“If you’re running a university, you’ve got to think like a businessman. With less and less state funding coming your way, you are going to have to figure out how to generate some funding. There are many ways to do this, but one of them involves getting students to take as many classes as possible.”
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If you’re running a university, you’ve got to think like a businessman. With less and less state funding coming your way, you are going to have to figure out how to generate some funding.

There are many ways to do this, but one of them involves getting students to take as many classes as possible.

And in comes General Education requirements.

Every student at the university has to complete 42 credits of classes in eight areas. That is, unless you are an Engineering major. Then you only have to complete around 40. Anyways, History majors may never need the things they learn in college level math or science, but if you require them to take it, claiming that it makes them well-rounded, you’ll at least get more cash out of them.

Yeah, yeah, it really is about having students graduate competent in several areas. We’ve heard it before. It’s probably a good thing. It might be hard to carry a conversation with someone who has only ever studied history, especially if you enjoy physics or geology.

Then again, to be honest, I really don’t want to sit through Humanities in Western Tradition. All it has really taught me so far is that nothing in western culture is original.

So what’s the compromise? General Education classes are probably good overall, making sure science majors get at a least a little taste of culture and art, and vice versa, but they are also expensive and sometimes boring.

General Education classes should be free.

I’m going to school to get a degree in a certain field. That’s what I’m paying for. I don’t want to have to pay for 42 credits of education I may not use in my job. I do appreciate, however, that every person graduating from the university has taken at least a little bit of English. The solution for this problem is making General Education classes free.

The only problem with this is that the university loses some money. And how can they afford that when they’re demolishing perfectly usable buildings to create green space and building a football stadium with no classrooms in it? Sorry, but I’d rather take my General Education classes free of charge and continue going to the Rubber Bowl for games. Besides, I live not far from where this stadium is being built and I sure don’t want to deal with traffic, tailgaters or the university knocking down my house.

So I guess, all in all, General Education classes are a good thing for students as a whole. I’m just rather annoyed I have to pay for them.

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