Since Fall 2013, all CUNY colleges have adhered to a uniform set of general education requirements known as CUNY Pathways. Although the courses that can be used to fulfill these requirements differ from college to college, the basic set of requirements is the same throughout the CUNY system. With few exceptions, any requirement that a student fulfills at one CUNY college will be considered fulfilled at any other CUNY college to which he or she transfers.
Students who entered Baruch in Fall 2013 or later must complete “Pathways” to obtain a degree. In July 2013, continuing students had the choice either to opt-in to the Pathways requirements or to complete the set of general education requirements that was in place at the college until Fall 2013 (the Baruch Common Core).
Students seeking to appeal for substitutions to or exemptions from any general education requirement must file a request with the Pathways Appeal Committee. Please click here for detailed information.
There are three parts to the Pathways requirements: I) the Required Core; II) the Flexible Core; and III) the College Option.
The Required Core is made up of four courses, which must be taken in three different categories: 1) English Composition; 2) Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning; and 3) Life and Physical Sciences. The learning goals or outcomes of each area within the Required Core are listed here.
At Baruch College, the courses that satisfy the Required Core are:
English Composition (two courses required)
(or ) Writing I
(or ) Writing II
Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning * (one course required)
Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning**
Ideas in Mathematics and Their Applications**
Precalculus and Elements of Calculus
Precalulus
Applied Calculus
Applied Calculus and Matrix Applications
Calculus I
* The following courses are no longer offered at Baruch, but do appear on students’ transfer evaluations. Any of these courses may be used to satisfy the Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning requirement of the Pathways curriculum without appeal: MTH 2000; MTH 2001; MTH 2300; MTH 2300; MTH 2301; MTH 2100; MTH 2150; MTH 2006; MTH 2206; and MTH 2630. Calculus II is considered a STEM Variant course, and may also be used to satisfy this requirement without appeal.
** Zicklin and SPIA students should not take MTH 2140 or MTH 2160, which do not meet the mathematics requirement for the BBA or BS degrees. Zicklin students must complete a course in Calculus (and must satisfy the prerequisites for whichever Calculus course they take). Therefore, these students usually take MTH 2003 or MTH 2009 and one of the Calculus courses listed above. SPIA students must complete a course in either Precalculus or Calculus.
MTH 2140 and MTH 2160 are not appropriate for students within the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences whose major requires a statistics course or additional math courses (such majors include: Actuarial Science, Biological Sciences, Economics, Financial Mathematics, Natural Sciences ad hoc, and Statistics).
Students who wish to pursue a BA in Psychology may use MTH 2140 or MTH 2160 to satisfy the Pathways requirement, but might be required to complete Intermediate and College Algebra or College Algebra, to satisfy the prerequisite for that major's required statistics course. For more information, please consult the Office of the Associate Dean (WSAS.AssocDean@baruch.cuny.edu; room 8-265 of the Newman Vertical Campus; telephone: 646-312-3890).
Life and Physical Sciences (one course required)
* Please see below for notes on STEM Variant courses
Fundamentals of Biology: Human Biology Laboratory
(co-requisite with in the Flexible Core)
Fundamentals of Biology Laboratory: Research in Genetics, Evolution, and Ecology
(co-requisite with in the Flexible Core)
Fundamentals of Chemical Laboratory Techniques
(co-requisite with in the Flexible Core )
Fundamentals of Ecological Research
(co-requisite with in the Flexible Core )
Fundamentals of Experimental Physics
(co-requisite with in the Flexible Core)
NOTE: The following courses are no longer offered at Baruch, but do appear on students’ transfer evaluations. Any of these courses may be used to satisfy the Life and Physical Sciences or the Scientific World requirement of the Pathways curriculum without appeal: ; ; ; ; ; and . One course may not be used to satisfy both requirements.
* STEM VARIANT COURSES
The following courses may be used to satisfy either the Life and Physical Sciences or the Scientific World requirement (one course may not satisfy both requirements). Students who wish to pursue a major or minor in the Natural Sciences should satisfy the Pathways science requirements with STEM Variant courses.
Principles of Biology I
General Chemistry I
General Physics I
Quantitative Physics I
NOTE: The Department of Natural Sciences offers “stand-alone” sections of their Pathways courses (, , etc.), specifically designed for students who are only required to complete one half of the paired courses – lecture or lab, not both. For example, a student who transfers a Scientific World course, may satisfy the Life and Physical Sciences requirement with a stand-alone section of a Natural Sciences course in that category. These stand-alone sections are not open to students who enter Baruch as freshmen or to transfer students who have satisfied neither the Life & Physical Sciences nor the Scientific World requirement at the time they entered Baruch. Please consult the Department of Natural Sciences to request registration permission for any of their stand-alone sections (17 Lexington Ave, room 506; 646-660-6200).
