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General Education

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General Education

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The primary goal of the General Education curriculum is to integrate the Christian faith with all areas of learning and to serve as a foundational area of study for all learners. Our mission further includes the integration of several elements that are often separated in contemporary academia:

  • the great fields of learning—humanities, social and natural sciences, the arts, and pre-professional studies—to emphasize the interdependence of knowledge;
  • the many aspects of being human as individual persons and members of societies—to seek wholeness in one’s development and maturation;
  • Western and non-Western cultural perspectives—to communicate both the differences and similarities in their histories and worldviews and the understanding of diversity amid commonality;
  • the study of the dominant ideas of many cultures with the firsthand experience of interacting with those cultures—to cultivate empathy and depth of understanding; and
  • the perspectives of history with the shaping of the present and near future—to cultivate a sense of an “extended present” with the grasp of the movement of time and the impacts of human choices on the generations that follow.

First-Year Options

First-year students at Bethel choose between 2 options to start their general education:

  • Modular Track takes a modular approach to general education, consisting of 3 courses each covering different areas of study.
  • Humanities Track is an integrated sequence of 3 courses designed to provide students with a liberal arts foundation by exploring how western civilization has tried to answer life's deepest questions concerning God, the self, and society.

Take a look at both programs to help you decide which is the best fit for you!

The General Education Curriculum

The General Education curriculum is organized into 4 areas:

Additionally, all students take a capstone course that draws from all 4 areas and participate in a cross-cultural experience. General Education requirements include both specific courses that all students take and categories from which students choose courses.