The Hallmarks Program for General Education
Jefferson’s General Education Program for Pre-Professional Students
Combining a general education core curriculum with a digital "pathway” that collects highlights of your academic journey, the Hallmarks Program helps build skills for growth and success during and after college. Throughout the Hallmarks Program, you are empowered to:
- Question, based on rigorous inquiry and critical analysis.
- Adapt, based on contextual communication and global perspectives.
- Contribute, based on intercultural insight and collaborative creation.
- Act, based on intellectual risk-taking and ethical reflection.
Our approach highlights the development of eight "power skills"—Rigorous Inquiry, Critical Analysis, Contextual Communication, Global Perspectives, Intercultural Insight, Collaborative Creation, Intellectual Risk-Taking, and Ethical Reflection—preparing Jefferson students to imagine and realize better futures.
This program has given me a broader education and has given me a better understanding of the world. I will continue to apply these learning goals throughout graduate school, and in my clinical experiences.
Hallmarks FAQs
Have questions about the Hallmarks Program? Check out our FAQs for answers about the program, the Hallmarks Pathway, and more.
Hallmarks Core Sequence
The Hallmarks Core is a sequence of courses that all students take, no matter which major they choose. Each of these courses targets one or more of the Hallmarks learning goals and produces work that you can feature in your Hallmarks Pathway.
Pathway & Learning Goals
The Hallmarks Program guides you through the development of your Hallmarks Pathway — a digital gallery documenting your transformative experiences at Jefferson. Items in your Pathway are linked to our eight Hallmarks learning goals.
Hallmarks Curriculum Maps
Hallmarks Curriculum Maps show where you will address the Hallmarks learning goals in your major’s curriculum and produce items that can be added to your Hallmarks Pathway.
Resources & Key Terms
From definitions for some of the terms students and faculty will encounter throughout Hallmarks, to research on topics such as the curation of eportfolios, successes in design thinking for education reform and metacognition, our resources add additional reading for all audiences.
Through this program, I was able to think more about the trajectory of my life and where I want to be after graduation by being provided with the necessary skills to be a leader in my industry.
Nexus Learning
At Jefferson, we've always believed we needed to create the professionals of the future. (We've been doing it since the 1800s). Our method? We call it Nexus Learning™ - our signature approach that is making Jefferson a transformative force in higher education. We are preparing students for the future of work by ensuring development of critical skills employers seek for tomorrow’s workplace.
Creativity Core Curriculum
The mission of Jefferson’s Creativity Core Curriculum is to cultivate a confident and flexible lifelong mindset through learning opportunities that explore individual and collaborative creative aptitude and equip students to yield novel and valuable results.