Old General Education requirements

Old General Education requirements for students who started prior to fall 1998

Requirements for BA, BS and BFA degrees

Students who started as freshmen in Fall 1998 or later will be adhering to the "GREEN" General Education requirements. These requirements are described in the green-bordered centerfold of this newspaper. Although students and advisors share responsibility for the student's progress toward a degree, it is the student who is principally obligated to understand and fulfill these requirements. Students are responsible for meeting with advisors, who are assigned by major departments, or, in the case of undeclared students, the Student Advisement Center, 501 Culkin Hall. It is important for all new students to meet with advisors as soon as possible to plan programs carefully. Transfer students must review with advisors the assignment of transfer credit to General Education and correct any errors. The program is supervised by the Board of General Education. Please address all student problems, questions, and paperwork to Dr. Chris LaLonde, 609 Culkin Hall, ext. 3110.

General Education courses cannot be taken Pass-Fail. Click on the section heading for a listing of courses that are approved for that requirement.

Basic requirements 6-12 sh

All basic requirements MUST be taken at Oswego - unless you received transfer credit for these courses upon admission to the college.

Expository Writing 3-6 sh 

Eng 102, exemption examination, or with 

  1. Departmental approval, Eng 204.
  2. One 3-credit 300- or 400- level course approved as emphasizing expository writing in English. 


Mathematics/Computation 3-6 sh

  1. Math 102, 103, 106 (open only to El Ed majors), or any mathematics course numbered 200 or higher. Any additional approved 3-credit math course numbered 120 
  2. or higher, an approved course in statistics, in computers and their application, or in formal logic.

Distribution requirements 

33 sh BA
27 sh BS, BFA

Students may take no more than 6 credit hours of distribution requirements in one department or discipline. There are two exceptions:

  • Students who take their Western Heritage combination in a particular department may take one more course in that same department for distribution credit. They may not take another 2 course combination in that department. 

  • BS students may take all 9 hours of social & behavioral sciences in a single department or discipline. 

Social and Behavioral Sciences 9 sh

5. An approved single course from one of these areas: 

  • Anthropology/Sociology 
  • Economics 
  • Geography
  • International studies
  • Linguistics
  • Political science/Public justice
  • Psychology 
  • Interdisciplinary studies 

      (Social and Behavioral Sciences)

6./7. BA and BFA students must choose an approved combination of two courses in one area different from that selected in (1.).
BS students may take all 3 social & behavioral science courses from a single area.
Transfer students may waive the 2-course combination requirement in the social and behavioral sciences and/or humanities and fine arts if:

  • 1. They have transferred at least 30 credits, and
  • 2. They have 6 hours of transfer credits in a single discipline or department in the Distribution Area they wish to waive.

Natural Sciences 9 sh

8. Three approved courses from at least 2 of the following areas:

  • Biological sciences (Biology, Zoology) 
  • Chemistry 

9. Earth Sciences (Astronomy, Earth Sciences, Geology, Meteorology, 
      Oceanography) 

10.  Physics 
       Interdisciplinary Studies (Natural Sciences) 

Humanities and Fine Arts 9 sh 

11. An approved single course from one of the following areas:

  •       Literature
  •       Ethical/Philosophical studies
  •       Historical studies
  •       Fine and performing arts
  •       Interdisciplinary studies (humanities and fine arts)


12./13. An approved combination of two courses in one area different from that selected in (1.) above, including the option:

  • A combination of two second-year or higher courses in the same foreign language (numbered 201 or above).

Western Heritage (required for BA students only) 6 sh  

14./15. An approved combination of two courses from an area different from those combinations chosen in Social and behavioral sciences and Humanities and fine arts. BS and BFA students may apply a Western heritage combination to meet the Humanities and fine arts combination requirement.

Reminder: students taking a Western Heritage combination may select only one more course in this same area for Distribution.

Human Diversity 6sh

16./17. 2 approved courses