Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers about: courses & requirements, transfer courses, AP courses, CLEP tests, changes in the Math requirement, using MUSP courses for Aesthetics, or the Pluralism requirement.

Courses & Requirements

Which Gen Ed requirements should I follow?

You follow the Gen Ed program in effect for your catalog year. Your catalog year is the academic year in which you matriculate at Binghamton University. For example, students matriculating in Summer 2007, Fall 2007, or Spring 2008 all fall under the 2007 catalog year and would follow the 2007-2008 Bulletin. If you are not sure of your catalog year, please contact your school advising office for assistance.

How do I know if a course meets a Gen Ed requirement?

Gen Ed courses are identified in the Schedule of Classes. To receive Gen Ed credit, a course must be identified with a Gen Ed letter (A, C, etc.) in the semester in which you take it. Gen Ed designations are finalized by the add deadline for each semester.

Can a course fulfill more than one Gen Ed requirement?

Some Gen Ed courses may carry more than one Gen Ed tag (for example, CHP). However, except for C, O, J or Foreign Language classes, Gen Ed courses may be used to fulfill only one Gen Ed category. C, O, J or Foreign Language courses may double-count with one other Gen Ed requirement. Your DARS report will use double-tagged courses in the category in which they are needed; for example, if you take a course designated CNP, you will receive either the CP or the CN, whichever DARS decides you need most.

Can Gen Ed courses be taken pass/fail?

Gen Ed courses must be taken for a letter grade (normal grading option) unless a course is only offered pass/fail.

Transfer Courses

Can my transfer courses fulfill Gen Ed requirements?

Transfer students from other SUNY schools who have been certified as meeting a SUNY-wide General Education requirement prior to matriculation at Binghamton will be certified as having met the corresponding Binghamton requirement. Courses from other SUNY schools taken after matriculation at Binghamton or not certified as meeting a SUNY-wide requirement, as well as courses transferred from schools outside the SUNY system, will be evaluated solely in terms of Binghamton University's General Education requirements. Contact your advisor for more information.

AP Courses

I took AP courses in high school. Can I use my AP scores to fulfill Gen Ed requirements?

A score of 3 or better on certain AP tests can be used to fulfill Gen Ed requirements, as follows:

Aesthetics: Art History, Art Studio, Music Theory
Foreign Language: Chinese Language & Culture, French Language, French Literature, German Language, German Literature, Italian Language & Culture, Japanese Language & Culture, Latin Literature, Spanish Language, Spanish Literature
Humanities: English Lit/Comp, French Literature, German Literature, Latin Literature, Spanish Literature
Laboratory Science: For instructions, read the downloadable form Using AP Scores to Fulfill the L Requirement
Mathematics: Calculus, Statistics
Social Science: American History, Economics, European History, Human Geography, Political Science, World History

CLEP Tests

Can I use CLEP scores to fulfill Gen Ed requirements?

For more information about whether College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams may be used to satisfy General Education requirements, please contact your advising office.

Changes in the Math Requirement

How and when did the Gen Ed Math requirement change?

Binghamton University's Faculty Senate approved a change in the Gen Ed Mathematics/Reasoning (M) requirement in December 2005. This change was made retroactive so that it applied to all students who had not satisfied the M requirement. The Math requirement was changed to read as follows:

Mathematics/Reasoning (M) courses include any course in the Mathematics Department numbered 130 or above, any of several designated statistics courses (ANTH 200, BIOL 458, CQS 112, ECON 366, or PSYC 243), or any of several designated logic courses (PHIL 121, 122 or 200). An Advanced Placement (AP) score of 3 or better in Calculus or Statistics may be used to satisfy this requirement.

The Mathematics/Reasoning requirement no longer has a provision that students must demonstrate proficiency by achieving a certain Regents score or by taking MATH 107 or 108. Instead, students who feel they need the lower-level Math courses in order to do well in a designated M course will be able to identify themselves either through advising or through pre-tests given in the Math department. Please note that Computer Science courses are not designated as meeting the Math requirement after the 2006 Summer Session.

Using the MUSP Requirement for Aesthetics

I am taking MUSP courses. Can I use them to fulfill the Aesthetics requirement?

Under certain circumstances, students may use 4 credits worth of MUSP courses to fulfill the Gen Ed Aesthetics requirement. Students who have successfully completed 4 credits worth of MUSP courses, taken for a letter grade (not P/F), who would like to use those courses to fulfill their A requirement may complete the Gen Ed appeals form online at http://gened.binghamton.edu/appeals.html. In order to be approved, these petitions must include the following:

Students must include in their petition a brief description of what was played/performed in the different semesters.
The petition must be accompanied by either a syllabus or program for at least one semester, to further document participation.

Petitions will be approved automatically if all requested information is provided. This option is available to any student who has successfully completed 4 credits of MUSP courses for a letter grade.

Pluralism Requirement

I did not demonstrate proficiency in United States History by scoring 85 or above on the Regents exam. My DARS report indicates that I need to fulfill the Pluralism in the United States requirement by selecting a course from a subset of specialized Pluralism courses that pay significant attention to a broad span of United States history. Which courses can I take to fulfill this requirement?

The specialized Pluralism courses that pay significant attention to a broad span of United States history are:

ANTH 256, Native American Culture and History
GEOG 212, Historical Geography of the US
HIST 103, Foundations of American Civilization
HIST 104, Modern American Civilization
HIST 250, Colonial America
HIST 257, American Working Class Since 1877
HIST 264, Immigration and Ethnicity in the US
HIST 266, History of Women in US Since 1874 (effective Fall 2003)
HIST 267, Asian American History (effective Fall 2003)
HIST 356, American Legal History
Plus the following topics courses, which only fulfill the specialized Pluralism requirement for the semester indicated:
- COLI 211U, American History Through American Literature - SUMMER 2004 ONLY
- COLI 280V, American History Through Its Literature -SPRING 2005, SUMMER 2005 AND FALL 2005 ONLY
- COLI 331D, American History in Its Literature - SPRING 2003, FALL 2003, SPRING 2004, FALL 2004, SPRING 2005, SPRING 2006 AND FALL 2006 ONLY
- ENG 114E, Experience of Race and Class in American Literature - SPRING 2003, FALL 2003 AND FALL 2004 ONLY
- ENG 270, American Literature to 1920 - SUMMER 2005 ONLY
- ENG 370A, Race, Religion & Class in American Literature - FALL 2007 AND FALL 2009 ONLY
- ENG 370B, Race/Class in Mainstream American Literature - SPRING 2003 ONLY
- ENG 370D, Race/Class in Mainstream American Literature - FALL 2003 AND FALL 2004 ONLY
- HIST 380F, Religion in America - SUMMER 2002 ONLY
- HIST 380J, Racial Politics and the State - SPRING 2006 ONLY
- HIST 380R, History in American Culture - SPRING 2003 ONLY
- HIST 380Z, Social Movements in the US - SUMMER 2009 ONLY
- SOC 380B, Work in the Global Economy - SUMMER 2009 ONLY
- SOC 380H, Work in the Global Economy - SUMMER 2008 ONLY

If you are not sure whether you demonstrated proficiency in American History in high school, you should contact your advisor for more information.