
The General Education Course Planning Guide is designed to help you plan your Gen Ed experience.
Each Gen Ed requirement has a specific letter designation. To find out whether a course satisfies a Gen Ed, consult SPIRE. To monitor your Gen Ed progress, go to your SPIRE homepage, and from the blue menu on the left, first click on “Academics” and then click on “Academic Requirements.”
For further information about Gen Ed, visit the Gen Ed website at http://www.umass.edu/gened
Gen Ed Course Planning Guide
NOTE: Students admitted as TRANSFERS use separate Planning Guides. Consult your Academic Requirements Report and/or an advisor for clarification.
FOR STUDENTS ADMITTED AS FRESHMEN, ENROLLING FALL 2018 AND LATER (PDF VERSION)
WRITING: 2 courses
- COLLEGE WRITING (CW, 0-3 credits): Completion of either EnglWrit 112 (CW) OR a satisfactory score on the Writing Placement Test, combined SAT I Critical Reading and Writing Tests, or Advanced Placement Exam (Language and Composition only).
- JUNIOR YEAR WRITING (No letter designation): To be taken in the student's major.
BASIC MATHEMATICS and ANALYTICAL REASONING: 2 courses. Students must complete one course in Basic Math Skills (R1) or get a satisfactory score on the Basic Mathematics Skills Exemption Test. This requirement can also be satisfied with a higher level course that presupposes knowledge of basic math skills. See the R1 and R2 requirements page for more details.
- BASIC MATHEMATICS (R1, 0-3 total credits)
- ANALYTICAL REASONING (R2, 3 credits)
BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL WORLD: 2 courses (8 total credits) Each 4-credit course requirement may also be satisfied by two 3-credit courses with the appropriate designation.
- BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE (BS)
- PHYSICAL SCIENCE (PS)
SOCIAL WORLD: 4 courses (16 total credits) Within the Social World requirements, two courses must meet the Social and Cultural Diversity requirement. One course must focus on Diversity in the United States (DU); the other must focus on Global Diversity (DG). Students are expected to take a DU or DG course in their first year.
- LITERATURE (AL) or ARTS (AT)
- Satisfies DU or DG?
- HISTORICAL STUDIES (HS)
- Satisfies DU or DG?
- SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES (SB)
- Satisfies DU or DG?
- ADDITIONAL SOCIAL WORLD (AL, AT, or SB) or INTERDISCIPLINARY (I or SI)
- Satisfies DU or DG?
INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE: 3 credits (code TBA) Part of major requirements; to be taken at UMass Amherst.
Notes:
a) From your major, one course may be applied to Junior Year Writing, one course may be applied to Integrative Experience, and one course may be applied to another Gen Ed requirement. In addition, one other course from your major may be used to fulfill a Diversity requirement. (Gen Eds will be reevaluated if you change your major.)
b) Any course taken on a Pass/Fail basis will not fulfill Gen Ed requirements.
c) No more than three Interdisciplinary (I) or Science Interdisciplinary (SI) courses may be applied to Gen Ed and Diversity requirements.
d) Freshmen who enter (F10 and beyond) with 9 semester hours or more of college course (not exam) credits taken prior to enrollment may switch to Transfer Gen Ed requirements via the Transfer Services Staff in 213 Whitmore.
FOR STUDENTS ADMITTED AS FRESHMEN, FALL 2010 AND PRIOR TO FALL 2018 (PDF VERSION)
NOTE: Students admitted as TRANSFERS for Fall 2010 and prior to Fall 2018: use separate Planning Guide.
Consult your Academic Requirements Report and/or an advisor for clarification.
WRITING: 2 courses
- COLLEGE WRITING (CW, 0-3 credits): Completion of either EnglWrit 112 (CW) OR a satisfactory score on the Writing Placement Test, combined SAT I Critical Reading and Writing Tests, or Advanced Placement Exam (Language and Composition only)
- JUNIOR YEAR WRITING (No letter designation): To be taken in the student's major
BASIC MATHEMATICS and ANALYTICAL REASONING: 2 courses Students must complete one course in Basic Math Skills (R1) or get a satisfactory score on the Basic Mathematics Skills Exemption Test. This requirement can also be satisfied with a higher level course that presupposes knowledge of basic math skills. See the R1 and R2 requirements page for more details. Both the R1 and R2 requirements can be satisfied by taking an R2 course.
