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Retiring SUNY General Education Courses

Expand the list of courses for each area or you may open the printable SUNY Gen Ed Chart.

Some programs have been transitioned to a New SUNY General Education framework that includes new attribute categories. Those programs and courses can be found at New SUNY General Education Programs.

SUNY-A - The Arts (SART)
SUNY-AH - American History (SAMH)
SUNY-BC - Basic Communication (SCOM)
SUNY-FL - Foreign Language (SFRL)
SUNY-H - Humanities (SHUM)
SUNY-M - Mathematics (SMAT)
SUNY-NS - Natural Sciences (SNSC)
SUNY-OWC - Other World Civilizations (SOW2)
SUNY-SS - Social Sciences (SSCS)
SUNY-WC - Western Civilization (SWCV)

SUNY Gen Ed Definitions:


AMERICAN HISTORY (SUNY-AH)
Students will demonstrate:
  • knowledge of a basic narrative of American history: political, economic, social, and cultural, including knowledge of unity and diversity in American society;
  • knowledge of common institutions in American society and how they have affected different groups; and
  • understanding of America's evolving relationship with the rest of the world.
(THE) ARTS (SUNY-A)
Students will demonstrate:
  • understanding of at least one principal form of artistic expression and the creative process inherent therein.
BASIC COMMUNICATION (SUNY-BC)
Students will:
  • produce coherent texts within common college-level written forms;
  • demonstrate the ability to revise and improve such texts;
  • research a topic, develop an argument, and organize supporting details;
  • develop proficiency in oral discourse; and
  • evaluate an oral presentation according to established criteria.
FOREIGN LANGUAGES (SUNY-FL)
Students will demonstrate:
  • basic proficiency in the understanding and use of a foreign language; and
  • knowledge of the distinctive features of culture(s) associated with the language they are studying.
HUMANITIES (SUNY-H)
Students will demonstrate:
  • knowledge of the conventions and methods of at least one of the humanities in addition to those encompassed by other knowledge areas required by the General Education program.
MATHEMATICS (SUNY-M)
Students will be able to:
  • interpret and draw inferences from mathematical models such as formulas, graphs, tables and schematics;
  • represent mathematical information symbolically, visually, numerically and verbally;
  • employ quantitative methods such as, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, or statistics to solve problems;
  • estimate and check mathematical results for reasonableness; and
  • recognize the limits of mathematical and statistical methods.
NATURAL SCIENCES (SUNY-NS)
Students will demonstrate:
  • 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 mathematical analysis; and
  • application of scientific data, concepts, and models in one of the natural (or physical) sciences.
OTHER WORLD CIVILIZATIONS (SUNY-OWC)
Students will be able to describe:
  • knowledge of either a broad outline of world history, OR
  • the distinctive features of the history, institutions, economy, society, culture, etc., of one non-Western civilization.
SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUNY-SS)
Students will demonstrate:
  • understanding of the methods social scientists use to explore social phenomena, including observation, hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, experimentation, evaluation of evidence, and employment of mathematical and interpretive analysis; and
  • knowledge of major concepts, models and issues of at least one discipline in the social sciences.
WESTERN CIVILIZATION (SUNY-WC)
Students will:
  • demonstrate knowledge of the development of the distinctive features of the history, institutions, economy, society, culture, etc., of Western civilization; and
  • relate the development of Western civilization to that of other regions of the world.