SUNY General Education (SUNY-GE) Framework
For students entering SUNY Fall 2023 or later
SUNY-GE CREDIT AND CATEGORY REQUIREMENTS
For A.A., A.S., and baccalaureate degree programs, the following credit and category requirements apply to students entering Fall 2023 or later:
- At least 30 credits of SUNY GE‐approved coursework
- A minimum of seven (of ten) Knowledge and Skills Areas, including the four specifically required (Communication, Diversity, Mathematics, Natural Sciences)
- The two core competencies
For A.A.S. degree programs, the following credit and category requirements apply to students entering Fall 2024 or later:
- At least 20 credits of SUNY GE‐approved coursework
- A minimum of the four (of ten) Knowledge and Skills Areas, including the four specifically required (Communication, Diversity, Mathematics, Natural Sciences)
- The two core competencies
For A.O.S. degree programs, the following credit and category requirements apply to students entering Fall 2024 or later:
- A minimum of zero credits of SUNY GE‐approved coursework
- A minimum of the four (of ten) Knowledge and Skills Areas (freestanding or embedded), including the four specifically required (Communication, Diversity, Mathematics, Natural Sciences)
- The two core competencies (freestanding or embedded)
The ten Knowledge and Skills areas, corresponding learning outcomes, and approved courses are as follows:
Students successfully completing a course in this category will:
- research a topic, develop an argument, and organize supporting details;
- demonstrate coherent college‐level communication (written and oral) that informs, persuades, or otherwise engages with an audience;
- evaluate communication for substance, bias, and intended effect; and
- demonstrate the ability to revise and improve written and oral communication.
Courses approved in this category:
Oral Expression
COM 101 Public Speaking
ENV 220 Seminar in Environmental Issues
Written Expression
ENG 101 English Composition
Students successfully completing a course in this category will:
- describe the historical and contemporary societal factors that shape the development of individual and group identity involving race, class, and gender;
- analyze the role that complex networks of social structures and systems play in the creation and perpetuation of the dynamics of power, privilege, oppression, and opportunity; and
- apply the principles of rights, access, equity, and autonomous participation to past, current, or future social justice action.
Courses approved in this category:
ENG 102 Literature and Composition
GWS 101 Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies
SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology
Students successfully completing a course in this category will demonstrate mathematical skills and quantitative reasoning, including the ability to:
- interpret and draw inferences from appropriate mathematical models such as formulas, graphs, tables, or schematics;
- represent mathematical information symbolically, visually, numerically, or verbally as appropriate; and
- employ quantitative methods such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, or statistics to solve problems.
Courses approved in this category:
MAT 101Q Quantitative Literacy II
MAT 103 Finite Mathematics
MAT 104 College Algebra with Trigonometry I
MAT 105 Technical Mathematics I
MAT 161 Elementary Statistics
MAT 204 College Algebra with Trigonometry II
MAT 205 Technical Mathematics II
MAT 215 Calculus for Business Students
MAT 224 Calculus I
MAT 225 Calculus II
Students successfully completing a course in this category will demonstrate scientific reasoning applied to the natural world, including:
- an understanding of the methods scientists use to explore natural phenomena, including observation, hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, experimentation, evaluation of evidence, and employment of data analysis or mathematical modeling; and
- application of scientific data, concepts, and models in one of the natural (or physical) sciences.
Courses approved in this category:
BIO 100 Human Biology
BIO 101 General Biology I
BIO 102 General Biology II
BIO 204 Microbiology
BIO 206 Ecology
CHE 100 Introduction to Forensic Science
CHE 101 Applied Chemistry
CHE 111 General Chemistry I
CHE 112 General Chemistry II
ENV 101 Environmental Science
ENV 210 Environmental Technology
GEL 101 Physical Geology
MET 101 Meteorology
PHY 100 Physics for the Liberal Arts
PHY 111 General Physics I
PHY 112 General Physics II
Students successfully completing a course in this category will:
- demonstrate knowledge of the conventions and methods of at least one of the humanities; and
- recognize and analyze nuance and complexity of meaning through critical reflections on text, visual images, or artifacts.
