General Education Requirements

Through General Education courses, you will become engaged global citizens, critical thinkers, effective communicators, thoughtful problem-solvers, and conscientious analyzers. The knowledge and skills learned through General Education can be applied across all disciplines and in any career field.

As part of ßÙßÇÂþ»­â€™s comprehensive General Education (Gen Ed) curriculum, all students must take courses one course in each of the following areas:

  • Aesthetics (A)
  • Composition (C)*
  • Oral Communication (O)*
  • Global Interdependencies (G)
  • Humanities (H)
  • Laboratory Science (L)
  • Mathematics (M)
  • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice
  • Social Science (N)
  • Physical Activity (Y)^
  • Wellness (S)^
  • World Language (WL)
  • Critical Thinking (*This category is only for first year students enrolling Fall 2023 and onward)
  • Information Literacy (*This category is only for first year students enrolling Fall 2023 and onward)
*One Joint Composition and Oral Communication (J) course can complete both the Composition (C) and Oral Communication (O) requirements.
^Both Physical Activity and Wellness (B) courses can complete both the Physical Activity (Y) and Wellness (S) requirements. At least 2 credits of Y/S or B are required to complete the Physical Activity and Wellness requirement. 

More information is available on the General Education website

General Education Policies:

  • General Education courses must be taken for a letter grade; they may not be taken pass/fail*. 

Transferring General Education Courses from Other Institutions:

  • Transfer credits must be at least 3 credits to fulfill at General Education requirement (exception: Physical Activity (Y), Wellness (S), Both Physical Activity and Wellness (B), and Oral Communication (O) requirements)
  • Internships, independent studies, and developmental courses will not fulfill General Education requirements
  • If the course you wish to transfer appears on the transfer course equivalency tables with the appropriate General Education designation, it is not necessary to petition for general education credit. You will receive the general education attribute noted on the tables.  
  • If you intend to take a course to fulfill a General Education requirement and it does not appear on the transfer equivalency tables, please petition using the Transfer Credit and Study Abroad Petition on our Harpur Advising Forms and Petitions page.

For Transfer Students from SUNY institutions:

For all requirements except World Language, transfer students from other SUNY schools who have been certified as meeting a SUNY-wide General Education requirement prior to matriculation at ßÙßÇÂþ»­ will be certified as having met the corresponding ßÙßÇÂþ»­ requirement. If you have completed a course towards a general education requirement at your previous campus, ßÙßÇÂþ»­ will honor that credit as having met the general education requirement here.

Please see Comparison of ßÙßÇÂþ»­ and SUNY General Education Requirements on the General Education page for more information. Courses from other SUNY schools taken after matriculation at ßÙßÇÂþ»­ or not certified as meeting a SUNY-wide requirement will be evaluated solely in terms of ßÙßÇÂþ»­'s General Education requirements.

World Language Requirement

The World Language (WL) requirement for students in Harpur College is determined by admission type. For each admission type (Freshman or Transfer), students need to complete one of the options listed:

Entered as a Freshman

  • Complete four years of high school language with an 85 or better in the fourth year
  • Score 3-5 on the AP Exam
  • Score 4-7 on the IB Exam
  • Complete the equivalent of WL3 (third semester language) in one language
  • Complete the equivalent of WL2 (second semester language) in two different languages

Entered as a Transfer

  • Complete three years of high school language with an 85 or better in the third year
  • Score 3-5 on the AP Exam
  • Score 4-7 on the IB Exam
  • Complete the equivalent of WL2 (second semester language) in one language

Students may also complete the World Language requirement by demonstrating equivalent proficiency in some other fashion. 

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice

All students must take a college-level course that completes the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice (D or USD) general education requirement. Based on coursework taken in high school, students are considered "proficient" or "not proficient" and are required to take specific courses to complete this requirement. 

Students are not proficient and must take a USD course if:

Students are PROFICIENT and can take any course with a D or USD attribute if:
  • Did not earn a grade of 85 or higher on the US History Regents exam
  • From a non-Regents/Out of State school, did not earn a final grade of 85 or higher in a US History Class
  • Did not score at least 3 on the AP American History exam
  • Earned a grade of 85 or higher on the US History Regents exam
  • From a non-Regents/Out of State school, earned a final grade of 85 or higher in a US History Class
  • Scored a 3-5 on the AP American History exam

Students can transfer a college-level US History course from another institution to fulfill the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice requirement. 

SUNY Transfer Students: If at your previous SUNY institution, you completed the US History general education requirement with a grade of C- or better, that course will complete your Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice requirement at ßÙßÇÂþ»­.