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AdvantaGE
General Education

More than a curriculum – it’s a commitment to: 

• cultivating thinkers, doers, and visionaries.
• connecting knowledge with purpose.
• giving every student the advantage they need to lead with insight, integrity, and impact.

AdvantaGE General Education
at Mississippi State University

Through dynamic, interdisciplinary coursework, students engage deeply with ideas that matter - across the sciences, humanities, and beyond - developing the cognitive agility to navigate a rapidly changing world. Faculty are empowered to illuminate their disciplines while nurturing essential intellectual skills that transcend any one field. 

The AdvantaGE Mission:

At Mississippi State University, the AdvantaGE program redefines general education for a new era of learning, discovery, and innovation. Rooted in relevance and driven by purpose, AdvantaGE empowers students to think holistically, creatively, and critically—preparing them not just for a career, but for a life of informed leadership, meaningful contribution, and lifelong learning.

Our Vision:

The AdvantaGE program envisions a bold, forward-thinking academic community where general education serves as the foundation for transformative learning and purposeful lives. We see a university where faculty are catalysts of innovation— collaborating across disciplines to shape a dynamic, integrated curriculum that sharpens cognitive skills and ignites intellectual curiosity.

Our vision is to empower faculty and administrators to become architects of change—championing a model of education that is student-centered, outcomesdriven, and rooted in real-world relevance. Through intentional design, continual assessment, and shared leadership, we will foster an academic culture that values creativity, critical thinking, and connection. 

Together, we will create an ecosystem where general education is not a checklist, but a launchpad—for discovery, for opportunity, and for impact. The AdvantaGE program will stand as a national exemplar of how higher education can evolve—uniting tradition and transformation to prepare students, and our institution, for a limitless future.

Revised Learning Outcomes

These learning outcomes were approved formally November 17, 2020, and are published in the MSU Undergraduate Catalog. They were re-affirmed in the final report from the General Education Task Force.

Learning Outcome	Relevant Purpose
Develop and express their ideas in writing for given audiences in a particular rhetorical situation	Communicate to those outside of MSU about your experience and what you have learned that qualify you for future career
Prepare and deliver purposeful presentations for given audiences in a particular rhetorical situation	Communicate ideas effectively and confidently in diverse settings by tailoring presentations to specific audiences, purposes, and contexts
Reason and solve quantitative problems from a wide array of authentic contexts and everyday life situations	Overcome challenges related to finite resources
Interpret artistic expression and engage with a creative process	Generate and contribute new ideas to a given situation
Examine the human condition in different cultures throughout history	Respect others, including those who come from different backgrounds and cultures
Apply the scientific method and theories to empirical evidence to support scientific models of the universe	Seek objective facts and differentiate facts from values
Engage in scientific inquiry of human behavior in the context of value systems, institutions, economic structures, social groups, and/or environments	Behave ethically and practice civic responsibility
Evaluate issues, ideas, artificats, and events through cross-disciplinary exploration before formulating an opinion or conclusion	Consider multiple perspectives before arriving at a conclusion
Work cooperatively with others toward a common purpose through shared responsibility and mutual accountability	Collaborate with others as part of a team