Degree Requirements

This page applies to:

Effective fall 2009, all new transfer and readmitted students at Buffalo State College are required to fulfill Intellectual Foundations (GEIF) requirements regardless of their initial matriculation date into a regionally accredited four-year institution or two-year college. A student who has been advised at his/her previous school based on GE2K requirements can petition to be placed in General Education 2000 (GE2K) if it is advantageous for graduation.

If you were admitted to Buffalo State College prior to Fall 2006, please see the GE2K or GEC pages.
Under the Intellectual Foundations requirements, students must complete the requisite number of credit hours in the following categories:

Foundations of Inquiry 3 credits
Basic Writing 0 - 6 credits

Math/ Quantitative Reasoning 3 credits

Arts: Cognate Foundations 6 credits

Humanities: Cognate Foundations 6 credits

Natural Sciences: Cognate Foundations 6 credits

Social Sciences: Cognate Foundations 6 credits

Civilizations: Foundations of 9 credits

Technology and Society 3 credits

Diversity 3 credits

Basic Oral Communication 3 credits

Foreign Language 0 - 6 credits

Special Notes:

In each of the Cognate Foundations Areas: Arts, Humanities, Natural Science, & Social Science students must satisfy the requirements with courses from two different academic disciplines (courses with two different prefixes).

No double dipping between the following areas is permitted: the Arts, Humanities, Natural Science, Social Science and Civilizations.

If you have any questions about general education requirements or which requirements you should be following, please consult your department office or the Academic Advisement Center, phone (716) 878-5223.

Courses approved for the Intellectual Foundations Requirements

BSC101 HON100

All students must exhibit competency at the CWP101 and CWP102 Level
SAT Writing Score of 600 or Higher
ACT Score between 25 & 27
Exemption to 101 Provided by the Director of the Writing Program and is necessary to show this requirement as complete.

CWP102 Required

CWP101 & CWP102 Required SAT Writing Score of 400 to 590
ACT Score of 21 to 24.

CWP099, CWP101 & CWP102 Required SAT Writing Score of less than 400
ACT Score of less than 16

ECO305* MAT103* MAT114* MAT122* MAT124*

MAT126* MAT161* MAT311* PHI107*

In Addition to this Quantitative Reasoning Requirement Students are mandated to have fulfilled a Prerequisite Requirement. Degree Navigator is therefore looking for two courses. The Prerequisites are:

ACT16: Act score of 16 or Higher

SAT460: SAT math Score of 460 or Higher

MAT097 or MAT098

HSMAT3: Three Years of High School Math

COGNATE FOUNDATIONS:

Select two courses from the following list.

Courses must come from two different academic disciplines.

AED100* AED200* DAN200* DAN214*

DAN220* DAN224* DES114* DES190*

FAR100* FAR101* FAR250* FAR251

HON103 MUS201 MUS206* MUS208*

MUS210* MUS290* THA106* THA107*

THA216*

Select two courses from the following list.

Courses must come from two different academic disciplines

AAS240 COM100* ENG151* ENG160*

ENG205* ENG206* ENG210 ENG211

ENG212* ENG220 ENG221 ENG230*

ENG231* ENG240* ENG241* ENG243*

ENG252* ENG255* HON101 HUM100

MCL100* PHI101* PHI102* PHI110*

REL104 REL205* REL206* SPC103

Select two courses from the following list.

Courses must come from two different academic disciplines

ANT100* ANT220* BIO100* BIO101*

BIO104* BIO105* BIO211* BIO212*

BIO213* CHE100* CHE101* CHE111*

ENS100* GEG101* GEG241* GES101*

GES102* GES111 GES131 GES223*

GES224* GES232* GES241* HON102

NFS102* PHY100* PHY103* PHY104*

PHY107* PHY111* SCI100* SCI105*

SCI231* SCI232* SLP220*

Select two courses from the following list.