Courses approved in this category:
ART 115 Art of the Western World: Ancient to Medieval
ART 116 Art of the Western World: Renaissance to Modern
ENG 102 Literature and Composition
FRE 250 Quebec Culture and Society
GWS 101 Introduction to Gender and Women's Studies
MSM 118 Mass Media
Students successfully completing a course in this category will:
- describe major concepts and theories of at least one discipline in the social sciences; and
- demonstrate an understanding of the methods social scientists use to explore social phenomena.
Courses approved in this category:
ANT 101 Cultural Anthropology
ECO 101 Principles of Microeconomics
ECO 102 Principles of Macroeconomics
PSC 100 Government and Politics in America
PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology
SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology
Students successfully completing a course in this category will:
- demonstrate an understanding of at least one principal form of artistic expression and the creative process inherent therein.
Courses approved in this category:
ART 100 Art Appreciation
ART 101 Introduction to Design
ART 103 Introduction to Drawing
ART 104 Introduction to Painting
ART 108 Introduction to Three-Dimensional Design
ART 111 Traditional Photography
ART 113 Digital Photography
ART 114 Introduction to Illustration
ART 115 Art of the Western World: Ancient to Medieval
ART 116 Art of the Western World: Renaissance to Modern
HUM 110 Introduction to the Arts
MSM 239 Art of the Film
MUS 101 Music Appreciation
MUS 115 American Musical Theater
THE 110 Theater and Performance
THE 115 American Musical Theater
Students successfully completing a course in this category will:
- demonstrate understanding of United States’ society and/or history, including the diversity of individuals and communities that make up the nation;
- understand the role of individual participation in US communities and government; and
- apply historical and contemporary evidence to draw, support, or verify conclusions.
Courses approved in this category:
Students successfully completing a course in this category will:
- demonstrate knowledge of a broad outline of world history and/or the development of the distinctive features of at least one civilization or culture in relation to other regions of the world; and
- demonstrate an understanding of the structures, systems, and interrelationships among civilizations and cultures within historical and/or contemporary contexts, and their impact on wellbeing and sustainability.
Courses approved in this category:
HIS 121 Origins of Western Civilization
HIS 122 Western Civilization in the Modern Era
HIS 132 History of the Modern World
Students successfully completing a course in this category will:
- exhibit basic proficiency in the understanding and use of a world language; and
- demonstrate knowledge of the distinctive features of culture(s) associated with the language they are studying.
Courses approved in this category:
ASL 101 American Sign Language I
ASL 102 American Sign Language II
FRE 101 Elementary French I
FRE 101P Elementary French for the Professions
FRE 102 Elementary French II
FRE 201 Intermediate French I
FRE 202 Intermediate French II
SPA 101 Elementary Spanish I
SPA 101P Elementary Spanish for the Professions
SPA 102 Elementary Spanish II
SPA 201 Intermediate Spanish I
SPA 202 Intermediate Spanish II
The two Competencies, corresponding learning outcomes, and approved courses are as follows:
Students will:
- clearly articulate an issue or problem;
- identify, analyze, and evaluate ideas, data, and arguments as they occur in their own or others’ work;
- acknowledge limitations such as perspective and bias; and
- develop well‐reasoned (logical) arguments to form judgments and/or draw conclusions.
Courses approved in this category:
ENG 102 Literature and Composition
Students will:
- locate information effectively using tools appropriate to their need and discipline;
- evaluate information with an awareness of authority, validity, and bias; and
- demonstrate an understanding of the ethical dimensions of information use, creation, and dissemination.
Courses approved in this category:
LIB 101 Library Research Skills
SCI 110 Foundational Skills in Science
Printer-friendly version of CCC courses for each of the SUNY-GE categories (pdf).