|
This program of general education consists of four main components - UB Seminar, Foundations, Pathways and Capstone - and comprises 40 credits of study for all students, regardless of major. To learn more about each of these components and to view learning outcomes, please visit the UB Curriculum website.
Students completing a degree encompassing the UB Curriculum and major requirements will also have met all the expected learning outcomes for the State University of New York General Education Requirements.
UB Curriculum Requirements
General Education Policies
UB Curriculum Requirements
UB Seminar
All new, first-year matriculated students must complete any academic department’s three-credit UB Seminar course numbered 199.
Transfer and reentering students must complete any academic department’s one-credit UB Seminar course numbered 198.
All students are required to complete their UB Seminar during their first semester of enrollment regardless of full or part-time status. Non-degree seeking students are not eligible to enroll in UB Seminar. This includes 60+ and visiting students.
Any student who fails, resigns or withdraws from the UB Seminar will be required to repeat during the next fall/spring term of attendance. For example, a student who fails a 199 in the fall of 2023 must repeat any 199 in the spring of 2024.
Communication Literacy I
Complete ENG 105 or ELI 105 (enrollment restrictions apply), please consult the placement guidelines. Based on TOEFL or IELTS scores, some students may be required to complete ENG 100 or ELI 100 as a prerequisite to ENG 105 /ELI 105 .
Communication Literacy II
Complete one course from the list below. Some majors require students to take a specific Communication Literacy 2 (CL2) course as part of their major requirements, consult program requirements. Please note that completion of Communication Literacy 1 is a prerequisite for all CL2 courses.
Students must have 30 or more completed credits in order to register for a CL2 course.
Mathematical & Quantitative Reasoning
Complete 4 credit hours from the following list below. Students intending on taking pre-calculus or calculus should refer to the placement guidelines.
Recommended Courses for Students Who Are Not Meeting a Specific Requirement of a Major
Additional Courses that Satisfy the Mathematical & Quantitative Reasoning Requirement
Scientific Literacy & Inquiry
Students must complete at least seven credits, including at least one credit of laboratory. Students select two lecture courses from List A and one laboratory from List B. Laboratory courses must be from the same subject area as one of the completed lecture courses.
Students intending to take chemistry or physics should consult the placement guidelines.
List A Two lecture courses required:
*ARC 352 and PAS 313 do not meet all the learning outcomes, and therefore cannot be paired together. They must be paired with or articulate to one of the other courses from list A.
List B One lab course required:
Pathways
Complete one Thematic AND one Global Pathway from the list of approved topics.
For the Global and Thematic Pathways, complete one course from each list within the chosen topic. Each Pathway must include at least nine credits and three courses, except in cases where a language topic is elected that only includes two courses to satisfy the nine credit requirement. Global Reflections, International Experience and all five Thematic Topics must include three courses regardless of credit. Students may request an exception to apply completed or enrolled language courses, not listed in the Global Reflections Pathway, to list 1 or 2. Permissible courses must carry at least three credits, be taught in the language and carry both the Languages and Humanities UB Areas. Students may submit requests through the Path Finder tool or by emailing UBCurriculum@buffalo.edu.
Students who elect to take a language as part of their Global Pathway should consult the Languages other than English Placement guidelines and visit the Languages Other Than English catalog page for a full view of language offerings.
Except for the language Topics in the Global Pathway, each Pathway must include courses from at least two different subjects. For example, all three Thematic Pathway courses may not be from Psychology (course subject: PSY).
Through the Pathways, students will complete coursework that satisfies at least four UB Areas/ SUNY General Education Knowledge and Skills Areas.
Thematic pathway coursework satisfies the UB Areas/SUNY General Education Knowledge and Skills Areas as such:
| Thematic List 1 |
Diversity in the United States/ Diversity: Equity, Inclusions and Social Justice |
| Thematic List 2 |
Social Science or US History and Civic Engagement |
| Thematic List 3 |
World History & Global Awareness or The Arts or Humanities or No UB Area |
Global pathway coursework satisfies the UB Areas/SUNY General Education Knowledge and Skills Areas as such:
| Global List 1 |
Languages/ World Languages or World History & Global Awareness |
| Global List 2 |
The Arts or Humanities |
| Global List 3 |
Diversity in the United States/ Diversity: Equity, Inclusions,
and Social Justice or Social Science or US History & Civic Engagement
or World Languages or No UB Area
|
Students must use the Path Finder to select their Pathway courses. Students are encouraged to do so early in their careers in consultation with their academic advisor. If a student selects a particular Pathway via the Path Finder but then fulfills a different series of courses, s/he must update his/her selection in the Path Finder.
Transfer students may use transfer coursework that fulfills a UB area as outlined in the Application of Transfer Coursework Policy. Transfer students will be able to view such coursework in their Path Finder.
Test credit may be used only where a direct articulation to a Pathway course exists.
In an unusual circumstance where transfer coursework associated with a SUNY GETA does not appear in the Path Finder tool, the Transfer Credit Change Form should be submitted.
Utilizing Study Abroad Coursework
Students may fulfill their Global Pathway with Study Abroad coursework in several ways.
