General Education: The Human Community is an essential part of every undergraduate degree program offered at JMU. Its learning outcomes are organized into five areas of study that we call clusters. Courses in each cluster have been designed by JMU faculty to meet the specific outcomes associated with that area. In order to graduate, each student must complete all five clusters, which typically comprise one-third of a student’s coursework, about 41 credit hours. (Cluster Search Codes can be found here)

This table provides a brief overview of the program’s requirements. For a cluster by cluster list of learning outcomes and courses, click on the links at left.

Cluster One: Skills for the 21st Century (3 courses, one test)

Complete one course in each of the following areas:

  • Critical Thinking
  • Human Communication
  • Writing

Complete the Madison Research Essentials Test (MREST)

Cluster Two: Arts and Humanities (3 courses)

 

Complete one course in each of the following areas:

  • Human Questions and Contexts
  • Visual and Performing Arts
  • Literature

Cluster Three: The Natural World (3-4 courses)

Complete one course in each of the following areas:

  • Quantitative Reasoning
  • Physical Principles
  • Natural Systems
  • Lab Requirement

Cluster Four: Social and Cultural Processes (2 courses)

 

Complete one course in each of the following areas:

  • The American Experience
  • The Global Experience

Cluster Five: Individuals in the Human Community (2 courses)

 

Complete one course in each of the following areas:

  • Wellness
  • Sociocultural Dimension

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General Education
Maury Hall
MSC 1104
971 Madison Drive
Room 110
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807
gened@jmu.edu
540/568-2852
Fax: 540/568-2913

Hours
Mon-Fri from 8:30-5:00
Closed for lunch 12-12:30