[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_image src=”https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/academics\/gened\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/125\/2023\/06\/Timeline.png” title_text=”Timeline” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_image][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Open Sans||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” header_4_font=”Open Sans|600|||on|||#000000|” header_4_text_color=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
\u201cThe value of an education in a liberal arts college is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned from textbooks.\u201d \u2014 Albert Einstein<\/em><\/p>\n Queens College was founded in 1937 as \u201cThe People\u2019s College\u201d, but as part of the City University of New York,\u00a0 its roots can be traced back to 1847 with the founding of the Free Academy. It\u2019s mission then, as it is now, was to \u201ceducate the whole people\u201d. The Free Academy later became City College, and together with its branches Hunter College, Brooklyn College and Queens College, would form the senior colleges of the City University of New York. When Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller signed CUNY into state Legislature, he declared education was democracy\u2019s \u201clifeblood\u201d.<\/p>\n Indeed, the liberal arts began as social distinction and an ideal \u2013 subjects of study one would master in order to take part in civic life as a free citizen. It may be hard to imagine that there was a time when many people were not free citizens, but in antiquity, participating in a well-educated democracy was a privilege. Today, however, the liberal arts refers to the tradition of studying ideas new and old across the disciplines, gaining perspectives and knowledge that broaden one\u2019s view of the world and training the mind to think critically, creatively, and independently.<\/p>\n Queens College enjoys a national reputation for its liberal arts and science programs. Our goals for providing students an education in the liberal arts have endured since the college was founded in 1937. A broad range of liberal arts courses allows students to better understand themselves and the world around them, while developing the capacities for critical inquiry, innovation, and judgement \u2013 preparing students for their future beyond Queens College, wherever it may lead them.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_accordion open_toggle_text_color=”#000000″ open_toggle_background_color=”#FFFFFF” closed_toggle_background_color=”#FFFFFF” icon_color=”#E71939″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” toggle_text_color=”#E71939″ toggle_font=”Open Sans|600|||||||” body_font=”Open Sans||||||||” body_text_color=”#000000″ body_font_size=”16px” hover_enabled=”0″ border_color_all=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Timeline of Events” open=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Chronology of General Education at Queens College” _builder_version=”4.17.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” open=”off”]<\/p>\n\n\n
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\n \n The Prescribed Program <\/td>\n \n 1937-1972 <\/td>\n \n 35 years <\/td>\n \n 61 credits <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n \n \n \u201cFreedom of choice\u201d <\/td>\n \n 1972-1976 <\/td>\n \n 4 years <\/td>\n \n N\/A <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n \n \n Distributional Requirements <\/td>\n \n 1976-1981 <\/td>\n \n 5 years <\/td>\n \n 24 credits <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n \n \n Liberal Arts and Sciences Area Requirements (LASAR) <\/td>\n \n 1981-2009 <\/td>\n \n 28 years <\/td>\n \n 31-43 credits <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n \n \n Perspectives on the Liberal Arts and Sciences (PLAS) <\/td>\n \n 2009-2013 <\/td>\n \n 4 years <\/td>\n \n 30-69 credits <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n \n \n CUNY Pathways at Queens College <\/td>\n \n 2013+ <\/td>\n \n Ongoing <\/td>\n \n 42 credits <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/table>\n<\/div>