Beyond Regional Culture: A Comparative Study of Undergraduate General Education Curricula in Iran and Selected Middle Eastern Universities

Kaleghinezhad, Seyed Ali; Mirrahimi, Mahdeih Sadat

Beyond Regional Culture: A Comparative Study of Undergraduate General Education Curricula in Iran and Selected Middle Eastern Universities

Authors

Seyed Ali Kaleghinezhad ¹

Mahdeih Sadat Mirrahimi ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd. Iran

² Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Hazrat Narjes Faculty, Vali-e-asr University of Rafsanjan, Rafsanjan, Iran

Abstract

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.

Keywords

Interdisciplinary approach

general education curriculum

curriculum breadth

educational policymaking

undergraduate education

Subjects