Why Require General Education?

The State University of New York requires graduates from all of its colleges to complete at least 30 credits of general learning, in 7 of 10 areas. Depending on when you started, there are slightly different requirements for the areas which need to be covered via general education, although there is some choice of areas. Empire offers multiple courses and studies for each general education area, so you can choose to study something that interests you as you’re fulfilling that general education area. You can also bring general education into your degree through transcripts from other colleges* and prior learning assessment.

General education is required because these liberal credit theory courses foster competencies for work, school, and life, gained through awareness of different perspectives on and approaches to experience.  Critical and creative thinking, quantitative literacy, and other competencies are fostered through historical, sociological, scientific perspectives and more.

Make sure to read the full policy on SUNY General Education Requirements to see which general education are required and from which you can choose.

*Transcripts from SUNY colleges must be accompanied by a General Education Transfer Addendum (GETA).  ESC can only accept as general education those courses labeled as such by other SUNY colleges.

More Related to General Education

There’s an interesting book that you may want to consult, entitled Arts and Humanities: Don’t Leave College Without Them.

Starting on page 8, you’ll find discussions of what the arts and humanities are, why they are useful, and how they apply to different professions.

There are also comments from and interviews with students, as well as discussions of how the arts and humanities can help you become a more global thinker.