Civic, Liberal, and Global Education
Welcome to COLLEGE!
Learn more about the first-year Civic, Liberal, and Global Education (COLLEGE) requirement.
What is COLLEGE?
COLLEGE is more than just shorthand for the first-year Civic, Liberal, and Global Education requirement: it signals the purpose of the courses, and a vision for what a college experience can be. Going to college is not just about acquiring the ability to make a living, but about exploring what makes living worthwhile. It’s also about developing the skills that empower and enable us to live together: in our own communities, in a diverse nation, and in a globally connected society.
For Faculty: Teach in COLLEGE!
For Students: See COLLEGE courses
Four programs offer courses to fulfill the COLLEGE requirement
COLLEGE Courses
Take two courses in different quarters. Choose from a selection of courses on liberal education, civic engagement, and global perspectives.
Education as Self-Fashioning (ESF)
Offered only in Autumn quarter, ESF is a combined seminar, writing section, and lecture, fulfilling both WR1 and one quarter of COLLEGE.
ITALIC
Year-long, immersive residential program focused on the arts; fulfills multiple requirements including COLLEGE. Students both practice and study art, but previous art experience is not necessary.
Structured Liberal Education (SLE)
Humanities-focused yearlong residential program fulfilling multiple requirements including COLLEGE: a liberal arts college experience within the research university.
COLLEGE in the News
-
Faculty Senate Votes to Extend COLLEGE
The Civic, Liberal, and Global Education (COLLEGE) program, a requirement for first-year students, has been expanded following success in its pilot period.
May 07, 2026
-
"You can't outsource critical thinking"
In COLLEGE 102, first-year students wrote essays, styled as policy memos, on AI in the classroom. The winning proposal centered on keeping students accountable for their own critical thinking and was presented to the provost.
May 06, 2026
-
Why democracy may be our best defense against collapse
At a COLLEGE event, Cambridge researcher Luke Kemp argued that ordinary people should have more say over the technologies shaping their future.
April 29, 2026