GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS: General Education Requirements (GER)
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The General Education Requirement (GER) is a set of competencies, knowledge areas, and perspectives in the liberal arts that Hunter considers essential to the intellectual development of its undergraduates: the Core Requirement and three Graduation Requirements—Foreign Language, Writing, and Pluralism and Diversity.

You are strongly urged to complete most of the GER before declaring the major and minor. Without the necessary background, you may find yourself at a disadvantage in major courses. However, if you intend to pursue a highly structured program in the sciences, mathematics, foreign language, or the BFA, BMus, or BS, you should begin your major and minor courses and the GER concurrently and in consultation with an Advisor.

To help prepare for advisement sessions, print the detailed General Education Requirement (PDF). An interactive GER Checklist is also available and can be used to monitor your academic progress. For answers to general questions, see the FAQs (frequently asked questions).

All students who matriculated prior to Fall 2001 have the option of fulfilling either the Distribution Requirement in its entirety or the General Education Requirement in its entirety in order to be eligible for graduation.

Core Requirement
The Core offers you opportunities to explore potential majors and minors or to satisfy prerequisites for the major. The three sequential stages of the Core Requirement are:

            Stage 1: Academic Foundations
            Stage 2: Broad Exposure
            Stage 3: Focused Exposure

Transfer students matriculating with earned CUNY AA or AS degrees only are exempt from the Core Requirement of the GER. All other transfer students will have their accepted credits evaluated on a course-by-course basis. See the General Education Requirement (PDF) and the interactive GER Checklist for information about specific courses that satisfy the Core Requirement.

Courses used to satisfy the Core Requirement may simultaneously meet Pluralism and Diversity or Writing Requirements.

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Foreign Language Requirement
All BA, BFA, and BMus students must complete four semesters of language courses (Levels 101, 102, 201, and 202) or an equivalent combination of college and high school study in the same language. Students in BS programs should check the requirements for their specific program. You may be exempt from this requirement if you:

• earned a high school diploma in a foreign country.
• completed 4 years of foreign language in high school (one year of study in a single language beyond the New York State Regents Examination).
• passed an assessment examination administered by the appropriate Hunter department or a recommended testing service.
• passed a college course which required foreign language proficiency, or completion of the 202 level of a foreign language, as a prerequisite.

The first semester course (Elementary I) of a four-course sequence will not be credited without completion of the second semester course (Elementary II).

See the General Education Requirement (PDF) and the GER Checklist for information about specific courses that satisfy the Foreign Language Requirement. For information about applying for an exemption, see Academic Appeals.

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Writing Requirement
You must successfully complete a prescribed number of significant writing courses, depending upon the total earned credits at the time of your matriculation at Hunter:

• three courses if you matriculated with 0-30 credits
• two courses if you matriculated with 31-59 credits
• one course if you matriculated with 60-90 credits

Significant writing courses carry the (W) designation in Hunter College's Schedule of Classes and Undergraduate Catalog. See the General Education Requirement (PDF) for information about specific courses that satisfy the Writing Requirement.

Courses used to satisfy the Writing Requirement may simultaneously meet Core, Pluralism and Diversity, major, or minor requirements.

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Pluralism and Diversity Requirement
If you entered Hunter in Fall 1993 or later, you are required to complete 12 credits (3 credits in each of four groups) in designated courses that address issues of pluralism and diversity:

• Mon-European societies
• US groups: African, Asian, Latino, and Native Americans
• Women and/or issues of gender
• European societies

See the General Education Requirement (PDF) for information about specific courses that satisfy the Pluralism and Diversity Requirement.

Courses used to satisfy the Pluralism and Diversity Requirement may simultaneously meet Core, Writing Requirement, major, or minor requirements.

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