Requirements for government courses in college

Hey guys, so I'm just a little confused about the typical course requirements in colleges. Do the majority of college freshmen and sophomores have to take government classes, or does it depend on the university and the major?

Hello! The requirement to take government courses depends largely on both the university and the major that the student is pursuing. It's not a requirement for all college freshmen and sophomores across the board, but it can be for students who are attending certain universities or studying certain majors, especially in the humanities and social sciences.

Most colleges and universities offer a General Education curriculum (often known as "Gen Ed" or "Core"), which is a set of courses designed to ensure that students gain a comprehensive education. The intent is to expose students to a wide range of academic disciplines outside their major. These requirements usually include a distribution across multiple areas, such as humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and quantitative reasoning.

If a college includes social science in its general education requirements, and government or political science courses are classified as social science (which they typically are), then yes, a student may end up taking a government course. However, it may not specifically be required separate from other social science courses.

At the same time, certain majors could also require government courses as part of their course requirements. For example, a Political Science or International Relations major is very likely to require multiple government-oriented courses.

However, if you're studying a major in a different field, say Biology or Computer Science, then your curriculum may very well not include any government classes unless you elect to take one as part of your Gen Ed or as an elective.

So, in essence, whether a student has to take a government class heavily depends on the specific college's general education requirements and the requirements of the student's chosen major. An academic counselor could also provide clearer direction on this matter as it pertains to each specific school's curriculum.