About the Program

At the heart of Bloomfield College’s educational program is the General Education Program. This program challenges students to engage in intellectual discovery and fosters a passion for lifelong learning. Through the General Education Program, students will be prepared to evaluate and apply new information, to make reasoned judgments about the complex and diverse contemporary world, to express ideas effectively, and to be public citizens. The College’s General Education Program is built around three elements:

• The Core
• The Electives
• The Cultural Enrichment Program

The Core is designed to introduce students to the foundational skills and information needed for success in college and beyond. These skills include writing, mathematical knowledge, and, through the Geographies of Experience (GEO) courses, a grounding in the scientific, cultural, and historical processes that have shaped the world. Based on experiential learning and the integration of field trips with classroom work, the GEO courses provide a common immersion experience in culture, art, ecology, and science. By exposing students to the richness of the physical and cultural landscapes of the region. GEO is intended to broaden students’ knowledge, stimulate their curiosity, and spark their imaginations.

After completing the Core, students will master certain skills through the General Education Electives, which will also expose students to the introductory knowledge of specific disciplines. The College has identified sets of skills necessary for an educated person in the twenty-first century (see page 47 for the list and description of these competencies). These competencies are the basis of the College’s General Education Electives, and students will take a variety of courses to be introduced to these skills. The combination of courses students take in the General Education Program and in the major is designed to help students reach a high level of competence in each of these areas.

The College recognizes that learning does not just take place in a classroom, and so it requires students to participate in the Cultural Enrichment Program. This program builds on experiences in the GEO courses and helps students learn to learn outside of the classroom by exposing them to the many co-curricular events that the College and the New York metro region provide. The Cultural Enrichment Program exposes students to a wide variety of topics and helps them discover the excitement of life-long learning (see page 56
for more information).

When students successfully complete the General Education Program, they will have the skills necessary to succeed in upper division courses and continue learning throughout their lives.

Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree must take:

• Two course units addressing the Aesthetic Appreciation competency.
• One course unit addressing the Communication Skills competency.
• Two course units addressing the Multi/Transcultural and Global Awareness competency.
• Three course units addressing the Problem Solving and Critical Thinking competency.
• One course unit addressing the Scientific and Technical Skills competency.

Candidates for the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree must take:

• One course unit addressing the Aesthetic Appreciation competency.
• One course unit addressing the Communication Skills competency.
• Two course units addressing the Multi/Transcultural and Global Awareness competency.
• Three course units addressing the Problem Solving and Critical Thinking competency.
• Two course units addressing the Scientific and Technical Skills competency.

Restrictions on and exemptions from General Education Electives:

• Two course units may be from the major’s list of requirements and will count as two general education electives. When basic competencies are clearly taught and practiced throughout the student’s major discipline course, students in that major may have substitutions for similar courses of general education credit.
• Two course units must be Writing Intensive (WI).*
• One course unit must be a lab science.
• Four course units must be at the 200-level or above.
• Many students, depending upon their major, may have additional substitutions for General Education Electives.
• Students in the three-year plus programs may count two of the course units in their list of major requirements as general education electives and take only one writing intensive course in the general
  education electives

The Cultural Enrichment Program (CEP)

Students must attend twenty CEP events over their matriculation at the College; trips taken in the GEO courses may count toward this total. Students in the three-year plus programs must only attend fifteen events.

For transfer students, the number of required CEP events will be adjusted in accordance with the number of credits transferred in the following way:

• Students transferring 6.5-14 c.u.s must attend fifteen CEP events.
• Students transferring 14.25-23 c.u.s must attend ten CEP events.
• Students transferring 23.25 or more c.u.s must attend five CEP events.

An updated list of courses that count as General Education Electives may be found at the Registrar and Divisional offices.