General Education Program Guide

General Education Philosophy:

The mission of Florida SouthWestern State College’s General Education Program is to provide students with trans-disciplinary learning experiences that empower them to be active, informed and ethical citizens. Our innovative curriculum promotes collaboration and communication in diverse settings, encourages greater understanding of the relationship between individuals and their natural surroundings and cultivates intellectual curiosity that leads to independent research, creative problem-solving and meaningful engagement with the global community.  We provide the framework for students to acquire both discipline-specific professional skills necessary to make a living and a broad spectrum of skills in critical, creative and scientific problem-solving that will allow them to contribute in multiple real world settings.

In compliance with Florida Administrative Code 6A-14.0303 and Florida Statute 1007.25, all degree-seeking students who successfully complete Florida SouthWestern State College’s General Education Program will demonstrate literacy in the following five required categories of General Education Competencies:

• Communications
• Humanities
• Social Sciences
• Mathematics
• Natural Sciences

General Education Courses:

General Education Core courses differ from traditional survey courses by integrating a breadth of knowledge and skills essential to a complete education and are the foundation of knowledge upon which all degrees are built.

General Education Competencies:

• Communicate clearly in a variety of modes and media
• Research and examine academic and non-academic information, resources, and evidence
• Evaluate and utilize mathematical principles, technology, scientific and quantitative data
• Analyze and create individual and collaborative works of art, literature, and performance
• Think critically about questions to yield meaning and value
• Investigate and engage in the trans-disciplinary applications of research, learning, and knowledge
• Visualize and engage the world from different historical, social, religious, and cultural approaches
• Engage meanings of active citizenship in one’s community, nation, and the world