Santa Monica College offers a comprehensive variety of degrees and certificates, as well as preparation for students to transfer to four-year colleges and universities. Many SMC degrees and certificates may now also be earned online (see smc.edu/online for details). For a complete list of opportunities available, please see the Curricular Offerings table in Academic and Career Paths.
Philosophy of the General Education Requirements of a Santa Monica College Degree
Central to a Santa Monica College degree, general education is designed to prepare students to participate in society as independent, educated adults. It leads students to a better understanding of themselves and the world around them, and guides them to select courses to develop skills encompassing knowledge of the diverse elements of their external and internal realities, and some understanding of their own and other cultural heritages.
Essential skills include writing and speaking for self-expression and effective communication, quantitative reasoning skills as needed for solving the problems of everyday living, and critical thinking.
In addition to these skills, students gain knowledge of both the natural and social sciences, and of the methods of inquiry appropriate to each. Included in this knowledge is an understanding of political organization and of historical perspective; a clearer concept of themselves as physical, emotional, and social beings, and an acquaintance with the effects of technology. Also, students learn to form aesthetic judgments about the artistic achievements of civilization.
See the General Education (GE) Patterns section (below) for details on the patterns acceptable for a degree from SMC.
Global Citizenship Requirement
To fulfill the Global Citizenship requirement for a degree from Santa Monica College, students must successfully complete a minimum of 3 units from a list of courses approved with the Global Citizenship designation (see SMC GE Area V). These courses fall into one of the following five categories: American Cultures, Ecological Literacy, Genders and Sexualities, Global Studies, and Service Learning. These courses aim to provide an awareness of the diversity of cultures within the United States and/or an appreciation for the interconnectedness of cultural, ecological, economic, political, social, and technological systems of the contemporary world. This prepares students to make a responsible contribution to a rapidly changing global society.
Students pursuing an Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) or Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T) to the CSU system are exempt from the Global Citizenship requirement.