- BASIC MATHEMATICS (R1, 0-3 total credits)
- ANALYTICAL REASONING (R2, 3 credits)
BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL WORLD: 2 courses (8 total credits) Each 4-credit course requirement may also be satisfied by two 3-credit courses with the appropriate designation.
- BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE (BS)
- PHYSICAL SCIENCE (PS)
SOCIAL WORLD: 4 courses (16 total credits) Each 4-credit course requirement may also be satisfied by two 3-credit courses with the appropriate designation. NOTE: The Social World requirements can be combined with Social & Cultural Diversity requirements (see below)
- LITERATURE (AL) or ARTS (AT)
- LITERATURE (AL) or ARTS (AT)
- SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES (SB)
- ADDITIONAL SOCIAL WORLD (AL, AT, or SB) or INTERDISCIPLINARY (I or SI)
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY: 2 courses, minimum 3 credits each. Undergraduate students need to take one Diversity class which focuses on Diversity in the United States (designated by "U" or "DU"); the other must focus on Global Diversity (designated by "G" or "DG").* The "U" or "DU" and "G" or "DG" designations may be combined with other Social World designations (e.g. ALU, ALDU, SBDG, HSG, IG, etc.).
- UNITED STATES (U or DU)
- GLOBAL (G or DG)
INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE: 3 credits (code TBA) Part of major requirements; to be taken at UMass Amherst.
Notes:
a) From your major department, only one course may count toward General Education requirements, and one additional course may fulfill a
Diversity requirement.
b) No more than three I or SI courses will count toward Gen Ed and Diversity requirements.
c) Gen Ed courses completed after enrollment cannot be taken on a pass/fail basis.
d) Freshmen who enter (F10 and beyond) with 9 semester hours or more of college course (not exam) credits taken prior to enrollment may
switch to Transfer Gen Ed requirements via the Student Records Office.
* Beginning Fall 2018, the designations DU and DG replaced U and G for all courses meeting the Social and Cultural Diversity requirement.
FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED PRIOR TO FALL 2010 (PDF VERSION)
WRITING (2 courses/6 total credits)
- One course (CW) or exemption (see Writing Program)
- One Junior Year Writing course
BASIC MATHEMATICS (1 course/0-3 total credits)
- One course (R1) or earning a passing score on the
Tier 1 Math Exemption Exam
ANALYTICAL REASONING (1 course/3 total credits)
- One course (R2)
BIOLOGICAL & PHYSICAL WORLD (3 courses/9 total credits)
- One course (BS)
- One course (PS)
- One course (BS, PS, or SI)
SOCIAL WORLD (6 courses/18 total credits)
- One course (AL)
- One course (AL, AT, SI, or I)
- One course (HS)
- One course (SB)
- One course (SB, SI, or I)
- One course (AL, AT, HS, SB, SI or I)
SOCIAL & CULTURAL DIVERSITY (2 courses – Can be combined with Social World requirements above. For example, a course that is labeled as ALU will count as an AL in the Social World category and as a U.S. diversity requirement.)
- One course focusing on UNITED STATES diversity
(U, ALU, ATU, HSU, IU, or SBU) - One course focusing on GLOBAL diversity
(G, ALG, ATG, HSG, IG, or SBG)
Notes:
a) One course from your major department may count toward General Education requirements, and one course may fulfill a Diversity requirement.
b) No more than three I, IU, SI or IG courses may count toward General Education requirements.
c) Gen Ed courses cannot be taken as pass/fail.
CODES
AL Literature
AT Arts
BS Biological Science
CW Freshman Writing
G Diversity: Global
HS Historical Studies
I Interdisciplinary
PS Physical Science
R1 Basic Math Skills
R2 Analytical Reasoning
SB Social & Behavioral Sciences
SI Science Interdisciplinary
U Diversity: United States
FOR STUDENTS ADMITTED AS TRANSFERS, FALL 2019 AND LATER (PDF VERSION)
All students must satisfy:
1) university and general education requirements AND
2) school/college requirements AND
3) departmental/major requirements.
