13:03","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-07-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-07-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677481":{"id":"677481","type":"image","title":"Students learn about the arts and humanities, social sciences, and science and mathematics in general education","body":"\u003Cp\u003EStudents learn about the arts and humanities, social sciences, and science and mathematics in general education. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/photo\/graduation-day-achievement-silhouette-of-a-female-royalty-free-image\/2119464372?phrase=basics%20of%20a%20college%20education\u0026amp;searchscope=image%2Cfilm\u0026amp;adppopup=true\u0022\u003EOlga Pankova\/Moment via Getty Images\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1753380043","gmt_created":"2025-07-24 18:00:43","changed":"1753380043","gmt_changed":"2025-07-24 18:00:43","alt":"Students learn about the arts and humanities, social sciences, and science and mathematics in general education","file":{"fid":"261383","name":"file-20250711-56-rqocw4.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/24\/file-20250711-56-rqocw4.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/24\/file-20250711-56-rqocw4.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":62147,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/07\/24\/file-20250711-56-rqocw4.jpg?itok=rZsau8xd"}}},"media_ids":["677481"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/college-general-education-requirements-help-prepare-students-for-citizenship-but-critics-say-its-learning-time-taken-away-from-useful-studies-257083","title":"Read This Article on The Conversation"}],"groups":[{"id":"658168","name":"Experts"},{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1283","name":"School of Literature, Media, and Communication"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71901","name":"Society and Culture"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Ch5\u003EAuthor:\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/kelly-ritter-1459563\u0022\u003EKelly Ritter\u003C\/a\u003E, professor of Writing and Communication, Georgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShelley Wunder-Smith\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:shelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eshelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}