Beginning in the Fall 2024 semester, the College has implemented a new, more flexible General Education program that expands student choice and options.
The General Education Program provides a foundation for deeper study in a wide range of academic disciplines. Through the General Education Program, students develop the skills and habits of mind necessary for full participation in an increasingly complex world.
The structure of General Education comprises both foundational courses and upper-division courses that afford students the opportunity to further develop in their majors skills acquired in foundational courses and also to make connections across disciplinary boundaries.
The RIC 100 course is designed to support the transition of first year students into college life in general and into the Rhode Island College community in particular, connecting each student with both an instructor and a peer mentor. The course covers such topics as the skills needed for academic success, getting the most out of working with your advisor, and taking care of yourself. The one-credit course meets for one hour weekly and is graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. Students whose programs include COLL 101, COLL 150, or HONR 150 are exempt from the RIC 100 requirement.
All degree programs require both the completion of one 3-4 credit course in each of nine categories (three Core courses and six Distribution courses) AND the completion of at least 40 total credits of General Education courses.
Transfer Students may determine their status with respect to General Education requirements by inquiring with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions or at the Office of the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
FYW 100 (or FYWP) is required in freshmen year. It introduces students to college-level writing and helps them develop the writing skills needed for success in college courses. Successful completion of the course (a final grade of C or better) will also meet the college's Writing Requirement. Courses are limited to twenty students.
FYS 100, with sections on a wide variety of topics taught by professors from departments across the college, is required in the student's first year. Students are encouraged to choose a topic that interests them. Each section is discussion-based, and focused on developing skills in critical thinking, oral communication, research and information literacy, and written communication. FYS 100 is offered only in the fall and spring semesters. Students who enter the College with 24 or more transfer credits are not considered first-year students and are exempt from this requirement. Courses are limited to twenty students.
Courses in the Connections category are courses on topics that emphasize comparative perspectives, such as across disciplines, across time, and across cultures. Students must complete the FYS and FYW courses before taking a Connections course.
Distribution courses emphasize ways of thinking and methods of inquiry within various disciplines. Students are required to take one course in each of the following six areas:
See the specific courses that satisfy the Distribution Requirement
These courses have also been approved as General Education courses, and along with any additional courses in the categories above, may be used to meet the requirement of achieving at least 40 credits of General Education courses. Please note that some of these courses may require prerequisites.
To complete General Education Honors, students must take a minimum of five General Education courses in specially designed honors sections. Courses chosen normally include the Honors Core, which consists of Honors First Year Seminar, Honors First Year Writing, and Honors Connections (taken in the junior year). Other honors courses are offered in various disciplines as Distribution Requirements. Although honors courses are reserved for students in the General Education Honors Program, if space permits and with the permission of the director of honors, other students may take honors sections.