Courses must come from two different academic disciplines

ANT144 ANT144W ANT244W CRJ101* ECO101*

ECO201* ECO202* GEG102* HON202 HON302
PSC101* PSC103* PSC230* PSY101* SOC100*

SOC240* SLP206*

Select one course from:

ANT250* ECO103* HIS106* HIS107* PSC102*

Select one course from:

AED315* ANT303* ENG130* GEG364 HIS115* HIS116*

HIS117* MUS224* PHI301* PHI310* PHI347* PSC351*

PSC351W* PSC352* PSC352W* REL105* REL121* THA317*

THA318* THA332*

Select one course from:

ANT101* ANT300* ANT301* ANT305*

ANT306* ANT307* ANT327* ANT329*

ANT330* ANT377* ANT381* ANT411*

ENG353* FTT349* GEG359* GEG360*

HEW327 HIS230* HIS231* HIS306*

HIS307* HIS310* HIS320* HIS337*

HIS338 HIS373 HIS445* HIS465*

MUS209* NFS108* PSC340* REL303*

REL321*

Select one course from the following list.

ANT385 ANT400 BIO104 BIO105

CHE315 CIS105 COM100 EDU375

ENG380 ENS100 ENT100 EXE375

FLE201 FOR122 GEG307 GEG419

GES111 GES223 GES232 HIS120

HIS332 HON301 NFS105 PHY304

SCI231 THA332 TEC150 TEC260

TEC319

Select one course from the following list.

AAS100 AAS240 AAS321 AAS351 ANT300 ANT301

ANT307 ATS325 BUS305 CRJ425 CRJ430 DAN230

DAN234 ECO302 ECO302W EDU310 EDU310W ENG231

ENG240 ENG241 ENG243 ENG353 ENG354 ENG385

EXE100 GEG309 HIS302 HIS311 HIS322 HIS322W

HIS363 MUS206 PSC225 PSC390 PSY387 SOC240

SOC310 SOC312 SOC321 SOC333 SOC350 SOC351

SPC311 SPC333 SSE363 SST363 SWK319 SWK319W

Select one course from the following list.

AED303 AED304 AMT495 AMT495W ANT415 BIO303

BIO350 CHE471 CRJ303 CRJ303W CRJ470 CRJ485

ECO490 EDU400 EDU404 ENG463 ENG490 ENG490W

GEG461 GES307 GES460 HIS300 HIS300W MAT491

MED407 MED408 MUS440 PHI351 PHY410 PSC470

PSC470W PSC485 PSY472 SED407 SED408 SOC485

SPC205 SSE409 SSE410 THA350

Proficiency is required through the 102 level of a foreign language area. The audit is looking for either 102, 201 OR 202 to show it as completed.

Select one course from the following list.

AAS102 AAS201 AAS202 CHI102 CHI201

CHI202 FRE102 FRE110 FRE201 FRE202

FRE210 GER102 GER201 GER202 GRK102

GRK201 GRK202 ITA102 ITA201 ITA202

LAT102 LAT201 LAT202 SPA102 SPA201

SPA202 SWA102 SWA201 SWA202

Sign Language may substitute for a foreign language for students in the following majors:

Business Administration offered through the Business Department

BS in Criminal Justice offered through the Criminal Justice Department

Childhood Education and Early Childhood Education offered through the Elementary Education and Reading Department;

Communication Programs (ALL)

BS in Criminal Justice offered through the Criminal Justice Department;

Exceptional Education offered through the Exceptional Education Department;

Education Programs (ALL)

Hospitality Administration through the Hospitality and Tourism Department

Interior Design offered through the Design Department

Speech-Language Pathology offered through the Speech-Language Pathology Department

Social Work offered through the Social Work Department

Theatre Program offered through the Performing Arts Department

Additional Degree Requirements

In addition to the general education coursework described above, all undergraduate degree candidates must meet the following collegewide graduation requirements:

Successful completion of required coursework in the declared major

Successful completion of 6 credit hours of writing intensive ("W") courses

Successful completion of at least 120 hours of which at least 33 must be upper division and 32 must be taken at Buffalo State, including the last 16

Final overall cumulative average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher

Final major GPA 2.0 or higher
Successful completion of all "I", "N" or "X" grades.
Ammendments to Intellectual Foundations on Degree Navigator

8/28/2008 Same Courtesy for Transfer Students with BA/BS Degrees: Motion for Extending the policy on Waiving Non-trustees GE Requirements for Transfer Students Holding A.A. and A.S. Degress to Also Include B.A. and B.S. holders. Bulletin Announcement

10/30/2008 Removal of the Double Dipping Restriction. Students are now not limited in the amount of courses required in the major that can be used in the various cognates: Bulletin Announcement

Helpful Information & Links Related to this Document

SUNY Provosts Buffalo State Approvals

University Colleges Intellectual Foundations Page