General Education

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SUNY GENERAL EDUCATION (SUNY GE) FRAMEWORK FOR STUDENTS MATRICULATING FALL 2023 OR LATER

The SUNY GE framework includes twelve categories of knowledge, skills and competencies—ten knowledge and skills areas expose students to different ways of knowing so that they can make reasoned judgements outside as well as inside their academic field, and enabling them to develop diverse perspectives and global understanding; and two core competencies that extend beyond discipline-specific knowledge and skills. A minimum of 7 of 10 categories of knowledge and skills areas are required for AA-, AS-, and all baccalaureate-degree programs, as well as the two core competencies.

The following four Knowledge and Skills areas are specifically required:

  • Communication – Written and Oral
  • Diversity: Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice
  • Mathematics (and Quantitative Reasoning)
  • Natural Sciences (and Scientific Reasoning)

A minimum of three of the following six Knowledge and Skills areas are required:

  • Humanities
  • Social Sciences
  • The Arts
  • US History and Civic Engagement
  • World History and Global Awareness
  • World Languages

In addition, two Core Competencies are required:

  • Critical Thinking and Reasoning
  • Information Literacy

SUNY GE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AREAS

1. COMMUNICATION – WRITTEN AND ORAL (REQUIRED)

Students 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.

2. DIVERSITY: EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE (REQUIRED)

Students 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.

3. MATHEMATICS (AND QUANTITATIVE REASONING) (REQUIRED)

Students 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.

4. NATURAL SCIENCES (AND SCIENTIFIC REASONING) (REQUIRED)

Students 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 sciences.

5. HUMANITIES

Students 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.

6. SOCIAL SCIENCES

Students 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.

7. THE ARTS

Students will:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of at least one principal form of artistic expression and the creative process inherent therein.

8. US HISTORY AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Students 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.

9. WORLD HISTORY AND GLOBAL AWARENESS

Students 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.

10. WORLD LANGUAGES

Students 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.

SUNY GE CORE COMPETENCIES

1. CRITICAL THINKING AND REASONING (REQUIRED)

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.

2. INFORMATION LITERACY (REQUIRED)

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.
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SUNY GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENT (SUNY GER) FOR STUDENTS MATRICULATING PRIOR TO FALL 2023

The SUNY GER includes a minimum of 30 credit hours distributed among at least seven of the 10 knowledge and skill areas listed below. Students must include both mathematics and basic communication as two of the seven areas. Students must select an additional five different content areas from the remaining knowledge and skill areas.

The 10 knowledge and skill areas are: mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, American history, western civilization, other world civilizations, humanities, the arts, foreign language and basic communication.

Students must demonstrate competencies in two areas: critical thinking and information management.

Students may use SUNY Empire studies or approved online courses, transfer credit, approved standardized examinations or individualized credit by evaluation toward the SUNY General Education Requirements. Students should consult with their mentor about available options.

GER KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL AREAS

1. MATHEMATICS

Students will demonstrate the ability 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.

2. NATURAL SCIENCES

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 sciences.

3. SOCIAL SCIENCES

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.

4. AMERICAN HISTORY

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.

5. WESTERN CIVILIZATION

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.

6. OTHER WORLD CIVILIZATIONS

Students will demonstrate:

  • 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.

7. HUMANITIES

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.

8. THE ARTS

Students will demonstrate understanding of at least one principal form of artistic expression and the creative process inherent therein.

9. FOREIGN LANGUAGE

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.

10. BASIC COMMUNICATION

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.

GER COMPETENCIES

The following two competencies should be infused throughout the general education program:

1. CRITICAL THINKING (REASONING)

Students will:

  • Identify, analyze and evaluate arguments as they occur in their own or others’ work; and
  • Develop well-reasoned arguments.

2. INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Students will:

  • Perform the basic operations of personal computer use;
  • Understand and use basic research techniques; and
  • Locate, evaluate and synthesize information from a variety of sources.