Reimagining the AGEC: Arizona General Education Curriculum for the 21st Century
In February 2021, the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) approved a new policy regarding general education at ABOR universities. Policy 2-210 requires Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona to redesign their general education programs. In light of the new ABOR policy, advances in both general education strategies and guided pathways, and emerging 21st-century skills, the AZTransfer Steering Committee is leading an effort to reimagine the structure and requirements of the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC).
Effective Fall 2025, Arizona Western College will adopt the updated AGEC requirements.
Learn more and read our FAQ.
General Education Curriculum
Overview: The purpose of the general education curriculum is to expose students to various ways of knowing and understanding the world around them. The general education curriculum provides opportunities for intersections among various disciplines that allow students to make connections and experience the integration of knowledge across seemingly disparate areas. These connections and experiences collectively foster inquiry, analysis, and ultimately application of ideas and practices, allowing them to discover the intellectual and practical path most suited to their interests, skills, and talents. In turn, the exploration of broad knowledge areas to more focused areas of interest contributes to their development as students who become informed and engaged citizens who can view the world from multiple vantage points and find a meaningful place within it.
Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC)
Purpose: The AGEC is the foundation of a community college education in Arizona. Successfully completing the AGEC means all AGEC courses will transfer as a block to ASU, NAU and UA. If the AGEC is completed with a 2.5 GPA or better, the student is guaranteed admission to ASU, NAU, and UA (AZTransfer).
Effective January 1999, the Arizona community colleges and universities agreed upon a common structure for a transfer general education curriculum. This curriculum provides students attending any Arizona community college with the opportunity to build a general education curriculum that is transferable upon completion without loss of credit to another Arizona community college or university. This common agreement is called the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) (AWC Catalog).
Update: In February 2021, the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) approved a new policy regarding general education at ABOR universities. Policy 2-210 requires Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona to redesign their general education programs. In light of the new ABOR policy, advances in both general education strategies and guided pathways, and emerging 21st-century skills, the AZTransfer Steering Committee is leading an effort to reimagine the structure and requirements of the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) (AZTransfer).
The AGEC has been an important tool for promoting student learning and effective transfer since it was created in the mid-1990s, and preserving this mechanism is critical. However, the structure and components of the AGEC have not substantially evolved since their creation nearly 30 years ago. This change introduces an opportunity for Arizona’s community and tribal colleges to bring the AGEC up-to-date in a way that will enhance student learning (AZTransfer).