About Institute of General Education
The Institute of General Education has gone through four phases of changes alongside Ming Chuan University’s development since the institution’s founding in 1957. Originally named Ming Chuan [Junior Women's Commercial] College before being upgraded to Ming Chuan College [of Management] in 1990, from 1997 it was upgraded again to Ming Chuan University. In November 2010, Ming Chuan was accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), and became the first Asian university accredited by a U.S. commission. Joining the four campus/locations in Taiwan, the U.S. Michigan location was founded and enrolled its first cohort of students on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University in August 2014.
Course coverage in General Education can be divided into four periods alongside the university’s development. First, the period of specialized training school: At the beginning, general education courses were not developed in logical ways. In addition to general education courses, students were required to take a minimum of 4 credit hours in 2 self-cultivation courses, such as “Music Appreciation” and “Art Appreciation”. Throughout the college period, students were mandated to take four required courses of general education, which counted for eight credit hours in total. During that period, a variety of courses were offered, yet without systematic planning. During the third period when the school was promoted into a university, the Committee for General Education was established to provide some direction for course design and quality assurance. Since 2015, the General Education Center, Teacher Education Center and Physical Education Office comprise the Institute of General Education.
Common courses related to General Education are planned by different academic units. The Institute of General Education is responsible for the integration of General Education elective and required courses. The Department of Applied Chinese and English Language Center are in charge of language courses, and School of Information Technology takes the responsibility for courses on information technology, while the Office of Physical Education designs and delivers diverse physical education courses. As for General Education electives, the Institute has designed three tracks of courses, including courses nurturing students’ appreciation of (1) humanities, (2) the value of life, society and citizenship, and (3) science and environment, aiming at cultivating students’ fundamental competences and abilities as world citizens in the global village.