Abstract
The subject of study is the impact of general education or “core” requirements on students in the Purdue School of Humanities, Social Science, and Education. The investigation, begun in 1969, deals with approximately 1100 beginning freshmen of which over 400 make up the experimental group. All students are being followed through their undergraduate years, the first two of which are reported here. The experimental group is differentiated from the other groups in that its constituents have been permitted to waive any or all core requirements. The experimental group has achieved a higher grade index while carrying a slightly higher course load. Contrary to expectation, they selected many core courses. They also indicated greater satisfaction with their programs, their school, and the University. Core requirements for future students have been modified as a result.
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Suddarth, B.M. An investigation of general education requirements in college curricula. Res High Educ 3, 197–204 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00991209
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00991209