Educational Goals
The educational programs of Concord University are designed to foster skills, knowledge, and attitudes applicable across a wide range of academic fields and professional careers in a culturally diverse, perpetually evolving global community.

• The General Studies Program provides opportunities to begin developing skills needed for addressing complex issues, to build a foundational knowledge base for lifelong learning, and to cultivate attitudes that promote personal and societal well-being and experiential enrichment.
• Building on the General Studies program, the baccalaureate degree programs provide opportunities for in-depth study in a student’s chosen field(s).
• Building on selected baccalaureate degree programs, the master’s degree programs provide opportunities for highly specialized research and professional development.

Skills: Proficiency in interpreting data, integrating information, formulating ideas, thinking critically, and communicating with others, as demonstrated by the following competencies:

1. Effective inter-communication skills and literacies, adapted as needed for the demands of various kinds of discourse:
• listening and speaking
• reading and writing
• non-verbal communication
• media and technological literacy
2. An ability to employ appropriate observational, logical, analytical, computational, creative, and critical thinking skills in problem solving.
3. An ability to employ appropriate methods and technologies for conducting empirical and scholarly research, to interpret research findings, and to use insights gained from such research as a basis for informed decision making.
4. An ability to analyze, synthesize, and integrate elements, information and ideas.
5. An ability to evaluate elements, information, and ideas on the basis of appropriate criteria.
6. An ability to apply and to transfer academic and experiential learning appropriately from one context to another.
7. An ability to learn and work effectively both independently and collaboratively.

Knowledge: Familiarity with principles underlying academic discourse in various fields, as demonstrated by the following capabilities:
1. An ability to discern the reciprocal influences of environments, cultural beliefs and attitudes, and societal institutions and practices.
2. An awareness of the fundamental characteristics and properties of the physical universe.
3. An ability to interpret events and trends within historical contexts.
4. Acquaintance with principles underlying languages—for example, linguistic, mathematical, and computer-language systems.
5. A recognition of the complex interactions between organisms, including human beings, and their environments.
6. An awareness of the aesthetic principles, methods, materials, and media employed in artistic performance and the creation of works of art and literature.
7. Self-knowledge, including awareness of one’s own competencies, deficiencies, and optimal individual learning-style(s).

Attitudes: Tendencies conducive to self-knowledge, personal growth and development, and responsible citizenship as demonstrated by the following:
1. Habitual reflection on ethical/moral implications of actions when weighing decisions and evaluating outcomes.
2. Exercise of responsible leadership–including leadership by example–and of responsible followership.
3. Respectful attentiveness to differing perspectives and willingness to engage in dialogue across differences in order to seek mutual understanding and equitable conflict resolution.
4. Cultivation of and support for attitudes and practices that foster physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being.
5. Appreciation for the creative process and for the rich diversity of artistic achievement.
6. Commitment to social responsibility, including community service and civic engagement.
7. Motivation to pursue lifelong learning and ongoing intellectual growth.