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* MAT110 MAT114* MAT122*

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* DAN220*

DAN224* DES114* DES190* FAR100*

FAR101* FAR250* FAR251 HON103

MUS201 MUS206* MUS208* MUS210*

THA106* THA216*

Select two courses from the following list.

Courses must come from two different academic disciplines

AAS240 COM100* ENG151* ENG205*

ENG206* ENG210 ENG211 ENG212*

ENG220 ENG221 ENG231* ENG240*

ENG241* 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*

Select two courses from the following list.

Courses must come from two different academic disciplines

ANT144W ANT244W CRJ101* ECO101*

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

PSY101* SOC100* SOC240* SLP206*

Select one course from:

ECO103* HIS106* HIS107* PSC102*

Select one course from:

AED315* ANT303* ENG130* GEG364

HIS115* HIS116* HIS117* MUS224*

PHI301* PHI310* PHI347* PSC351*

PSC352* REL105* REL121* THA317*

THA318* THA332*

Select one course from:

ANT101* ANT300* ANT301* ANT327*

ANT329* ANT330* ANT377* ANT381*

FTT349* GEG359* GEG360* HEW327

HIS230* HIS307* HIS310* HIS320*

HIS338 HIS373 MUS209* NFS108*

REL303* REL321*

Select one course from the following list.

BIO104 BIO105 CHE315 CIS105

COM100 EDU375 ENG380 ENS100

ENT100 GES111 GES223 GES232

HIS120 HIS332 HON301 NFS105

PHY304 SCI231 THA332 TEC150

TEC260 TEC319

Select one course from the following list.

AAS240 AAS321 AAS351 ANT300 ANT301 ATS325

BUS305 CRJ425 CRJ430 DAN230 DAN234 ECO302

EDU310 ENG231 ENG240 ENG241 ENG353 ENG354

EXE100 GEG309 HIS302 HIS311 HIS322 HIS363

MUS206 PSC225 PSY387 SOC240 SOC310 SOC312

SOC321 SOC333 SOC350 SOC351 SPC311 SPC333

SSE363 SST363 SWK319

Select one course from the following list.

AED303 AED304 BIO303 BIO350 CRJ303

CRJ470 CRJ485 ECO490 ENG463 ENG464

ENG490 GES307 GES460 HIS300W MUS440

PHI351 PSC485 PHY410 PSY472 SED407

SED408 SOC485 SPC205 SSE409 SSE410

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