Some faculty and students on the General Education Committee

As undergraduate students in a technology college, most of us students have come to City Tech with a specific educational goal in mind. Possibly you want to go for a degree in Hospitality Management. Maybe you’d prefer a career in electrical or mechanical engineering. Or perhaps you choose to get your education in a healthcare field. No matter what field you choose to enter, there are certain core requirements, or general education classes, that you will be required to take as part of your degree.

Many students wonder why they are required to take these classes. Why do engineering students have to take humanities courses? Why should art students have to take sciences? Students may be shocked to find out that there is much research on this matter. In fact, New York City College of Technology has a committee that is focused on improving the quality of the General Education experience at the college. This committee works on the core requirements of all the degrees and is comprised of professors in all of the schools within the college as well as other key administrators and staff of the college.

On Thursday, March 7, this committee had a meeting with representatives from the student body to form a coalition to improve the visibility of the General Education component of the curriculum. This committee is in the process of putting together a contest on this matter.

To prepare for submissions into this contest, let’s start brainstorming, what does General Education mean to you?