The Flexible Core is made up of six courses, which must be taken in five different categories (numbered 4-8): 4) World Cultures and Global Issues; 5) U.S. Experience in its Diversity; 6) Creative Expression; 7) The Individual and Society; and 8) Scientific World. In fulfilling the six-course requirement, students may not take more than one course from any one department, discipline, or interdisciplinary field. The learning goals or outcomes of each area within the Flexible Core are listed here.
Please note that some departments offer courses in more than one category…
…Therefore, the sixth course may not be taken from Creative Expression, which consists of courses from a single department. Until Spring 2016 this was also true of the Scientific World category, since the only courses it contained were offered by the Department of Natural Sciences. But in Spring 2016, PSY 1001 was added to the Scientific World category; see below.
The courses at Baruch College that satisfy the Flexible Core are:
Category 1. World Cultures and Global Issues (at least one course required)
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Themes in Global History to 1500 C.E.
Themes in Global History Since 1500 C.E.
Latin America: An Institutional and Cultural Survey
United States in an Age of Globalization
Introduction to Comparative Government
Category 2. U.S. Experience in its Diversity (at least one course required)
Evolution and Expressions of Racism
Themes in American History
Modern American History
Citizenship and Public Affairs
American Government: Practices and Values
American Political Thought
Note: HIS 1004 History of American Civilization I is no longer offered at Baruch, but it does appear on students’ transfer evaluations. This course may be used to satisfy the U.S. Experience in its Diversity requirement of the Pathways curriculum without appeal.
Category 3. Creative Expression (one course required)
Introduction to Design and Visual Communications
Art History Survey I
Art History Survey II
Music and Civilization
Principles of Music
Introduction to the Theatre Arts
Category 4. The Individual and Society (at least one course required)
Major Issues in Philosophy
Logic and Moral Reason
Global Ethics
Introduction to Sociology
Category 5. Scientific World * (at least one course required)
Please see below for notes on STEM Variant courses
Fundamentals of Biology: Human Biology Lecture
(co-requisite with in the Required Core )
Fundamentals of Biology: Genetics, Evolution, and Ecology Lecture
(co-requisite with in the Required Core)
Fundamentals of Chemistry
(co-requisite with in the Required Core)
Fundamentals of Ecology
(co-requisite with in the Required Core)
Fundamentals of Physics: Theory and Practice
(co-requisite with in the Required Core)
General Psychology (added to the Flexible Core beginning in Spring 2016)
NOTE: The following courses are no longer offered at Baruch, but do appear on students’ transfer evaluations. Any of these courses may be used to satisfy the Scientific World or the Life and Physical Sciences requirement of the Pathways curriculum without appeal: ; ; ; ; ; and . One course may not be used to satisfy both requirements.
STEM VARIANT COURSES
The following courses may be used to satisfy either the Life and Physical Sciences or the Scientific World requirement (one course may not satisfy both requirements). Students who wish to pursue a major or minor in the Natural Sciences should satisfy the Pathways science requirements with STEM Variant courses.
Principles of Biology I
General Chemistry I
General Physics I
Quantitative Physics I
* CHANGES EFFECTIVE SPRING 2016
In Spring 2016, PSY 1001 was added to the Scientific World category. The following policies went into effect at that time:
NOTE: The Department of Natural Sciences offers “stand-alone” sections of their Pathways courses (, , etc.), specifically designed for students who are only required to complete one half of the paired courses – lecture or lab, not both. For example, a student who transfers a Life and Physical Sciences course, may satisfy the Scientific World requirement with either or with a stand-alone section of a Natural Sciences course in that category. These stand-alone sections are not open to students who enter Baruch as freshmen or to transfer students who have satisfied neither the Life & Physical Sciences nor the Scientific World requirement at the time they entered Baruch. Please consult the Department of Natural Sciences to request registration permission for any of their stand-alone sections (17 Lexington Ave, room 506; 646-660-6200).
The College Option consists of as many as four courses, depending on how much coursework the student has completed at another institution. The following table explains the College Option (COPT) requirements for students, based on their entering status.
