SUNY General Education Requirement (GER)
The State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees requires students who receive a baccalaureate (four-year) degree from SUNY to complete courses covering ten Knowledge and Skills areas and two Competencies.
Knowledge and Skills Areas:
Mathematics (M)
Natural Science (NS)
Social Science (SS)
American History (AH)
Western Civilization (WC)
Other World Civilization (OW)
Humanities (H)
The Arts (AR)
Foreign Language (FL)
Basic Communication (BC)
Competencies:
Information Management
Critical Thinking
The above Knowledge and Skills areas will be fulfilled by completing approved general education courses. The above two competencies will be embedded throughout the curriculum. Please click here for the student learning outcomes in each of the above twelve areas: SUNY General Education Student Learning Outcomes.
Transfer: Students interested in transferring to a SUNY school can find out more about the SUNY General Education requirements at the following link: You and the SUNY General Education Requirements.
Once a student has completed a SUNY General Education requirement at NCCC, that requirement will be accepted as completed at any SUNY college. Students must understand that the transfer college may have additional graduation minimum degree requirements that are also labeled as General Education. Please refer to the college catalog of the transfer college. Students, who have transferred to NCCC from another college or university, should submit their transcript(s) to the College for evaluation. Part of that evaluation will include an analysis of courses for the General Education requirement.
NCCC General Education Goals
- The College will facilitate the completion of the two SUNY General Education competency requirements of Critical Thinking and Information Management by all students.
- The College will facilitate the completion of at least seven of the 10 SUNY General Education knowledge and skill requirements by all AA and AS students.
- The College will facilitate the completion of as many SUNY General Education knowledge and skill requirements as possible (four or five) within the parameters of all AAS programs.
NCCC Approved General Education Courses
A grid of approved NCCC courses that meet the SUNY GE requirements is posted on the College website: SUNY Approved NCCC General Education Courses.
Waiver Criteria: Some requirements may be waived or modified based upon high school work and standardized tests. Waiver information is located at the following link: SUNY General Education Requirement Waiver Criteria.
Courses That Count In More Than One Area: Several courses can count in two areas. For example, ART 137 meets both the Arts and the Western Civilization requirements. If a student takes a course that meets two requirements, he or she must still complete 30 credits of SUNY GER.
Exception to Courses That Count in More Than One Area - Humanities: An exception to this is the Humanities requirement. Any course used to satisfy the Humanities requirement may not be used to satisfy another category. For example, if MUS 117 is used to satisfy Humanities then it cannot fulfill the Arts requirement. The approved course grid on the College website lists these details.
Differences between SUNY GER and NCCC Curriculum Requirements: Some courses fulfill SUNY GER requirements but do not fulfill NCCC curriculum requirements in the same category. For example, ANT 230 fulfills the Natural Science requirement for SUNY GER but does not fulfill the science requirement of many programs. Some anthropology, art, music, and theater courses fulfill the Western Civilization requirement for SUNY GER but only courses with the prefix HIS fulfill the history requirement of many programs. Students needing clarification should consult with their advisors.
