General Education Overview

Philosophy of General Education

The General Education Program at Skyline College provides a scope and depth of learning that empowers students to meet the work, life, and global citizenship challenges of the 21st century. The Program fosters and develops the essential knowledge, skills, and values students need to succeed in an interdependent world of daunting complexity and relentless change. It is the foundation of life-long learning. Students gain broad knowledge of science, cultures and society; a wide range of high-level intellectual and practical skills; a strong sense of ethical and social responsibility; and the ability to integrate and apply the knowledge, skills, and values acquired in general education to new settings and complex problems and challenges. The General Education Program values and prioritizes broad, diverse perspectives, cross-disciplinary learning, intellectual curiosity, critical and creative inquiry, and the importance of engaging big questions, both contemporary and enduring.

Skyline College offers two distinct general education patterns to fit different student goals:

• Option 1 Skyline College General Education (24 units): This option is recommended for students who intend to earn an associate degree. Some courses may also apply to Option 2. Option 1: Skyline College GE Worksheet
• Option 2 Cal-GETC (California General Education Transfer Curriculum)(34 units): This option is recommended for students who intend to earn an associate degree while also planning to transfer to a four-year college or university. Cal-GETC is also the required general education pattern for students who intend to earn an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT). Please refer to the Skyline College Cal-GETC general education pattern for requirements and limitations. Option 2: Cal-GETC Worksheet 

Important Notes:

• Although a course may be listed in more than one area, a student may use a course to satisfy only one subject area;
• Students completing an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) must select Option 2 (Cal-GETC);
  
• Students who have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher, from a U.S. institutionally accredited institution, shall be deemed to have fulfilled the Skyline College General Education requirements (Option 1)
  
• Option 1 (Skyline College GE) does not apply to the Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT).