Areas of Inquiry requirements

The Areas of Inquiry provide the organization structure for VCU's General Education Program. To fulfill the Areas of Inquiry requirements, a student must complete 17-18 credits from the identified areas, nine of which will come as a result of fulfilling the Breadth of Knowledge requirements.
Students must take at least one course from each of the four Areas of Inquiry below, and may take no more than two courses with the same four-letter prefix (ex. RELS, MGMT) regardless of the area of inquiry under which they are listed.
To learn more about the Areas of Inquiry, please select the headers below:
These courses will introduce students to the modes of inquiry used in the study of social institutions and human behavior. Students enrolled in these courses will seek to investigate the relationship between the individual and society and the varieties of human psychology and development. Courses in this area encourage students to: Courses in this area encourage students to examine the circumstances that produce creative work; investigate the criteria used to judge creative work; and consider the role of imagination in expressing the human condition. Courses in this area encourage students to: Through these courses students will encounter and comprehend cultures and contexts outside the U.S.; develop an understanding of how the world is interconnected; and consider alternative viewpoints among disciplines, histories, and cultures. Courses in this area encourage students to: These courses examine how logical and empirical methods can be used to form and revise beliefs; use scientific concepts to describe the world and formulate questions; and model phenomena through the use of mathematics, computer programs, and physical representations. Courses in this area encourage students to:
Upcoming changes to Foundations of Learning and Areas of Inquiry requirements
The racial literacy requirement was approved as an additional Foundations of Learning course in VCU’s general education program. Therefore, when it goes into effect in the 2023-24 academic year, the total number of Foundations of Learning credits that students are required to complete will rise to 15-16 credits (currently 12-13 credits).
At the same time, the introduction of the racial literacy requirement will also see the number of Areas of Inquiry credits that students are required to complete reduced to 14-15 credits (currently 17-18). Therefore, there will be no increase in the total number of credits in the general education requirements.
However, students will now be required to complete courses from at least three of the four Areas of Inquiry, taking at least three credits in each area. (Currently, all four Areas of Inquiry are required.)