General Education FAQ

Courses and Requirements

  • How do I know if a course meets a General Education requirement?
    • General Education courses are identified in the Schedule of Classes. To receive General Education credit, a course must be identified with a General Education letter (A, C, etc.) in the semester in which you take it. For a list of courses meeting General Education requirements offered for a specific semester, please log into BU Brain or go to the Schedule of Classes.
  • I am taking MUSP courses. Can I use them to fulfill my Aesthetics requirement?
    • Four credits worth of MUSP courses can be used to fulfill the General Education Aesthetics requirement. Once you have successfully completed 4 credits of MUSP courses for a letter grade, your degree audit will use them to fulfill your Aesthetics requirement. You do not need to submit an appeals form.
  • I need an Activity (or Wellness, or Both Activity/Wellness) course. I run (or swim/work out at a local gym/teach karate, etc.). Can I use that to fulfill the requirement?
    • No. You cannot use any Physical Activity or Wellness experiences taken outside of a credit-bearing college course to fulfill General Education requirements. For example, you cannot use classes taken at health clubs or fitness facilities or self-directed fitness activities such as running, swimming, dance, or weightlifting.
  • Can a course fulfill more than one General Education requirement?
    • Some General Education courses may have more than one General Education tag listed. However, except for Composition, Oral Communication, Joint Composition/Oral Communication, World Language, General Education courses may be used to fulfill only one General Education requirement.
    • For example, a course may be designated as Composition, World Language, Humanities, and Global Issues. You will either receive credit for Composition, World Language, and Humanities or for Composition, World Language, and Global Issues. If you have questions about what General Education requirements a course will fulfill, please contact your school/college's advising office.
  • Can my independent study fulfill a General Education requirement?
    • No, independent study or independent research courses cannot fulfill General Education requirements.
  • Can my internship fulfill a General Education requirement?
    • Other than CDCI 385, which has been specifically designed to meet the O requirement, internships cannot fulfill General Education requirements.
  • Can my teaching practicum fulfill a General Education requirement?
    • No, teaching practica cannot fulfill General Education requirements.
  • What is the policy regarding grades in General Education courses taken at ßÙßÇÂþ»­ University?
    • General Education courses must be taken for a letter grade unless a course is only offered pass/fail. Students must earn a grade of D or better in a course in order to have it fulfill General Education requirements. If a course is only offered pass/fail, a student must receive a P in order to have the course fulfill General Education requirements.
  • What is the policy regarding grades in courses taken at another school and transferred to ßÙßÇÂþ»­ to fulfill General Education requirements?
    • Please reach out to your school/college's advising office to see what courses transfer to fulfill General Education requirements.

Credit by Exam (AP, IB/HIB, CLEP)

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

  • Aesthetics
    • Art History
    • Music Theory
    • Studio Art: Drawing
    • Studio Art: 2-D Design
    • Studio Art: 3-D Design
  • World Language
    • Chinese Language and Culture
    • French Language and Culture
    • German Language and Culture
    • Italian Language and Culture
    • Japanese Language and Culture
    • Latin
    • Spanish Language and Culture
    • Spanish Literature and Culture
  • Humanities
    • English Literature and Composition
    • Latin
    • Spanish Literature and Culture
  • Laboratory Sciences
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Environmental Science *AP score of 4 automatically fulfills the General Education, Laboratory Sciences. No verification of laboratory experience is needed.
    • Physics *AP score of 5 automatically fulfills the General Education, Laboratory Sciences. No verification of laboratory experience is needed
  • Mathematics
    • Calculus
    • Statistics
  • Diversity: Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice/ U.S. Diversity: Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice
    • Appropriate AP scores in American History may be used to determine proficiency for the U.S. Diversity: Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice requirement.
    • Students will then need to take a designated Diversity: Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice course to fulfill the requirement; the AP score may only be used to determine proficiency.
  • Social Science
    • Comparative Government and Politics
    • European History
    • Human Geography
    • Macroeconomics
    • Microeconomics
    • U.S. Government and Politics
    • U.S. History
    • World History

Certain IB scores can be used to fulfill General Education requirements, as follows:

  • Aesthetics
    • Dance, Film, Music, Theatre, or Visual Arts score of 4-7
  • World Languages
    • Classical  Greek, German, Latin, French, Italian, Spanish or Mandarin (Chinese) score of 4-7
  • Humanities
    • Language and Literature score of 4-7
    • Literature score of 4-7
    • World Religions score of 4-7
  • Laboratory Science (Catalog Year 2016-Present)
    • Biology score of 6-7 
      *No verification of laboratory experience is needed. 
    • Chemistry score of 5-7
      *No verification of laboratory experience is needed.
    • Environmental Studies score of 6-7
    • Physics score of 7 
      *No verification of laboratory experience is needed.
  • Mathematics
    • Mathematics HL score of 4-7
  • Social Science
    • Economics score of 4-7
    • Global Politics score of 4-7
    • Geography score of 4-7
    • History score of 4-7
    • History of Africa and the Middle East score of 4-7
    • History of Asia and Oceania score of 4-7
    • History of Europe score of 4-7
    • Social and Cultural Anthropology score of 4-7
  • Can I use CLEP scores to fulfill General Education requirements?
  • Appropriate CLEP scores may be able to fulfill Gen Ed requirements. Please see the Harpur advising website and contact your academic advisor for more information. 
  • Can I use Cambridge A-Level scores to fulfill General Education requirements?
  • Appropriate Cambridge A-Level scores may be used to fulfill Gen Ed requirements. Please see the Harpur advising website and contact your academic advisor for more information.