General Education

General Education Core from great beginnings to graduation and beyond.

General Education at the University of Cincinnati provides the broad foundation that all undergraduate students build upon. It is intentionally woven through three key touchpoints in every student’s degree:

• First-Year Experience 
• Mid-Collegiate experience (typically in the sophomore or junior year)
• Senior Capstone

Together, these experiences reflect UC’s commitment to liberal education as essential preparation for lifelong learning, responsible citizenship, and success in a rapidly changing world.      Through carefully designed course requirements, UC’s General Education program develops five key competency areas across a student’s entire degree program and connects them to the university’s broader Next Lives Here Strategic Direction and priorities of Academic Excellence and the Innovation Agenda

• emphasizes critical thinking
• develops effective verbal, written, oral, and visual communication
• includes familiarity with multiple areas of traditional knowledge
• supports intellectual excellence and openness
• integrates study among disciplines
• encourages commitment to personal social accountability and responsibility
• promotes awareness of the world at large
• fosters information literacy
• values lifelong learning
• encourage contextual linkages

UC has designed a purposeful, sequenced, and ongoing approach to achieving the student learning outcomes of its general education framework.  Each major determines how its students fulfill the components of general education.  Students should consult their program's curriculum guide for specifics and contact their academic advisor for any detailed questions.

All baccalaureate programs fulfill two components of general education (GE):

1. GE Core
2. GenEd Touchpoints

UC’s General Education requirements are designed to ensure that students achieve high-level learning outcomes and develop UC’s five Baccalaureate Competencies throughout their degree program.

With more than two centuries of experience in undergraduate education, UC’s faculty have a long history of innovation and continuous improvement. Faculty have led efforts to define meaningful learning outcomes, strengthen college teaching, and connect coursework to real-world experience. UC pioneered cooperative education and continues to embrace experiential learning as a core part of the undergraduate experience. That same commitment to thoughtful, evidence-based teaching underpins how we design and deliver General Education at UC.