More Colleges and Universities Require Diversity Courses

October 18, 2000

Contact: Debra Humphreys, 202/387-3760 (ext. 422),[email protected]

More Colleges and Universities Require Students To Take Diversity Courses

National Survey Finds that Sixty-Two Percent of Responding Schools Require At Least One Diversity Class or Are In the Process of Developing Diversity Requirements

Washington, D.C. -- Sixty-two percent of colleges and universities report that they either have in place a diversity requirement or they are in the process of developing one. This is the main finding of the first national survey to examine this trend in undergraduate education.

This national survey was administered by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and supported with funds from the James Irvine Foundation. Debra Humphreys, Director of Programs in AAC&Us Office of Diversity, Equity and Global Initiatives argues that the findings, "suggest that colleges and universities now recognize that learning about diversity is a key element of a quality undergraduate education and should therefore be required of all students. The survey was sent to every accredited college and university in the country. Completed surveys were received from 543 colleges and universities representing every region of the country and a wide array of institutional types.

Of the survey respondents, 54 percent had diversity requirements in place, while another eight percent were in the process of developing them. Of those with requirements, 25 percent of institutions have had them in place for more than ten years. Forty-five percent had put them in place in the past five to ten years and another 30 percent reported having their requirements in place for less than five years. A majority of those schools with requirements (58 percent) require only one course, while 42 percent require two or more diversity courses.

Fifty-nine percent of those responding from Research or Doctoral institutions and 63 percent of those responding from Masters level institutions report having diversity requirements. Fifty-eight percent of those responding from Baccalaureate institutions have requirements while only 32 percent of those from Associate degree-granting institutions (AA institutions) report requiring diversity courses. The sample of AA institutions was somewhat smaller than the other institutional types. One hundred and nine AA institutions responded to the survey.

Of those schools with requirements, 83 percent offer one or more course addressing diversity in the U.S.; 65 percent offer one or more course addressing diversity outside the U.S.; and 76 percent offer one or more non-Western cultures course.

Given the diversity of kinds of academic programs offered at American colleges and universities, it is not surprising that this survey found a wide array of different models for diversity requirements. By far the most common model, however, is one in which students are required to take one course among a list of different approved diversity courses. This was the model chosen by 68 percent of the respondents.

Seventeen percent of respondents require all students to take a single course with a shared syllabus and another twelve percent report having a diversity requirement within one or more major. Many colleges and universities responding to the survey are also incorporating issues of diversity into the college curriculum throughout general education programs and through specialized interdisciplinary programs.

While requirements seem to be a trend across the country, this survey did find some regional differences. Using the regional breakdowns of the six Regional Accrediting Agencies, staff members examined regional trends in the findings. Seventy-eight percent of those respondents from the Western region had requirements. Sixty-eight percent in the Middle States Region, 60 percent in the North Central Region, and 45 percent in the New England Region reported having diversity requirements. Only 35 percent from the Northwest Region and 36 percent from the Southern Region reported having requirements. The pool of survey respondents from the Northwest region was relatively small (26 institutions). One hundred and twenty-nine institutions responded to the survey from the Southern region.

The trend of requiring students to take diversity classes is consistent with public opinion on diversity in the curriculum. A national opinion poll of registered voters sponsored by the Ford Foundation Campus Diversity Initiative in the Fall of 1998 found that 68 percent of those polled support requiring students to take at least one cultural and ethnic diversity course in order to graduate. An even larger majority (94 percent) agreed that Americas growing diversity makes it more important than ever for all of us to understand people who are different than ourselves.

Carol Geary Schneider, president of AAC&U, commenting on the findings from this survey suggests that, "This survey clearly demonstrates that colleges and universities across the country are taking seriously the challenge of educating students for life in a diverse democracy and increasingly interconnected world. College and university leaders agree with the American public that learning about diversity is essential to help todays graduates succeed in the workplace and to strengthen Americas increasingly diverse communities.

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The Association of American Colleges and Universities is the leading national association devoted to advancing and strengthening liberal learning for all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Since its founding in 1915, AAC&Us membership has grown to nearly 700 accredited public and private colleges and universities of every type and size. AAC&U developed this survey after working through its national initiative, American Commitments: Diversity, Democracy and Liberal Learning, with hundreds of colleges and universities around the country as they develop model courses, programs, and requirements on issues of diversity. For details on this project and a summary of the complete findings of the study, visit DiversityWeb http://www.diversityweb.org or AAC&Us website http://www.aacu-edu.org.