Office of the Provost

SUNY General Education Requirement (SUNY-GER)

In 1998, the State University of New York Board of Trustees established a 30-credit SUNY General Education Requirement (SUNY-GER) that required recipients of baccalaureate degrees to have demonstrated knowledge and skills in ten areas (American History, Arts, Basic Communication, Foreign Language, Humanities, Math, Natural Sciences, Other World Civilizations, Social Sciences, and Western Civilization) and competency in two areas (Information Management and Critical Thinking). Faculty agreed on a set of University-wide student learning outcomes for each area that guides the development of SUNY-GER courses and enables those courses to transfer seamlessly within the University.  In 2010, the Board approved a revised SUNY-GER that offers students greater flexibility (30 credits in seven of ten areas plus the two competency areas) while continuing to promote academic excellence, student mobility and degree attainment – important goals in The Power of SUNY:  Strategic Plan 2010 and Beyond.  The Office of Academic Programs, Planning and Assessment provides guidance and coordination for campuses’ implementation of the SUNY-GER, reviews campus-approved proposals for SUNY-GER courses and campus requests for programmatic waivers, and maintains a database of SUNY-GER courses that supports seamless transfer.

Policies and Procedures
Trustees Resolution 2010-006
Memorandum to Presidents 2010-01   
Guidelines for the Approval of SUNY-GER Courses   

Resources for Campuses
Send Course Proposals or Waiver Requests email
SUNY-GER Course Addition Template 
SUNY-GER Course Deletion Template
SUNY-GER Programmatic Waiver Request Template
SUNY-GER Approved Course Listing, by Campus
General Education Campus Representatives
Model Guide to General Education for Students Seeking a SUNY Bachelor's Degree