General Education Models: Continuity and Change in the U.S. Undergraduate Curriculum, 1975–2000

Analysis of college catalogs from 292 four-year colleges and universities over a 25-year period revealed four popular models of general education: “core distribution areas,” “traditional liberal arts,” “cultures and ethics,” and “civic/utilitarian.” During the period more general education courses were required and the number of required courses related to basic academic skills, diversity, and non-Western cultures increased. The case of general education is an example of non-convergent organizational forms and therefore has implications for the new institutionalism in organizational analysis.