Required core courses for undergraduate degrees total 20-23 hours at Murray State. The purpose of general education requirements is to shape students into well-rounded individuals with cultivated perspectives and capabilities. Yet, required courses might not always be as beneficial as intended.
Bundled with complex advantages and disadvantages, core classes are thoroughly debated. Determining the origin of what makes each student well-rounded and the ways they use gen ed knowledge after graduation would be nearly impossible. Therefore, the question arises as to whether university core classes genuinely help.
Murray State’s required classes include the following categories: oral and written communication; scientific inquiry, methodologies and quantitative skill; and world’s historical, literary and philosophical traditions. In other words, undergraduates must take communication, humanities, world civilization, English, science and math classes. Comparatively, Murray State requires far fewer core classes than other universities in Kentucky.
The aforementioned categories are an optimistic proposal. When done correctly, students become better critical thinkers who can communicate creative ideas effectively. The goal is to help students understand different perspectives and positively interact with them. Some students even change their majors based on subjects they are exposed to through core classes. However, the system of requiring general education classes could be better.
Gen ed classes can have negative outcomes when they do not serve their purpose. Too many required core classes end up being extra baggage rather than providing insight. Core classes should be challenging, but not what brings a student’s GPA down. This can have negative consequences, such as loss of scholarships or financial aid. Further, not doing well in a class might affect a student’s mental health, which is not the way to create well-rounded individuals.
In a time of overwhelming student debt, gen ed classes force students to be in school longer and ultimately pay more tuition. Many students would rather take the classes needed solely for their major and graduate. Students already feel pressured to graduate early or right on time in order to avoid extra college expenses. Spending more time in school due to gen ed classes will result in spending money that could be avoided. Risking GPAs and spending thousands of dollars on these classes is not the way to help students.
Further, some students are at an unfair advantage if their particular high school doesn’t offer certain dual credit classes. Whether students grow up in a place with one high school or multiple, it comes down to chance on which high schools offer dual credit classes. In the end, students can be disadvantaged by thousands of dollars simply because they never got the opportunity to take them.
STEM and humanities classes should still be necessary requirements. Nowadays, employers are looking for candidates who have a broader set of skills and solve problems efficiently and creatively. Required classes could help with these goals, but the current system in place does not help.
What students need is an intuitive system that incorporates analytical thinking, effective communication methods and diverse perspectives that will build their majors.
A wider variety of gen ed classes that pertain to each major could assist with this. The University could merge many core classes into a fewer amount so that students still benefit but spend less time and money.
It could also be beneficial to offer core classes in practical living. Required classes in something like finance could help students by teaching them to budget and responsibly spend money.