A: Some students need time and opportunity to explore their strengths and passions
before deciding on a major. A general education program can offer new perspectives
for all students, especially those who are still seeking a major.
What does that mean to me, a student?
As educated persons, ALL graduates of Missouri State University (regardless of their
major) should:
Gain intellectual and practical skills:
- Gather, organize, and evaluate information and ideas
- Develop and explore new ideas perspectives and approaches
- Express yourself clearly through writing in social, academic and professional contexts
- Listen critically and speak well to all audiences
- Reason and solve numerically-based problems, and create and communicate logical arguments
based on such evidence
- Identify a need for information, then locate and responsibly share the information
- Work in collaboration with others to solve problems and make decisions
Gain knowledge of human cultures:
- Understand principles of human behavior and social interactions in a variety of settings
- Develop an understanding of various contexts that shape thoughts and actions of people
world-wide
Gain knowledge of the natural world:
- Understand basic concepts of how scientific knowledge is relevant to human affairs
- Explore fundamental principles in physical sciences
Gain knowledge of public affairs:
- Recognize the importance of contributing to your own communities and society
- Recognize and consider multiple perspectives and cultures
- Know your own value system and how it affects your decisions and people and communities
around you.
Gain integrative and applied learning skills:
- Take everything you have learned and apply it to specific situations in life
To quote from Missouri State University's general education program:
The aim of general education at Missouri State University is to develop people capable
of making choices that lead to thoughtful, creative, and productive lives and to responsible
participation in society.
General education is that portion of the curriculum in which the university addresses
the knowledge, abilities, skills, habits, and dispositions of educated persons.
(It) provides for learning that educated persons will use throughout their lives in
their many roles and communities.
