The Studium Generale (General Studies) course is a broad ranging, humanities orientated graduate course that complements and supports the other courses at the university.
It is administered by the Institute of Philosophy within the Faculty of Education. The Studium Generale programme is not an independent course but is taken as a series of mandatory modules within the student's chosen BA, Diploma or MA programme.

Course Objective
The course aims to provide general knowledge in the cultural sciences and humanities. It is intended to contribute significantly to student’s personal growth and development whilst studying at the university.

In the course of the 20th Century traditional notions of meaning and value have been thrown into crisis. Part of the task of the Studium Generale programme is to challenge students to engage consciously with the fundamental issues that underpin our cultural, social and historical existence. This is done through a cross-cultural study of spiritual, religious, ideological and philosophical themes in a variety of seminars and symposia. Students also take a critical look at the body-mind relationship in the context of the development of knowledge. Through engagement with the different thematic areas offered by the course, students are helped to develop critical thinking and to identify, develop and define their own aesthetic and ideological stance.

Course content
Philosophy: epistemology, ontology, philosophy of religion, philosophy of mind
Cultural Studies: history of art, history of ideas, literature, theatre and aesthetics
Social Studies: education, politics and society

Another special aspect of the Studium Generale programme is the access to lectures and seminars on topics relating to the work of Rudolf Steiner. Steiner’s large and complex body of work remains a field in which relatively little academic research has been undertaken. Steiner’s methods and wide ranging indications have not only been of repeated inspiration to numerous artists, academics, business people and social reformers but has also led to many innovative practices in the fields of education, medicine, economics and agriculture. Students examine these issues in dialogue with other contemporary and mainstream approaches.