General Education Core Requirements

New General Education Core Requirements Effective Fall 2013

Starting in Fall 2013 all new first-time freshmen and transfer students must enroll in the CUNY Pathways curriculum: a 30-credit Common Core for all students and an additional 6-12 credits in the College Option for baccalaureate students. The Common Core consists of 12 credits in the Required Core and 18 credits in the Flexible Core. All continuing students can opt-in to the Pathways Curriculum and are encouraged to meet with an advisor to determine the best course of action based on their goals and credits earned.

Required Core - 12 Credits

The Required Core consists of 6 credits of English Composition, 3 credits in Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning, and 3 credits in Life and Physical Sciences; requirements for MEC students follow:

English Composition - 6 credits

• ENGL 112 - College Composition I 3 Credits

• ENGL 150 - College Composition II 3 Credits

Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning - 3 credits*

• MTH 115 - Nature of Mathematics I 3 Credits

Life and Physical Sciences - 3 credits*

• BIO 101 - Introduction to the Science of Biology 3 Credits

• OR

• PHS 101 - Introduction to Physical Sciences 3 Credits

Flexible Core - 18 Credits

To reach the required total of 6 courses, students in AA, AS and bachelor’s degree programs must complete at least one course in each of the five Flexible Core areas and an additional sixth course in one of them. Students can complete no more than two courses from any one discipline or interdisciplinary field; requirements for MEC students follow:

World Cultures & Global Issues

• ANTH 201 - The Nature of Culture 3 Credits

• ENGL 212 - World Literature: The Evolving Canon 3 Credits

U. S. Experience In its Diversity

• HIST 200 - The Growth and Development of the U.S.A. 3 Credits

Creative Expressions

• ART 100 - Introduction to World Art 3 Credits

• MUS 100 - Introduction to World Music 3 Credits

Individual & Society

• ECON 100 - Survey of Economics 3 Credits

• ECON 212 - Introduction to Macroeconomics 3 Credits

• ECON 213 - Introduction to Microeconomics 3 Credits

• PA 103 - Introduction to Public Service and Administration 3 Credits

• PA 150 - Introduction to Criminal Law 3 Credits

• SSC 101 - Culture, Society, and Social Change 3 Credits

• SOC 101 - Introduction to Sociology 3 Credits

Scientific World

• BIO 211 - Biotechnology and Society 3 Credits

Note:

*students may substitute STEM variants in these areas as indicated below

Medgar Evers College Option - 12 Credits

(Baccalaureate Degree Students Only)

Socio-Cultural and Diversity Cluster III

Students take ONE COURSE from the following:

Socio-Cultural and Diversity Cluster III

Students take ONE COURSE from the following:

• ANTH 203 - Introduction to Archaeology 3 Credits

• ECON 330 - Global Trade and Political Economy 3 Credits

• ECON 430 - War on Drugs: History, Economics & Public Policy 3 Credits

• ENGL 214 - Critical Issues in World Literature 3 Credits

•  

• CHIN 101 - Beginning Chinese I 3 Credits

• CHIL 101 - Chinese (Mandarin) Beginner I Laboratory 0 Credits

• FREN 101 - Beginning French I (closed to francophone speakers) 3 Credits Foreign Language I #

• OR

• FREL 101 - Beginning French I (closed to francophone speakers) 0 Credits

• HACR 203 - Haitan Creole for Native Speakers 1 3 Credits

• HACR 204 - Haitan Creole for Native Speakers II 3 Credits

• SPAN 101 - Beginning Spanish I (closed to Spanish speakers) 3 Credits Foreign Language I #

•  

• PSYC 300 - The Psychology of Women 3 Credits

• ART 200 - Afro-American Art History 3 Credits

• ART 201 - African Art History 3 Credits

• ENGL 319 - African American Literature I: 1619-1932 3 Credits

• ENGL 320 - African American Literature II: 1932-Present 3 Credits

• ENGL 326 - African Literature 3 Credits

• ENGL 328 - Latin American Literature 3 Credits

• ENGL 331 - Asian American Literature 3 Credits

• ENGL 360 - Black Women Writers 3 Credits

• ENVS 308 - Best Practices in Cannabis Environmental Science 3 Credits

• ENGL 340 - Resistance and Reformation in Early African American Literature 3 Credits