- Students may pursue the International Experience Track (IET) by completing the entire pathway with coursework taken abroad. Students must have their coursework pre-approved by the Study Abroad Office to verify that proposed courses for lists 1 and 2 satisfy the UB Areas/SUNY General Education Knowledge and Skills Areas as indicated in the table above.
- Students may pursue the Global Reflections Track by applying one or more study abroad courses that carry the appropriate UB Area/ SUNY General Education Knowledge and Skills Areas as indicated in the table above.
- Students may pursue the Language Track by applying one study abroad course to list 3 in any Language Topic.
Any course taken abroad does not have to include ‘global’ content. The experience itself satisfies this requirement. Study abroad coursework may only be applied to a Thematic Pathway if it is a direct articulation. Internships, independent study and other tutorials may not satisfy any UB Curriculum requirement, including Pathways.
UB Curriculum Capstone
Complete UBC 399 . All other UB Curriculum components must be complete or in progress in order to enroll in the UB Capstone. UB Seminar is a prerequisite to UBC 399 and therefore cannot be taken concurrently. The Capstone will require reflection on all components of the UB Curriculum. Any student enrolled in UBC 399 who does not meet the enrollment requirements will be dropped from the course.
General Education Policies
General Information
Continuing students who entered between fall 2002 and spring 2016 will adhere to the 2002-2016 General Education Program.
Students who entered UB’s Singapore Institute of Management prior to fall 2017 will adhere to the 2002-2016 General Education Program.
Students entering or reentering UB who have previously earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited US college or recognized foreign institution will not be required to complete the UB Curriculum when earning their subsequent degree.
Reentering Students
Reentering students may be allowed to graduate under the general education program in effect during their previous enrollment at UB if one of the two following conditions has been met. They may do so by submitting a General UBC Petition Form.
1. If a reentering student’s previous catalog year is 2002-2015, they may be allowed to graduate under the 2002-2016 General Education Program in effect during their previous entry to UB if one of the following conditions have been met: Any transfer coursework completed since the student’s time at UB will be reviewed and applied to the student’s degree requirement per transfer articulation rules and SUNY General Education Transcript Addendum (GETA) policies.
- Student had previously completed the former general education program (2002-2016), or;
- is within three courses of completing the former general education program (2002-2016); they may complete the remaining courses and graduate with the previous general education program.
NOTE: Any transfer coursework completed since the student’s time at UB will be reviewed and applied to the student’s degree requirement per transfer articulation rules and SUNY General Education Transcript Addendum (GETA) policies.
2. Reentering students whose initial catalog year predates 2002 will adhere to the general education program that is active at the time of their reentry regardless of the number of courses completed prior to their break in attendance. Students should review their previous coursework with an academic advisor for potential application to the UB Curriculum via course substitution. A Pre-2002 Curriculum Mapping Form should be submitted for these requests.
Course Applicability
A given course may be applied toward only one UB Curriculum requirement.
Courses in which the student opts for S/U grading may not be used to satisfy UB Curriculum requirements.
Internship, independent study, undergraduate teaching, experiential learning, and other courses not based on classroom experiences may not be used to meet UB Curriculum requirements.
Transfer Coursework and Test Credit
Transfer courses from accredited institutions and other alternative credits that articulate directly to the specified courses listed for each respective UB Curriculum requirement may be used to fulfill that particular requirement.
SUNY has established minimum General Education requirements for campuses across the SUNY system. Students should understand that meeting SUNY General Education requirements at other campuses does not mean that they have completed the UB Curriculum.
A SUNY General Education Transcript Addendum (GETA) will be accepted as meeting the relevant UB Curriculum requirement, regardless of the direct course it articulates to at UB, if the GETA is earned prior to matriculation (for new students) or re-matriculation (for reentering students) at the University at Buffalo. For such students, SUNY GETAs will apply to the UB Curriculum as follows:
- Basic Communication will fulfill the Communication Literacy 1 requirement.
- Mathematics will fulfill the Math and Quantitative Reasoning requirement.
- Natural Sciences will fulfill one lecture course of the Scientific Literacy and Inquiry requirement. (Articulated courses may be used to fulfill the remainder of this requirement.)
- U.S. History and Civic Engagement, The Arts, World Languages, Humanities, World History & Global Awareness, Social Sciences and Diversity: Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice may be used to fulfill courses required for the Thematic or Global Pathway. (Articulated courses may be used to fulfill the remainder of this requirement.) Please refer to the Pathways: Application of Transfer Coursework for details.
When courses are taken elsewhere while a student is matriculated at UB, only the direct course articulation will apply to the UB Curriculum/General Education requirement. GETAs earned by UB students during their matriculation at UB will not be applied. This includes (but is not limited to) GETAs earned at other institutions via cross registration, while on Leave of Absence, or during summer or winter sessions of an academic year during which the student is an active UB student.
UB students transferring to other SUNY schools will be awarded a SUNY GETA as follows:
- Communication Literacy 1 fulfills Basic Communication.
- Math and Quantitative Reasoning fulfills Mathematics.
- The first lecture course for Scientific Literacy and Inquiry fulfills Natural Sciences.
- Pathways and Diversity Learning courses fulfill American History, Arts, Foreign Language, Humanities, Other World Civilizations, Social Sciences, and/or Western Civilization.
|
