Purpose Statement

At the root of a liberal arts education is a group of courses that are usually referenced as general education requirements. To define this group of courses at McPherson College the faculty first identified qualities that would demonstrate the “ideal McPherson College graduate.” McPherson College’s general education program provides an opportunity for the development of a life-long learner who…

• Speaks and writes clearly and effectively;
• Acquires and evaluates information;
• Understands and is able to use mathematical properties, processes, and symbols;
• Understands religion and spiritual traditions as a quest for human identity and has examined his/her own beliefs;
• Understands the concept of holistic health and is conscious of his/her physical, emotional and spiritual well-being;
• Understands the cultural diversity of our global community;
• Assesses value conflicts in issues and makes informed ethical decisions;
• Understands the role of service and peace-making in the historical context of McPherson College and the Church of the Brethren;
• Integrates knowledge and experience with exploration and choice of career;
• Appreciates the arts and literature and is able to make informed aesthetic responses;
• Understands his/her relationship to the physical and biological world and the methods of science;
• Understands the economics, social, and historical contexts of society;
• Thinks critically and creatively;
• Demonstrates the appropriate use of technology within his/her academic discipline.

To this end, all students at McPherson College are expected to complete a common set of general education requirements, defined in terms of foundations, seminars, and distribution courses. Students must complete all the general education requirements as outlined below in order to graduate.