• ENGL 341 - The Harlem Renaissance: At Home in the World 3 Credits

• ENGL 342 - Transforming American Literature: U.S. Latina/o/x Texts 3 Credits

• ENGL 343 - Slavery, Emancipation, and Empire in British Literature 3 Credits

• ENGL 344 - Windrush to Brexit and Beyond: “Race” and Nation in Contemporary British Literature 3 Credits

• ENGL 346 - Caribbean Spirits, Postcolonial Specters 3 Credits

• ENGL 347 - World on the Move: 20th and 21st Century Global Literature 3 Credits

• ENGL 348 - Global Feminisms: Writing Gender and Sexuality 3 Credits

• ENGL 349 - Popular Culture: From Blackface to Black Panther 3 Credits

• ENGL 352 - Poetry of Place: Voices of Exile 3 Credits

• ENGL 361 - Shakespeare Without Borders 3 Credits

• MASS 273 - Black Creative Arts 3 Credits

• PA 365 - Crime and Punishment in Urban America 3 Credits

• PHIL 301 - Black Philosophical Thought in the Twentieth Century 3 Credits

• SSC 306 - Race, Class and Gender 3 Credits

• SOC 209 - Urban Lifestyles 3 Credits

• SOC 211 - Social Movements and Globalization 3 Credits

• SOC 302 - Social Stratification 3 Credits

• SOC 300 - Sociological Theory 3 Credits

Integrative Knowledge Cluster IV

Students must take THREE COURSES from the following (one Humanities, one Social & Behavioral Sciences, one Natural Sciences & Mathematics):

• CHIN 102 - Beginning Chinese II 3 Credits [Humanities]

• CHIL 102 - Chinese (Mandarin) Beginner II Laboratory 0 Credits

• FREN 102 - Beginning French I (closed to francophone speakers) Credits

• FREL 102 - Beginning French II (closed to francophone speakers) 0 Credits

• SPAN 102 - Beginning Spanish II (closed to Spanish speakers) 3 Credits Foreign Languages II# [Humanities]

• SPAL 102 - Beginning Spanish II (closed to Spanish speakers) 3 Credits

• SPAN 203 - Spanish for Native Speakers I 3 Credits

• SPAN 204 - Spanish for Native Speakers II 3 Credits

• ENGL 363 - Literature of the Global City I 3 Credits [Humanities]

• ENGL 370 - Special Topics in Literature I 3 Credits [Humanities]

• ENVS 200 - Environmental Health Issues 3 Credits [Natural Sciences & Math]

• ENGL 333 - The Body in Place and Culture 3 Credits [Humanities]

• PA 365 - Crime and Punishment in Urban America 3 Credits

• REL 402 - Gender and Religion 3 Credits [Humanities]

• HIST 300 - Women Leaders in the African American Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. 3 Credits [Social & Behavioral]

• ENGL 308 - Discourse Analysis in Contemporary Culture 3 Credits

• ENGL 345 - Afro-European Literature and Culture Today 3 Credits [Humanities]

• ENGL 351 - African Diaspora Women Writers 3 Credits [Humanities]

• ENGL 353 - Ethnographic Playwriting: Stories from the African Diaspora 3 Credits [Humanities]

Stem Variants for General Education Common Core

Any student can take STEM variant courses as substitutes for Common Core requirements in Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning, Life and Physical Sciences, and the Scientific World as approved below; STEM variant courses must satisfy major requirements.

Stem Variants: Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning

Stem Variants: Life and Physical Sciences, and the Scientific World

Credit for Prior Learning By Portfolio

Adult learners returning or entering Medgar Evers College with prior knowledge now have an opportunity to translate their prior learning into college credits. Students can earn college credits for their prior knowledge in two ways:

1. Take and pass a College Board CLEP exam

2. Develop a Portfolio (Contact Academic Affairs)

College Level Exam Program (CLEP)

College Board created the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) to allow students to earn college credits for the knowledge they possess, but could not measure otherwise. College Board offers 33 introductory college-level subjects. Students can earn credits for what they already know. Medgar Evers College is a CLEP test center.

