The Essentials Defined

A curriculum to guide your journey forward

Develop the tools you need to grow, wherever your journey leads. As technologies evolve, distances shrink, and information expands, you’ll be able to adapt to new situations, collaborate with people of different backgrounds, and evaluate evidence with a critical eye.

The JCC Essentials redefine general education by:

  1. Eliminating the disconnect between “gen ed” and your major. You will cover at least one of the Essentials in every course you take at JCC.
  2. Giving you hands-on practice. From your first semester onward, JCC will challenge you to apply your learning to the real world.
  3. Defying academic boundaries. Real-world questions don’t neatly align within academic subjects, so why should all of your courses? Interdisciplinary courses allow you to explore innovative connections across fields.

Do the Essentials fulfill SUNY requirements? Yes! SUNY requirements are built into the design.

The Essentials: Up Close
Inquiry Courses
Learning Outcomes
SUNY General Education Requirements

Level 1: Inquire

Inquire into complex questions with a critical eye for evidence and differing perspectives. Completed during the first year of study, Level 1 courses examine multi-faceted questions through a critical lens, giving you the opportunity to explore perspectives and sources outside the limits of any one field.

Level 2: Grow

Grow the versatile toolkit of skills and knowledge essential to success in the twenty-first century. Courses in this level expand your knowledge and skills, within and outside your major. You will be exposed to new intellectual experiences as you build college-level proficiency in a range of areas, including key SUNY categories of learning.

Level 3: Connect

Connect your learning to the real world and consider the impact of your actions. Level 3 challenges you to apply your learning to a project, internship, fieldwork, or study abroad opportunity. Courses in this level deepen your worldview and sense of citizenship, reinforcing the importance of community and ethical decision-making.