NJCU looks to lower the number of Gen Ed requirements in 2014
By James Vezos—
Spring brings about change, and New Jersey City University is undergoing a few transformations of its own.
The University Senate will be considering the adoption of a new General Education (Gen. Ed.) program, possibly implemented for the fall 2014 semester. The proposed plan would replace the existing General Studies program.
The current program is divided into three basic parts and is based on courses within a specific disciplinary field. Academic Foundation courses are obligatory for students who do not meet University standards upon arrival. After that, there are all university requirements such as English Composition, Mathematics, and Civilizations. The remainder of the program is concentrated within six areas, A-F. Sixty-six credits are mandatory for completion of the existing General Studies program.
Dr. J. Christopher Cunningham, Chair of the Senate’s Curriculum and Instruction Committee says, “The proposed plan is smaller, freeing up credits for students to take more electives, to enroll in minors, or to double major.”
The proposed program would be structured around an interdisciplinary approach and would reduce the total amount of Gen. Ed. requirements.
The status of the proposal is now in the examination process before the University Senate’s Planning, Budget, and Development Committee. The analysis by this committee is then sent back to the University Senate to be amended, if necessary, and then voted upon.
The proposed Gen. Ed. program is composed of three tiers that lead a student from introductory college writing and math courses to a culminating capstone course.
The proposal comes with a predicted eight-teen credit reduction for completion of the Gen. Ed. program.
Basant Tawfik, 20, Special Education/Elementary Mathematics major from Bayonne raises a very important question. “If the new system is forty-eight credits, but I already have those forty-eight completed, where are the remaining credits going to go?”
But, what if you are still completing the existing program come semester of Fall 2014? If you are enrolled at the University before the possible adoption of the new curriculum, you will have the option of completing the Gen. Ed. requirements in either the old or new program. If the choice arises and you choose to align with the newly proposed curriculum, your transcripts will have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for the transaction of credits.
Besides this transaction, this possible change may also have substantial impact on students who are transferring into and out of NJCU.
Kristen Marks, 21, Biology major from Kearny is nearing the completion of her General Studies says she’s “In favor for the change mainly because of the reduction in credits. As a Biology major I need to take a ton of science classes, and the existing curriculum is prolonging my stay at NJCU.”