General Education

  1. Academics
  2. General Education

The liberal arts courses that make up your RIC bachelor's degree are known as "General Education."

At RIC, General Education Courses Aren't Just a Requirement

Boy smiling at table in class

Incoming college students often think of general education courses (gen ed courses) as classes they just have to get through before starting their more interesting major courses. At RIC, gen ed courses means exposure, flexibility, and most importantly – preparation for success.

Preparation for Success

Gen ed courses provide you with exposure to college-level academics while allowing you the space to acclimate, become inquisitive, and hone your skills for critical thinking. What you gain are the foundational skills and habits necessary for success in your major program and beyond. Although there are requirements, to introduce you to many different topics and offerings, we offer as much choice and flexibility as possible in course selection.

Everyone Takes These First

  • First-Year Writing – Professors will help you sharpen your writing skills, skills you'll need for success in most other college courses.
  • First-Year Seminar – A professor and scholar will engage you and your peers in a small discussion-based class on a topic they are passionate about. You will choose the individual First-Year Seminar course based on the topic, so the discussion and course should appeal to you.
  • Connections Course – You will select 1 course from a broad selection of courses in 20 different subjects.

Lots of Choices with Distribution Courses and Electives

With our distribution courses you will have lots of freedom. You will pick one course in each of these categories: Arts – Visual and Performing, History or Philosophy, Literature or Language, Mathematics, Natural Science, and Social and Behavioral Sciences, and each category offers many course choices within it. You can use additional Distribution Courses and Elective Courses to reach the 40 credit General Education requirement. And with 23 different subjects offered via Elective Courses, you'll be able to choose what's right for you.