General Education Information | Transfer Credits | Seneca Students

General Education Requirements

For most diploma programs you must complete at least three general education courses from across the following categories:

• One course from arts and humanities
• One course from sciences and social sciences
• One additional course from either of the above categories

General education courses help you strengthen your transferable skills, such as critical analysis, problem-solving and communication. When you complete general education courses, you explore topics with broad-based personal and societal importance. These courses aim to provide knowledge of broad topic areas. They are not intended to provide understanding of specific applied skills.

Please note: Communicating Across content (COM 101/111) are not general education courses.

General Education Course Themes

Arts and Society – Courses in this area should provide students with an understanding of the importance of visual and creative arts inhuman affairs, of the artist’s and writer’s perceptions of the world and the means by which those perceptions are translated into the language of literature and artistic expression. Seneca courses that fall within this theme will typically be designated as Arts and Humanities.

Civic Life – Courses in this area should provide students with an understanding of the meaning of the freedom, rights, and participation in community and public life, in addition to a working knowledge of the structure and function of various levels of government (municipal, provincial, national) in Canada and/or in an international context. Seneca courses that fall within this theme will typically be designated as Sciences and Social Sciences.

Personal Understanding – Courses in this area will focus on understanding the individual: her or her evolution; situation; relationship with others; place in the environment and universe; achievements and problems; and his or her meaning and purpose. Seneca courses that fall within this theme will typically be designated as Sciences and Social Sciences.

Science and Technology – Courses in this area should stress scientific inquiry and deal with basic or fundamental questions of science rather than applied ones. They may be formulated from traditional basic courses in such areas of study as biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, geology, or agriculture. Seneca courses that fall within this theme will typically be designated as Sciences and Social Sciences.

Social and Cultural Understanding – Courses in this area are those that deal broadly with major social and cultural themes. These courses may also stress the nature and validity of historical evidence and the variety of historical interpretation of events. Seneca courses that fall within this theme can be designated as Sciences and Social Sciences or Arts and Humanities, depending on the course content.