The goal of the revised General Education program is to provide to all students, in both career and transfer curricula, a common, broad-based, well-rounded educational experience. The General Education program directs students to courses in English composition, mathematics, speech, health, arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and natural sciences. Such courses continue the process, begun earlier in students' lives, of exposing them to the human, cultural, and natural world that surrounds us all.

The General Education program, in addition to specific course content, seeks to develop critical literacy; respect for others; creative expression; effective communication, both written and oral; and respect for the intellectual community tempered with skepticism about unchallenged "truths."

In short, the goal of the General Education program is to be a part of the process of improving skills and broadening awareness of the world in which we live.

The General Education program consists of foundation and distribution components. When curricula contain references to foundation and/or distribution requirements, students must select the appropriate courses from the following lists in order to fulfill the General Education requirements (see Course Descriptions). General Education courses are identified in each curriculum in italics and cannot be substituted, except in unusual cases and then only with departmental and General Education Committee approval.

Foundation
Foundation courses provide students with the skills necessary to succeed in college-level courses and in life. They are courses that all degree-seeking and / or transfer students must complete successfully before moving into the workplace or to a transfer institution. These foundation courses, in English composition, health, mathematics, and speech, are common to all degree categories. They are identified in the following table.

All Montgomery College students must pass EN 102 or 109 or show equivalent skill levels. EN 101 or 101A is a prerequisite for EN 102 or 109. Students may satisfy part or all of this requirement through Advanced Placement, SAT, or placement testing. Students seeking clarification of EN requirements should contact the English departments.

Distribution
The distribution component of the General Education program provides breadth to the student’s education. The four distribution categories are arts, behavioral and social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. Each degree category has specific distribution requirements outlined in the following table and highlighted below.

 
• For all A.A. and A.S. curricula, the student must select at least one course designated as a multicultural course on the distribution list; in addition, the two required behavioral and social sciences distribution courses must be from different disciplines (courses from the distribution list with different designators [for example, AN and PS]).
• For all A.A. and A.A.S. curricula, at least one lab science course must be taken to fulfill the natural sciences distribution requirement.