General Education

Photo of five students sitting in a row in class

General Education Program: New for Fall 2024

The General Education Program creates life-long learners prepared for success in their personal and civic lives. While a major prepares students for their chosen career path, the General Education Program equips students with the skills and knowledge that make them more adaptable in a fast-evolving job market.

The program is divided amongst three areas:

The first, Intellectual and Practical Skills, equips students with broad, transferable skills that are crucial not only to their academic success but also to their future careers and civic lives. These skills include critical thinking, enabling students to construct well-reasoned arguments and solve problems creatively; written and oral communication, fostering the clear and effective expression of ideas; quantitative literacy, promoting the interpretation and application of numerical information in various contexts; and information literacy, teaching students to locate, evaluate, and ethically use information.

The second, Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Natural World, teaches students the intricacies of human behavior, social structures, and the principles governing natural phenomena. Through the study of histories, values, languages, and ideas of various cultures, students gain a deeper understanding of the human experience, fostering empathy and global awareness. Complementary to this, understanding the physical and natural world involves scientific inquiry, fostering an understanding of the principles and concepts governing our environment and universe. The amalgamation of these studies equips students to make informed and ethical decisions, preparing them to address the complex, interconnected challenges of the 21st century effectively.

The third, Integrated and Applied Learning, teaches students how to apply the knowledge they have acquired through diverse areas of study, both within and beyond academia. This outcome encourages students to synthesize their learnings from general and specialized studies, applying this integrated knowledge to complex, real-world problems. Particularly relevant is the application of knowledge acquired through civic engagement-oriented courses, encouraging students to actively apply their academic learnings to civic issues. This outcome thus fosters adaptable learners, equipped to address the complexities of the professional world and contribute effectively to civic life.

The following are required for new students entering the university from fall 2024 onwards. Students who entered before fall 2024 may elect to migrate to this new program. If they do not migrate, they follow the requirements in place during their term of entry. Transfer students who have been awarded an A.A., A.S., B.A., or B.S. from a regionally accredited institution are waived from the entire General Education program. Transfer students who haven’t earned one of these degrees but have earned 60 or more credits are waived from the Civic Engagement and Capstone requirements.

Intellectual and Practical Skills

  • Written Communication: Take ENGL 101 & 102*
  • Quantitative Knowledge: Take MATH 114, 140, 164, or 175**
  • Take one Oral Communication Course
  • Take one course in Information & Technological Literacy

Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Natural World

  • Take one course in Scientific Knowledge
  • Take one course in Society and Human Behavior
  • Take one course in Humanistic Perspectives
  • Take one course in Historical Perspectives
  • Take one course in Global and Cultural Awareness

Integrative and Applied Learning
(Waived for transfers with 60 or more prior earned credits)

  • Take one Capstone Seminar
  • Take one Civic Engagement Course

NOTES
* Students may take ESL 101 and ESL 102, or ESL 115 and ESL 116. Some students are also required to take a foundational course.

Academic Foundations

** The required Math course and associated sequence varies by students’ meta-major as follows:

math-req-sequence-GenEd SCREENSHOT LINK
View PDF

Courses

NJCU’s new General Education Program was designed to honor and build upon the work that transfer students have completed in General Education programs throughout NJ’s Community Colleges, breaking down barriers to access. As such, all courses approved for General Education programs at Community Colleges throughout the state of NJ are accepted at NJCU as well. The only exception concerns a few Math and English courses, many of which will satisfy pre-requisites to NJCU’s required Math and English courses.

VIEW COURSE LIST

The program also offers courses unique to NJCU, especially under the Civic Engagement and Capstone requirement.

Full List of Approved NJCU General Education Courses by Requirement

The following is a tentative list of courses that will be offered in AY24-25.

