UMBC GENERAL EDUCATION FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES
UMBC’s General Education program prepares undergraduate students for success in their academic majors and professional pursuits and for life as informed, responsible citizens of the 21st century. It provides a solid academic foundation in four broad areas (Arts and Humanities, Mathematics and Sciences, Social Sciences, and Language and Culture), addressed through the distribution requirements, and includes two required writing courses. In addition, to ensure that students develop and master certain fundamental skills and intellectual habits of mind, it also requires that all courses address one or more of the following functional competencies: Oral and Written Communication, Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning, Critical Analysis and Reasoning, Technological Competency, and Information Literacy. These competencies have been developed as recommended standards for General Education programs and have been adopted by the Maryland Higher Education Commission for colleges and universities in Maryland.
All UMBC General Education courses should address one or more of the following competencies:
I. ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION