Academics
General Education
For Returning Students
This page is meant to help you understand the General Education Curriculum at Seaver College. Information on this page is subject to revision.
If you are a returning student and you have questions concerning the new GE program, consult your advisor.
Frequently Asked Questions
I am already a student, do new GEs affect me?
You are required to complete the General Education requirements outlined in the Catalog for the term in which you started coursework at Pepperdine. However, some of the classes you might need to take to fulfill those requirements might not exist anymore. You would then have to take an equivalent course.
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Why have the GEs changed over time?
Seaver College's general education curriculum provides a core of courses, ideas, and skills cultivated in common by all students who receive an undergraduate degree at Pepperdine. Because curricula are always fluid and are constantly being re-assessed, changes to those curricula are implemented on an as-need basis.
The changes accomplish three things: They increase awareness of what skills and knowledge are learned by the students. Therefore, requirements like the Junior Writing Portfolio, the Research Methods/Presentation Skills requirement, and the Writing Intensive Course ensure a self-consciousness on the part of the student about learning those skills. Second, the changes ideally demand more rigor from the courses: more upper division credits were included, and some changes have been made to allow students the flexibility to pursue their own interests. Thirdly, the changes call for a greater reliance on sequencing, so that students are able to build upon knowledge and skills that they acquire throughout their general education training.
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The new GE program was implemented by the Seaver Academic Council and the General Education Committee. After a survey of Seaver Faculty in November 2000, the process of formulating and implementing the GEs was started in earnest. The Seaver Academic Council, with recommendations from representatives from the respective academic divisions, approved the overall structure and goals of the new GE program. The Committee then set about approving the syllabi of all courses to fulfill GE requirements. An Interim Director of General Education and Associate Director of General Education were selected to help facilitate the collection and pre-approval of the syllabi. The details of the GE program were then approved by the Seaver Academic Council, who also coordinated the establishment of other needed policies and changes to make the implementation of the new GEs happen smoothly.
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Are the GEs likely to change while I am a student here?
Not as a whole. However, because the administration is implementing divisional program reviews, and because assessment of programs can lead to curricular change, it is possible that various divisions may propose to alter their contributions to the GE curriculum.
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