  • ENGL 125 Stories of the University
  • ENGL 133 Dark Stories for Young Adults
  • MGMT 110 Life is Good Business
  • MGMT 221 MYOB
  • MKTG 332 Integrated Marketing Communication
  • MKTG 360 Writing for MKTG & PR
  • PHIL 245 Social Justice
  • PHIL 246 Food, Philosophy&Global Health
  • POLI 320 Campaign 2022
  • SOCI 221 Human Services in Aging
  • SOCI 230 Cities of Industry
  • SOCI 232 Sociology of the Aging
  • SOCI 237 Refugees and Forced Migration
  • SOCI 268 Urban Anthropology
  • WGST 220 Women and Leadership
  • WGST 225 Women, Hip Hop & Social Change
  • WGST 226 LGBTQ Social Change
  • AFRO 215 American Civil Rights Movement
  • ART 131 World Art II
  • ENGL 130 Reading the Environment
  • HIST 131 Metropolitan New York
  • HLTH 207 Human Sexuality
  • LANG 308 Survey of Span-Amer Lit
  • LATI 114 Studying Latin America
  • LATI 201 Peoples & Cul of Caribbean
  • LATI 202 Ethn,Racial&Cul Mex,&CentAmer
  • LTED 160 Lang of Power & Social Justice
  • MEDI 327 Cinema & Media : Women in Film
  • MGMT 241 Global Business
  • PHIL 232 African(A) Philosophy
  • PHIL 324 Judaism, Christianity, Islam
  • POLI 105 History of Political Thought
  • POLI 120 Global Challenges
  • POLI 215 Women and Law
  • PSYC 490 Cross Cultural Psych
  • WGST 109 Gender, Sexuality and Culture
  • WGST 110 Diversity and Difference
  • WGST 190 Intro to Gay & Lesbian Studies
  • AFRO 125 From Africa to Emancipation
  • AFRO 140 From Emancipation to Present
  • AFRO 164 Intro African Civilizations
  • AFRO 285 Modern Africa
  • HIST 150 American History to 1865
  • HIST 152 American History since 1865
  • HIST 154 History of Women
  • HIST 162 Intro to Latin-Amer Civilizat
  • HIST 168 Middle East, Past and Present
  • HIST 205 Ancient Civilizations
  • HIST 216 World War II: Europe
  • HIST 233 Beyond Bound:Global History
  • HIST 255 The Emergence of Modern Europe
  • HIST 350 Making of the Middle Ages
  • LANG 145 9/11 Before and After
  • AFRO 101 The African Diaspora
  • ART 106    Contemporary  Art
  • ART 120 History of Photography
  • ART 263 Activist,Interlop & Pranksters
  • ENGL 204 Modern American Lit.
  • ENGL 205 Queer Literature
  • ENGL 207 Modern British Literature
  • ENGL 208 The Novel and Film
  • ENGL 209 Children's & Young Adult Lit
  • ENGL 214 Science Fiction
  • ENGL 218 The Short Story
  • ENGL 220 African American Literature
  • ENGL 226 Women in Literature
  • ENGL 228 Survey of Dram Lit from 1620
  • ENGL 235 Reading Hip Hop
  • ENGL 316 Topics in British Literature
  • ENGL 321 Topics in World Literature
  • ENGL 386 Memoir Workshop
  • LANG 103 Elem Spanish I
  • LANG 104 Elem Spanish II
  • LANG 105 Elem French I
  • LANG 107 Elem Italian I
  • LANG 215 Spanish for Bilingual Spkrs I
  • LANG 304 Advan Spanish Composition I
  • MDT 106 Jazz History
  • MDT 155 African Music in the America
  • MDT 166 Exploring Western Music
  • MDT 167 World Music
  • MDT 209 Music Now
  • MDT 210 Hist of Popular Mus in America
  • MDT 211 Music of the Caribbean
  • MDT 329 Music History before 1750
  • MDT 330 Music History after 1750
  • MDT 506 Music in America
  • MEDI 102 Dev of Film I
  • MEDI 120 Understanding Movies
  • MEDI 130 The History of Media
  • PHIL 110 Mythology
  • PHIL 125 Ethics in Everyday Life
  • PHIL 135 World Religions
  • PHIL 203 Philosophy of Religion
  • PHIL 207 Ethics
  • PHIL 217 Eastern Phil & Religion
  • PHIL 236 Self: I as Mind
  • PHIL 244 Political and Social Phil
  • PHIL 260 Philosophy of Education
  • PHIL 317 Philosophy and Literature
  • CS 101 Computer Science I
  • CS 120 Computers & Info. Technology
  • CS 125 Game Programming
  • CS 206 Concepts Oper Systems
  • CS 252 Programming for All
