فراتر از فرهنگ منطقه‌ای: مطالعة تطبیقی برنامه درسی آموزش عمومی دوره کارشناسی نظام آموزش عالی ایران با دانشگاه‌های خاورمیانه‌ای

Although the undergraduate general education curriculum is often hailed as the conscience of higher education, its philosophical foundations remain underexplored in Iran. This comparative study aimed to compare the general curriculum of the undergraduate course of the Iranian higher education system with the American University of Cairo, the American University of Sharjah, Qatar University, King Abdulaziz University, and KOC University. This study employed a qualitative approach using comparative analysis. Universities were purposively chosen for their shared sociocultural contexts but divergent educational outcomes. The findings reveal that, with the exception of King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia and Iran’s own general education curriculum, all examined universities have embraced an interdisciplinary model integrating the humanities, social sciences, economics, natural sciences, and communication studies. These universities offer a wider, more diverse selection of courses, align their learning outcomes with local, national, and global priorities, and operate under flexible curricular frameworks. Consequently, Iranian higher education, to enhance quality, should adopt an interdisciplinary framework and balance knowledge, skills, and attitudes within its general education curriculum.