Where does the information come from?
My college says it has a good curriculum; why is its grade low?
Why shouldn't students be able to take whatever they want?
Why is a core curriculum important?
What does a good core curriculum include?
What Is This Website?
This website asks a simple question about today's students: What will they learn? Specifically, will they gain the knowledge and skills they need to compete in the global marketplace, lead our nation thoughtfully, and be lifelong learners? Many college guides and ranking systems measure institutions' prestige and reputation, but no guide has looked at what students are actually required to learn. That's what we are doing here.
Why Does This Matter?
According to a recent study, only 31 percent of college graduates can read and understand a complex book. In another recent survey, only 24 percent of employers thought graduates of four-year colleges were "excellently prepared" for entry-level positions. College seniors perennially fail tests of their civic and historical knowledge. And rates of leisure reading have taken a nosedive.
What you see on What Will They Learn?SM illuminates why these statistics are so dismal: Students seldom learn what they are not expected to learn.
This is because our colleges and universities have largely abandoned a coherent, content-rich general education curriculum. Many do not require a genuine, college-level math course; the vast majority do not require a survey course in American government or history, and only a handful require a basic course in economics. The general education curriculum has become anything goes.
To be clear, we examine general education because these requirements encompass the courses the vast majority of students must take, regardless of major. Ideally, these courses—commonly known as the core curriculum—ensure that students encounter broad, foundational knowledge in both the arts and sciences, knowledge that provides the intellectual backbone for lifelong learning and informed citizenship. No matter how good individual majors are, if our colleges don't get general education right, students will get a spotty education that will not prepare them for a life well lived.
Where Does the Information Come From?
We have summarized each college or university's general education requirements after a detailed review of the latest online course catalogs. Above them, we have briefly quoted publicly available statements regarding the institution's educational goals, with links to the statements themselves. Figures cited for tuition and fees come from U.S. News & World Report or, if not available there, the College Board. Graduation rates cited come from Diplomas and Dropouts, a landmark study published by the American Enterprise Institute. It should be noted that they are six-year graduation rates. We also rely heavily on various ACTA publications, including What Will They Learn?, The Hollow Core, and Becoming an Educated Person.
My College Says It Has a Good Curriculum; Why Is Its Grade Low?
Traditionally, the general education curriculum was subject to two limits. First, core courses were relatively few in number, and second, they were general in scope. The result was a curriculum that consisted of a small number of broad classes, like "Great Works of Philosophy" or "Landmarks of Literature." Courses typically covered the most important events, ideas, or works known to mankind—material considered essential for an educated person.
While most colleges today claim they are providing a strong core curriculum, in fact, they do so in name only. Instead of a limited number of courses, broad-based in focus, institutions now typically demand that students take courses in several wide subject areas—the so-called distribution requirements. Within each subject area, it is not uncommon for students to have dozens or even hundreds of courses from which to choose—many of them narrow or frivolous. At one major state university, for example, students may choose from over one hundred different classes to meet a Historical Studies requirement. At other colleges, students may satisfy requirements with courses such as "Introduction to Popular TV and Movies" and "Science of Stuff." Still other colleges allow "Bob Dylan" to meet a literature requirement and "Floral Art" to meet a natural science requirement.
Why Shouldn't Students Be Able to Take Whatever They Want?
A core curriculum is in no way incompatible with choice. The core makes sure that the basics are covered, but students remain free to choose from an array of courses to fulfill these requirements and can pursue their own interests through electives.
The fact is, problems arise when having too many choices undermines the goal of giving students a coherent education. Once requirements become too loose, students inevitably graduate with an odd list of random, unconnected courses. It's not surprising that in a recent survey of college administrators, only a little over a third characterized their general education programs as consisting of a coherent sequence of courses. A truly coherent core curriculum would be a much better approach.
After all, education is not just about offering classes; it is also about those who know more identifying the subjects that form the core of a solid education. When too many courses are optional, education is left up to chance. No eighteen-year-old, even the brightest, should have to determine which combination of courses comprises a solid liberal education.
Why Is a Core Curriculum Important?
A sound core curriculum ensures students are exposed to subject areas that they might otherwise pass up—courses without which their education would be all the poorer. It is in this process of encountering knowledge from a variety of subjects that students learn and practice the analytical and critical thinking skills that are foundational to being an educated person. Familiarity with the most influential events, ideas, and works provides context for thinking critically about the more narrow, specialized topics students will encounter as upperclassmen. In short, a well-crafted core curriculum is challenging, content-rich, and coherent—and it is not something that is necessarily gained by simply amassing 120 credit hours over eight semesters.
Increasingly, the demands of the modern workforce necessitate a broad general education. In a recent survey, significant numbers of employers list writing, reading comprehension, mathematics, science, and foreign language as very important or important basic skills and knowledge. Meanwhile, few of the employers said four-year college graduates have "excellent" knowledge or skills in any of these areas.