  • EDU 105 Education and LGBTQ Issues
  • EESC 231 Water Chronicles
  • EESC 250 Plunder:Race Natural Resources
  • ENGL 150 From Game Play to Creat Writ
  • FINC 105 Data Literacy
  • FINC 221 Business Information Systems
  • FINC 250 Financial Literacy
  • HIST 231 The US in the World
  • LATI 122 Archaeology of Mesoamerica
  • MEDI 250 The Future of Media
  • MEDI 260 Fantastic in Film & Television
  • PHIL 102 Critical Thinking
  • PHIL 109 Bioethics
  • ART 125 Ceramics and Civilization
  • ART 170 Time Trav:Intro Time-Based Art
  • ECON 103 Current Economic Issues
  • ECON 115 Money and Markets
  • EESC 223 The Blue Planet
  • EESC 238 Wonders of Weather
  • ENGL 147 Effective Speaking
  • ESL 130 American Myths
  • LANG 275 Islam Today
  • LTED 205 Contemporary Literacies
  • MCC 218 Learning, Teaching, and Succes
  • PHIL 140 The Examined Life
  • POLI 130 Debating Current Controversies
  • WGST 101 Telling Women's Lives
  • MATH 114 Contemporary Mathematics
  • MATH 140 Statistics I
  • MATH 164 Pre-Calculus for Business Stud
  • MATH 175 Enhanced Precalculus
  • BIOL 106 Practical Nutrition
  • BIOL 130 Principles Biology I
  • BIOL 131 Principles Biology II
  • BIOL 203 Biology of the Environment
  • BIOL 224 The Human Body
  • BIOL 225 Human Sexual Biology
  • BIOL 230 Cell Biology
  • BIOL 232 Invertebrate Zoology
  • BIOL 236 Prin Anatomy & Physiology I
  • BIOL 237 Prin Anatomy & Physiology II
  • BIOL 252 Evolution
  • BIOL 303 Microbiology
  • BIOL 304 Genetics
  • BIOL 305 Histology
  • BIOL 402 Ecology
  • CHEM 100 Prep for Gen Chem
  • CHEM 230 Chemistry & Society:Better Living
  • CHEM 307 Bio Chem I
  • EESC 390 Energy and Sustainability
  • PHYS 101 Basic Concepts of Physics
  • ECE 212 Human Devel:Prenatal to Adol
  • ECON 207 Prin Economics:Macro
  • ECON 208 Prin. Economics:Micro
  • LATI 209 Sex & Gender in Latin America
  • LATI 212 Drugs in Latin America
  • LATI 215 Migration and Transnat in Lati
  • LATI 250 Portugal Brazil North America
  • PHIL 235 Perspectives on Death
  • POLI 102 U.S. Politics
  • POLI 109 Comparative Politics
  • POLI 324 Internat Rel in Middle East
  • PSYC 110 Intro to Psychology
  • PSYC 150 Devel: Birth Through Adolesc
  • PSYC 152 Dev Adol to Adult
  • PSYC 160 Social Psychology
  • PSYC 345 Personality Theory
  • SOCI 111 Principles of Sociology
  • SOCI 113 Social Problems
  • SOCI 115 Intro to Anthropology
  • SOCI 121 Sociology of Families
  • SOCI 141 Cultural Anthropology
  • SOCI 225 Class, Status and Power
  • SOCI 245 Sociology of Religion
  • SOCI 265 Racial & Cultural Minorities
  • EDU 305 Power, Politics, and Schooling
  • ENGL 319 The Triangle Fire
  • ENGL 344 Creative Writing Digital Age
  • HIST 347 Making History
  • LATI 350 Latinos and Language in the US
  • LTED 380 Going Public:Lit&Hist Amer Edu
  • MCC 350 Immigrants and Immigration
  • MDT 374 P.T. Barnum
  • PHIL 390 Pandemic Ethics
  • PHIL 397 Re-Thinking Animals
  • SOCI 309 Riots, Rebellions, Revolutions
  • WGST 310 Girls Girl Culture & Girlhood
  • WGST 370 Trans History and Identities
  • ENGL 101 English Composition I
  • ENGL 102 English Composition II
  • ESL 101 English Comp I ESL
  • ESL 102 English Composition 2 ESL

Honors Program

The Honors Program is a complete replacement for NJCU's General Education Program, including the All-University Requirements. Students who successfully complete the Honors Program requirements have thereby successfully completed the General Education Program Requirements. Students who leave the Honors Program before completing its requirements will receive General Education credits for the Honors courses they have successfully completed.