STAGE I
General Education Requirements
Our general education courses target specific future-proof skills that today’s employers look for in all new hires, including clear communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, organization, teamwork, and adaptability. These skills are highly automation-resistant, and surveys have found that many employers consider them more important than a job candidate’s college major.
Clear Communication
Students learn to read and write precisely, listen well, communicate clearly in group settings, and interpret visual communications.
Managing Yourself at Work
Students learn to organize their work, recognize and manage emotions, develop personal responsibility, and stay motivated.
Critical Analyses
Students learn to challenge reports, make and evaluate arguments, weigh decisions, and assess their own thinking.
Working with Others
Students learn to collaborate and negotiate effectively, work well in teams, and build professional relationships.
Practical Problem Solving
Students learn to frame and solve a wide range of problems in various professional contexts.
Learning at Work
Students learn to master new material efficiently so that they can adapt and succeed as job requirements change.
STAGE II
Business Major Requirements
Even as less-skilled job opportunities disappear due to automation, “middle-skills” roles remain critical — and, according to employers, increasingly hard to fill. By combining foundational business skills with industry-specific certificate courses, the Foundry College Business Management Major prepares students to excel in a middle-skills management job.
Analyzing and Conveying Information in Business
This course provides a background in common types of business analyses, factors to consider when making decisions in a business context, and how to present decisions and arguments effectively. Students learn to prepare business speeches and presentations and practice writing effective memos and reports.
Credential Foundations
Students choose an industry credential pathway and complete foundational coursework specific to that credential. In addition, they develop a clear understanding of the industry’s context, opportunities, and challenges, and become familiar with the credential requirements and relevant future-proof roles.
Navigating Change at Work
Students learn to recognize and address common challenges that arise in the workplace. They learn about practical ethics, discuss common business and leadership principles, and explore strategies for working effectively within different types of organizational structures.
Credential Skills
Building on their foundational credential coursework, students continue to build skills and knowledge as they work toward fulfilling the third-party credential requirements. At the conclusion of this course, students will complete a recognized, in-demand credential that will help them secure a rewarding and automation-resistant job.
Thinking with Software
Students learn to work with datasets and use software tools such as spreadsheets, slideware, and word processing programs to solve business-related problems. Most importantly, they learn to use software to extend their own thinking—allowing them to leverage new knowledge and skills more effectively.
From the Classroom to the Workplace
This final synthesis course gives students an opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge they’ve gained to a real-world workplace scenario. Students analyze challenges they’ve encountered in a current or past job, explain how their Foundry coursework contributed to a better understanding of these situations, and create a plan for handling similar scenarios in the future.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT
Electives
To graduate with an associate’s degree from Foundry College, students must also complete elective courses. Foundry College does not offer electives; instead, we allow students to transfer elective credits from a variety of sources, including previous college experience.
Previous College Credit
Students who have prior college experience can fulfill the elective requirement by transferring credits from an accredited U.S. institution.
Proctored Exams
Students can receive elective credits through a variety of qualified proctored assessments including AP, IB, CLEP and ACE.
Low or No-Cost Courses
Students who need additional elective credits are directed to low and no-cost online courses that will meet the requirement.