1. CLEP exams are computerized.

2. CLEP exams are 90 minutes long. However, College Composition is 120 minutes.

3. CLEP exams contain mainly multiple-choice questions. College Composition may include essays.

4. The recommended passing score is 50, a score equivalent to a grade of C.

5. An unofficial score report is available upon completion of each exam, excluding College Composition and College Composition Modular.

6. The American Council on Education (ACE) recognizes CLEP.

7. Each CLEP exam costs $87. The administrative fee at Medgar Evers College is $40 for each exam. Contact the Testing Center at 718-270-4835 for test dates

CLEP Eligibility

CLEP exams are available to students enrolled at Medgar Evers College as well as individuals of the community. All students should consult their college or university before registering for and taking a CLEP exam to know whether the credits will be accepted. Medgar Evers College students must consult a Testing Center before scheduling a CLEP exam.

Medgar Evers College Students Eligibility Requirements

• Students must have satisfied the University’s basic skills requirement in reading, writing, and mathematics.

• Students are required to have a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or better.

CLEP Application Process

The Testing Center staff administers CLEP exams once a month on a walk-in basis from 10:00am-3:00pm. Exam candidates should contact the Testing Center at 718-270-4835 for test dates.

• The fee is paid to College Board (collegeboard.org) when the student sets up an account online and purchases the exam. Once the exam purchase is confirmed, the student may reserve a seat to take the exam with the Testing Center.

• The administrative fee is $40.00 per exam and must be paid to the Bursar’s Office prior to taking the test.

• Exam fees are non-refundable.

CLEP Exam Day

Please bring two forms of ID, at least one must be a government-issued ID.

• Candidates must arrive before 3:00 pm. Testing Center staff will not allow any student into the testing laboratory after 3:00 pm.

• Candidates taking two CLEP exams on the same day must arrive no later than 1:00 pm.

• Examination candidates, must complete the CLEP application at collegeboard.org and pay all fees before arriving to do the test.

• Examination regulations, do NOT allow candidates to take books, notes, practice exams, calculators, cell phones, pagers, and watches with alarms, other electronic devices, food, and beverages into the testing laboratory.

Special Accommodations

Any student requiring special accommodations for the CLEP exam because of a disability must contact the Office of Services for Differently Abled (ODA) at 718-270-5027 at least 1 week prior to the exam. Accommodations based on disabilities will be granted to comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ODA is responsible for identifying and evaluating students with disabilities. If the student is eligible, that office will coordinate accommodations with the Testing Center.

Portfolio Development

A portfolio is a document presented by a student to the college requesting credits for knowledge about a subject that occurred outside the classroom. The portfolio must be well documented and organized. It is a collection of evidence to support the student’s claim for credit, through a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) process.

Students must align their knowledge with the course(s) they are petitioning. The respective academic department performing the assessment will award credits for learning as it relates to the course rather than, solely on years of experience.

Portfolio Eligibility

• Students must be enrolled at Medgar Evers College.

• A student must complete a minimum of 24 college credits before developing a portfolio.

• Students must complete English 112 and English 150 before developing a portfolio.

• Students are required to have a GPA of 2.0 or better.

• Students must have satisfied the University’s basic skills requirement in reading, writing, and mathematics before developing a portfolio.

• A student must consult and receive approval from the Credit for Prior Learning Coordinator and the Chairperson of the department of his/her declared course of study.

• Students must consult and receive approval from the Chairperson of the department before developing a portfolio.

• Students must register for a Portfolio Development Seminar.

Portfolio Application Process

• Students must obtain an application from the Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) Coordinator.

• The department Chairperson must sign the application form.

• Students must consult the CPL Coordinator to register for the CPL seminar.

• Before submission of the portfolio for assessment, students must pay a non-refundable fee of $75.00 to the Bursar’s Office.

Testing Center Contact Information

1150 Carroll Street Room 311
Brooklyn, NY 11225
Ph: 718-270-4835
Fax: 718-270-4845
Email: asktesting@mec.cuny.edu

CLEP Exam Equivalent at Medgar Evers College