General Education is an essential and integral component of the education students receive at Columbia College Hollywood. The purpose is to imbue the student with a high level of ability in critical and quantitative thinking and the ability to perform effectively in the written, oral and aural processes. General Education at Columbia College Hollywood cultivates for the student the ability to work with others and communicate rationally and persuasively, acumen in information literacy, ethical reasoning, and quantitative skills, as well as an understanding of civic responsibility, the diversity of the human plane, and affection for and desire to pursue lifelong intellectual growth.
The General Education requirements at Columbia College Hollywood introduce students to a broad range of areas of study within the humanities, natural sciences, behavioral or social sciences, and technology. They additionally encourage students to become participating responsible members of the greater society and give them an understanding of the major forces that shape the world – intellectual, cultural, social, historical, and scientific. Columbia College Hollywood acknowledges that fulfillment of the stated General Education requirements does not in and of itself provide a student with all possible extents of a liberal arts education. It is expected that students view these courses as a foundation for their intellectual growth and recommends pursuit of these courses beyond the requirements and beyond the boundaries of their individual emphasis within their major.
Degree Requirements
The Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree – both the Cinema Major and the Cinema/TV Major - requires a student to successfully complete 48 units of General Education. This includes 8-12 units of Natural Sciences, 8-12 units of Behavioral or Social Sciences, and 24-32 units of Humanities and English. This represents one-quarter (25%) of the 192 units required of a student to receive the BFA degree. As Columbia College Hollywood supports the expansion of a student’s critical thinking, certain emphasis courses may fulfill General Education requirements in Behavioral/Social Science or Humanities/English categories if the student takes such a course outside of his or her emphasis. Certain core classes may also count towards fulfillment of General Education Requirements. Students should refer to the General Catalog description of a course or consult their Academic Advisor for such course information.
The Associate of Fine Arts Degree requires a student to complete 48 units of General Education. This includes 8-12 units of Natural Sciences, 8-12 units of Behavioral or Social Sciences, and 24-32 units of Humanities and English. This represents one-half (50%) of the 96 units required for the student to receive the AFA degree.
It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that he or she has fulfilled the General Education requirements. This can be accomplished through a degree audit with the Registrar, Associate Registrar or their Academic Advisor. It is recommended that such an audit be requested at least two quarters before the student’s expected graduation.
If a student has successfully completed General Education courses at another college, Columbia College Hollywood may accept those credits for transfer. Students should refer to the Course Transfer requirements of the General Catalog and be prepared to present official transcripts from prior colleges of study, as well as course descriptions and/or syllabi from courses previously completed. The Registrar’s office, along with appropriate faculty consultation, if needed, will determine whether the course completed by the student at another college is comparable to a course at Columbia College Hollywood.