Baruch Freshmen | 12 COPT credits |
Students transferring from an Associate Degree Program to Baruch (including non-CUNY regionally accredited colleges) |
|
Students transferring from a CUNY Bachelor’s Degree Program to Baruch
| 12 COPT credits are required; HOWEVER, any COPT credits completed at and/or received upon transfer to the previous CUNY campus will transfer to Baruch with the designation. Students who have remaining COPT requirements begin taking courses at the top of the relevant Baruch COPT course list. |
Students transferring from a Non-CUNY Bachelor’s Degree Program to Baruch | 12 COPT credits
|
Second Bachelor’s Degree Students Students with earned bachelor’s degrees from institutions that are accredited and recognized by a regional accrediting U.S. agency, as well as students from international universities with degrees that are equivalent to a baccalaureate degree as determined by CUNY | No COPT credits are required
|
Students who transfer multiple times * |
|
| 6, 9, or 12 COPT credits |
| 12 COPT credits;
HOWEVER, any COPT credits completed at and/or received upon transfer to another CUNY senior college will transfer to Baruch with the designation. Students who have remaining College Option requirements begin taking courses at the top of the relevant Baruch COPT course list. |
* The College Option requirement for a student who transfers multiple times is determined by the type of program in which he or she first enrolled. A student who begins his or her college career in an associate program, and transfers multiple times will be responsible for a total of 6, 9, or 12 College Option credits depending on the student’s status when they first transferred from the associate program.
There were four distinct College Options for students who began taking classes at Baruch before spring 2015. They were based on whether the student: 1) belonged to the Macaulay Honors College; 2) planned to receive a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences--the specifics of this option varied according to date of entry (see below); 3) planned to receive Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree from the Zicklin School of Business; or 4) planned to receive a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs--the specifics of this option varied according to date of entry (see below). As of Spring 2015, Macaulay students retain their distinct College Option, but all other Baruch undergraduates follow the “Baruch College Option.”
Macaulay Honors Option at Baruch College
Course 1 | The Arts in New York City | |
Course 2 | The Peopling of New York | |
Course 3 | Science and Technology in New York City | |
Course 4 | New York in the Twenty-First Century |
College Option for the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences
BA students entering Baruch or opting in to Pathways in Fall 2013, follow the four courses below of this Weissman College Option:
Course 1 | / | Great Works of Literature I |
Course 2 | Speech Communication | |
Course 3 |
| 1st Foreign Language course (based on placement)* |
Course 4 |
| 2nd Foreign Language course (the same language as the 1st Foreign Language course)* |
*One of these courses must be completed at Baruch.
BA students entering Baruch or opting in to Pathways from Spring 2014-Fall 2014, follow the four courses below of this Weissman College Option:
Course 1 | / | Great Works of Literature I |
Course 2 | 1st Foreign Language course (based on placement)* | |
Course 3 |
| 2nd Foreign Language course (the same language as the 1st Foreign Language course)* |
Course 4 | Speech Communication |
*One of these courses must be completed at Baruch.
BA students entering Baruch or opting in to Pathways starting Spring 2015 or later, follow the four courses of the Baruch College Option:
Course 1 | / | Great Works of Literature I |
Course 2 | 4000-level CIC "capstone" course for one of the liberal arts minors This course must be completed at Baruch. | |
Course 3 | 1st 3000-level liberal arts course toward the same liberal arts minor | |
Course 4 | 2nd 3000-level liberal arts course toward the same liberal arts minor |
NOTES:
College Option for the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree from the Zicklin School of Business
BBA students entering Baruch or opting in to Pathways beginning in Fall 2013 follow the four courses of the Baruch College Option (from Fall 2013-Fall 2014, this option was known as the Zicklin College Option):
Course 1 | / | Great Works of Literature I |
Course 2 | 4000-level CIC "capstone" course for one of the liberal arts minors This course must be completed at Baruch. | |
Course 3 | 1st 3000-level liberal arts course toward the same liberal arts minor | |
Course 4 | 2nd 3000-level liberal arts course toward the same liberal arts minor |
There is no GPA stipulation attached to the College Option courses, but in order to graduate with the liberal arts minor, a student must have a grade point average of at least 2.00 in the three courses that make up his or her liberal arts minor.
College Option for the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs
BS students entering Baruch or opting into Pathways in fall 2013 have three ways of completing the College Option:
Course 1 | / | Great Works of Literature I |
Course 2 |
| a 3000- or 4000-level liberal arts course selected by the student in consultation with the SPA faculty advisor |
Course 3 |
| a 3000- or 4000-level liberal arts course selected by the student in consultation with the SPA faculty advisor |
Course 4 |
| a 3000- or 4000-level liberal arts course selected by the student in consultation with the SPA faculty advisor |
BS students entering Baruch or opting into Pathways from Spring 2014-Fall 2014 have two ways of completing the College Option:
BS students entering Baruch or opting in to Pathways starting Spring 2015 or later, follow the Baruch College Option:
Course 1 | / | Great Works of Literature I |
Course 2 | 4000-level CIC "capstone" course for one of the liberal arts minors This course must be completed at Baruch. | |
Course 3 | 1st 3000-level liberal arts course toward the same liberal arts minor | |
Course 4 | 2nd 3000-level liberal arts course toward the same liberal arts minor |
There is no GPA stipulation attached to the College Option courses, but in order to graduate with the liberal arts minor, a student must have a grade point average of at least 2.00 in the three courses that make up his or her liberal arts minor.