The General Education Program

The general education program is predicated on the belief that a particular body of knowledge and a particular set of competencies exist which are common to liberally educated people and which enable them to function as whole persons in a pluralistic society. In essence, the purpose of the general education program is to prepare all students to function as individual contributors to society, as members of the larger society, and as members of their native social and political environment.

Since the underlying assumption of the general education program is that there exists a common body of knowledge which binds together all human experiences, then all courses and activities which comprise the general education curriculum are designed around a common set of goals: to acquire, organize, evaluate knowledge and communicate knowledge.

As a result of the general education core and the companion discipline requirements, every Hampton University student prior to graduation should:

1. Demonstrate competency in oral, reading, writing, listening, and quantitative skills;
2. Demonstrate knowledge of man’s aspirations, fears, and joys as expressed in literature, philosophy, religion, history and the arts; (This knowledge should embrace world cultures with special attention to the Afro-American cultural heritage.)
3. Demonstrate critical and logical thinking in decision-making related to personal, professional, and societal issues;
4. Demonstrate competency in using the scientific method for solving problems;
5. Demonstrate self-management skills in addressing economic, social, psychological, moral, and physical problems which are likely to be brought to bear on his or her life; and,
6. Demonstrate knowledge of economic, political, and social issues in the global society.