Background
General education, including a foundation in the liberal arts, is the cornerstone of a university education. Its purpose is to develop in students the knowledge, skills, and character necessary to live thoughtful, ethical, and successful lives, both professionally and personally, and to foster a love of lifelong learning.
General education is a requirement at Lesley University and it is delivered with options for flexibility and choice. Lesley University considers past learning and experience when helping students shape their general education curriculum choices to best meet their individual needs. Courses to meet the liberal arts requirements of general education are available throughout the offerings of Lesley University.
General Education Learning Goals
Fundamental Base of Knowledge
Students will develop a fundamental base of knowledge necessary for all future academic study and professional preparation.
Critical Reasoning
Students will develop the ability to solve unfamiliar problems and generate new meaning.
Social Responsibility
Students will develop an understanding of the individual's role in the larger community and the natural world, and an awareness of the importance of involvement in the same.
Multiple Perspectives
Students will develop an awareness of multiple viewpoints by exploring the relationship among values, attitudes, cultures, and behaviors.
Lifelong Learning
Students will acquire the interest and ability to further their learning. General Education at Lesley goes beyond offering breadth and depth in the liberal arts. Learning goals are infused into study in the major, in co-curricular settings, in the community, and through self-reflection.
Flexibility and Choice
Students may demonstrate they have met introductory-level course requirements and have a "sufficient base of knowledge" in Humanities, Science and Math, or Social Sciences through such vehicles as AP credit or previous college courses. Students are also eligible to place out of English Composition (CWRIT 1101) through an AP score of 4 or higher. All students are required to complete Writing and Literary Arts (CLITR 1100). Students with a mathematics SAT score below 510 must satisfy a quantitative reasoning requirement prior to their math requirement. Students with AP credits for studio art or pre-college art classes may qualify for studio elective credit.
All other students will be advised into the appropriate introductory-level courses to prepare them for advanced breadth and depth of study in the liberal arts disciplines. Visual art students will be enrolled in mandatory foundation courses the first year of study.
Academic and Artistic Freedom Policy for Students:
Lesley University supports an atmosphere of academic and artistic freedom in all artistic and scholastic endeavors, and believes that the suppression of free speech or artistic expression is unacceptable where educational inquiry is encouraged. Within such an educational framework, no idea or expression can be forbidden unless it is in violation of federal, state, or local laws. Individual statements and philosophies expressed by students in their work, whether displayed on campus or in the community, should be taken as the statements and philosophies of individuals, not as University sanctioned ideas. In the same spirit, the University encourages an attitude of respect toward all student work, and will take disciplinary action against theft or violation of student artwork or projects.