This need for general knowledge is underscored by the fact that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that current workers hold an average of 10.8 different jobs between the ages of 18 and 42. Job descriptions may vary, but the skills and knowledge that come from a solid general education equip graduates with the flexibility to adapt to a changing job market.
Another important benefit of a coherent core curriculum is its ability to foster a "common conversation" among students, connecting them more closely with faculty and with each other. As Columbia University notes on its website, common general education courses "create a community of intellectual discourse that spills over beyond the classroom and into dormitories, dining halls, and the many cafes that surround the campus." Without this common conversation, the campus risks becoming less a community of scholars and more a disjointed jumble of isolated groups.
Finally, as more and more students with various levels of preparedness go to college, a coherent core curriculum offers an unparalleled way for them to make the transition from high school to more advanced study. First- and second-year general education courses can fill in any gaps in a student's previous education and build upon existing knowledge. In high school, students may have had a textbook introduction to American history, but at the college level, they can advance to primary documents and the kind of critical analysis that cannot be gained from a two-paragraph summary of Thomas Jefferson or Rosa Parks. Similarly, students who were exposed to the basics of chemistry or physics in high school can gain the more robust, hands-on experience of a laboratory environment with faculty who are active researchers in their fields. These aspects of a rigorous general education not only prepare students to excel in studying their subsequent majors; they also provide them with the skills necessary to pursue additional learning throughout the rest of their lives.
What Does a Good Core Curriculum Include?
Most people will agree that the primary goal of a college education is for students to learn critical habits of mind. These skills are not taught in any one class, but are built and refined over time as students wrestle with great thinkers in many fields of knowledge. A necessary prerequisite for studying the human world is an ability to communicate in it. Therefore, it is essential that students become proficient in their reading, writing, and speaking. From this, it follows that higher education should introduce students to great literary works. Not only does the study of excellent literature speak to the breadth of human experience, but it also inculcates the habits of reading and reflection that students will use for the rest of their lives. In many cases, college marks the last time students will read books they do not choose themselves, making it even more pressing to offer them an enriching educational experience.
Another excellent tool for understanding the breadth of human experience is the study of a foreign language. Language, as a direct reflection of thought, provides glimpses into the ways in which people of different cultures perceive the world. Additionally, in an increasingly interconnected world, employers highly prize competency in a foreign language.
Although knowledge about a variety of cultures is valuable, higher education in a free society is also the education of citizens. Therefore, it is essential that colleges and universities ensure that students have a working knowledge of the history and governing institutions of this country. A comprehensive understanding of American national history and government that includes both chronological and thematic breadth is indispensable for the formation of citizens and for the preservation of our free institutions.
Just as studying the human world requires language, studying the natural world requires mathematics and science. Numeracy at the college level allows students to evaluate, for instance, statistics they read in the newspaper about the federal budget. An ability to reason quantitatively in turn enables students to master the basic principles of scientific experimentation and observation that are essential for understanding the world in which we live. Science courses such as chemistry, biology, and physics build the analytical and critical thinking skills that today's employers demand while at the same time preparing graduates to navigate the complex and interconnected issues that are regularly debated at the local and national level.
Finally, in today's competitive global economy, understanding the principles that govern the allocation of scarce resources—economics—is becoming more and more essential. Although economics has not traditionally been a part of the liberal arts core, today's international markets, not to mention the impact economic policies have on the lives of all citizens, necessitate instruction in basic economic principles for informed citizenship.
Of course, arguments can be made for including any number of additional topics, such as art, music, psychology, sociology, philosophy, or world history. But a core curriculum that fails to require most of the seven key subjects outlined on this website will not satisfy the basic demands of general education. Several institutions go above and beyond this model—and wherever possible, we note that they do—but at many others, students run the risk of completing their degrees with only a patchwork of information, not the coherent understanding that characterizes an educated person.
What Can I Do?
Students and parents should vote with their wallets for those institutions that provide a sound foundation. While there are many reasons to choose a college, "what they will learn" is surely an essential one. If students and their parents place more emphasis on college quality, rather than reputation, institutions will respond. Students should also actively seek out the courses that really matter.
Alumni and donors should take an active interest in whether their alma maters have strong general education programs. They should not allow their degrees to be devalued by a decline in standards. While donors cannot and should not dictate curricula, they can direct their gifts—in many instances—to optional programs that provide an integrated study of essential subjects. Such programs are noted, where applicable, at the end of the ratings on this website.
Policymakers should take note of the state of the college curriculum—since it bears directly on institutional performance. While legislators should not determine what faculty members teach, they can and should ask questions about what the universities they oversee are doing to ensure their students get a good education. Universities do, after all, have a public purpose—preparing the next generation. It is essential that they deliver on this promise.