Program in General Education
The Program in General Education is the cornerstone of the Harvard College curriculum.
Background photo of a student speaking into a microphone during Gen Ed 1131: Loss.
Explore new ideas. Expand your horizons. Engage with the world.
Focusing on urgent problems and enduring questions, Gen Ed courses are unusually explicit in connecting the subjects you study to the people you will become and the world beyond the classroom.
Transcending disciplinary divisions, they demonstrate the value of embedding what you will learn in your concentrations within the broader context of the liberal arts. In Gen Ed courses, you engage in activities that have the potential to shape the world around you.
Learn more about the General Education requirements and find answers to frequently asked questions.
Explore the courses being offered for the 2024-2025 academic year in each of the four Gen Ed categories.
Find resources specific to teaching in the Program in General Education, from course proposal to reapproval.
News
- Gen Ed Course Preview Fest
All students are invited to stop by the inaugural Gen Ed Course Preview Fest on Friday, April 4 between 12:30-2:15 p.m., and explore the Fall 2025 Gen Ed course offerings before registering for courses. Hear a series of lightning talks… - Gen Ed 1032 Featured in the Gazette
Gen Ed 1032: What is a Republic? has struck a chord with students in the current political moment. In this Gazette piece, Professor Daniel Carpenter and his students reflect on how this course takes an interdisciplinary approach… - Into the Unknown Book Talk
Join us on Wednesday, March 26 at 6:15pm in Science Center Hall D for a Harvard Science Book Talk featuring Kelsey Johnson discussing her new book, Into the Unknown: The Quest to Understand the Mysteries of the…