General Education
A General Education program is a set of academic requirements common to all students, ranging across a spectrum of academic disciplines and subjects. The general education curriculum at Malone University plays a central role in fulfilling our distinctive mission to provide each one of our students with “an education based on biblical faith in order to develop men and women in intellectual maturity, wisdom, and Christian faith who are committed to serving the church, community, and world.”
Malone University is committed to equipping graduates to put “Christ's Kingdom First” in all of life. In part, this means cultivating in students the skills, knowledge, and dispositions that will equip them to serve effectively in the workplace. This goal is addressed both through specialized study in the major and throughout the general education program. In a day when most people will engage in multiple careers across a lifetime, our general education curriculum cultivates crucial abilities that transcend specialization, such as critical and creative thinking, interaction with knowledge and ideas, communication, and problem solving. Whatever their callings, we are committed to preparing students to serve faithfully and effectively.
This commitment also means that a Malone education is a preparation for life beyond the workplace, in such realms as church, family, local community, nation, and world. General education coursework provides a solid grounding in Christian scriptures and tradition, along with many additional opportunities for growth in self-knowledge, knowledge of God, and knowledge of the challenges, complexities, and opportunities of our changing world. We challenge students to cultivate a love of truth, life-long habits of thoughtful reflection, and a strong foundation of practical wisdom grounded in biblical faith, equipping them to live and thrive in the world as agents of Christ's kingdom.
Coursework in our general education program progresses from Foundations courses that establish a strong framework for Christian higher education, to Engaging courses designed to deepen and expand our understanding of people, creation, our nation, and our world. In some components of the program all students take required courses in common; in other components students have opportunities to make choices. Students work closely with their academic advisers to shape the general education program to their own emerging interests.
The General Education (GE) curriculum requires a capstone course (GEN 460) for all students. This course should be taken after all other GE courses are completed. The courses are offered primarily during the fall and spring semesters. All seniors and those juniors who have completed their General Education requirements are eligible to register for a section of GEN 460. If a student does not meet these criteria and has significant extenuating circumstances requiring registration, s/he must contact the Director of General Education to request permission to register for a section of GEN 460. This is accomplished by contacting the Director of GE.
Students are offered a variety of GEN 460 course sections each semester. Sections are taught by seasoned faculty and examine the world through a variety of intellectual lenses. Courses are rigorous, reading plentiful, and papers are required. Students are encouraged to examine a variety of ideas presented within the section from several intellectual traditions and further asked to examine their faith beliefs in light of the section topic.
