UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG - Mercy College

78 / Academic Regulations and Procedures
General Education Competencies
Before they can be awarded a degree, all students will demonstrate an appropriate level
of competence in the essential skills expected of a college graduate. Assessments will
occur in courses within the General Education curriculum, in the Freshman Seminar, in
the Junior Seminar, and in each major.
The essential skills, as determined by the faculty of Mercy College, are:
1. Written communication
2. Oral communication
3. Critical thinking
4. Critical reading
5. Quantitative reasoning
6. Information literacy
The pursuit of competence in these areas is a process of intellectual and personal
growth.
Through regular assessment, students will come to recognize both their strengths and
weaknesses, and learn to build on their achievements while improving the areas in
which they are deficient.
Assessment begins with placement tests for freshmen that evaluate the student’s current
level of accomplishment and indicate the appropriate initial course placement.
Constructive assessment continues throughout the student’s undergraduate experience.
The process enables all students to monitor their progress in learning each skill. The
College’s academic support services are available to assist students in their skill
development, including the libraries, the Center for Learning, Career Planning and
Placement, etc.
The competence process culminates in a final assessment project, or a series of projects,
completed by the student’s last semester. These projects are designed to certify the
student’s mastery of the core techniques and subject matter in their major programs.
Written Communication
Students will gain the ability to communicate clearly and effectively through written
communication. Students need to demonstrate the following skills:
• Choose and narrow a subject.
• Identify a purpose and formulate an appropriate thesis statement.
• Organize ideas effectively and develop them within a logical paragraph structure.
• Support points clearly with specific and adequate evidence.
• Demonstrate command of accepted English sentence structure and grammar.
• Revise and edit according to standard English practice, including attention to
punctuation and appropriate vocabulary.