Note: Always consult your Academic Requirements Report (ARR) in SPIRE and/or an advisor for clarification.
GEN ED FOUNDATION: Students who have COMPLETED the Gen Ed Foundation at any Massachusetts public two-year or four-year institution will still need to take Junior Year Writing and Integrative Experience (IE) to fulfill the general education requirements at UMass Amherst.
STEM GEN ED FOUNDATION: Students who have COMPLETED the STEM Gen Ed Foundation at any Massachusetts public two-year institution will still need to take Junior Year Writing and Integrative Experience (IE). In addition, these students must take (or have taken) one course in U.S. Diversity (DU) AND one course in Global Diversity (DG). Students who do not transfer in both Diversity requirements are expected to take a DU or a DG (one that has not yet been satisfied) in their first year on campus.
ALL OTHER TRANSFERS: Students who have not completed either of the above foundations must complete the requirements outlined below, being mindful of the following:
- From your major, one course may be applied to Junior Year Writing, one course may be applied to Integrative Experience, and one course may be applied to another Gen Ed requirement. In addition, one other course from your major may be used to fulfill a Diversity requirement (Gen Eds will be reevaluated if you change your major).
- Any course taken on a Pass/Fail basis will not fulfill Gen Ed requirements.
- No more than three Interdisciplinary (I) or Science Interdisciplinary (SI) courses may be applied to Gen Ed and Diversity requirements.
Gen Ed courses are identified by a specific designation of characters (e.g.: R2, SB, DG, etc…), which can be found in SPIRE. To monitor your Gen Ed progress, first go to your SPIRE Student Center. From the menu on the left, click on “Academics” and then “Academic Requirements.”
Gen Ed requirements for students who have not completed either of the foundations above.
WRITING (2 courses) Students must complete one course in College Writing (CW) OR obtain a satisfactory score on either the Writing Placement Test or AP Language and Composition (only) exam. The Junior Year Writing course is to be taken in the student’s major department.
- COLLEGE WRITING (CW)
- JUNIOR YEAR WRITING
BASIC MATHEMATICS and ANALYTICAL REASONING Students must complete one course in Basic Math Skills (R1) or get a satisfactory score on the Basic Math Skills (R1) Exemption Exam. The R1 requirement can also be satisfied with a higher-level R2 designated course that presupposes knowledge of basic math skills. Both the R1 and R2 requirements will be satisfied by passing an R2 designated course from the first group of courses on this list: https://www.umass.edu/registrar/students/general-educationacademic-requirements/r1r2-gen-ed-requirements
Courses in the second group on this list do not have an R2 designation and will only satisfy the R1 requirement. Whichever way a student satisfies the R1 requirement, a course in Analytical Reasoning (R2) must be completed.
- BASIC MATH SKILLS (R1)
- ANALYTICAL REASONING (R2)
BIOLOGICAL and PHYSICAL WORLD (2 courses)
- BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE (BS)
- PHYSICAL SCIENCE (PS)
SOCIAL WORLD (4 courses) The Social World requirements can be combined with the Diversity requirements (see below).
- ARTS (AT) or LITERATURE (AL)
- HISTORICAL STUDIES (HS)
- SOCIAL and BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES (SB)
- SOCIAL WORLD (AL, AT, or SB) or INTERDISCIPLINARY (I or SI)
DIVERSITY (2 courses) Students must take (or have taken) one course that focuses on Diversity in the United States (DU) AND one course that focuses on Global Diversity (DG). Each course designated as DU or DG will also have a Social World designation (e.g.: ALDU, HSDG, SBDU, IDG, etc…). Students who do not transfer in both Diversity requirements are expected to take a DU or a DG (one that has not yet been satisfied) in their first year on campus.
- UNITED STATES (DU)
- GLOBAL (DG)
ADDITIONAL GENERAL EDUCATION (2 courses) Two additional courses must be completed in any of the above Gen Ed areas EXCEPT writing. These additional courses ensure that transfer students earn the appropriate proportion of Gen Ed credits within their overall degree program.
INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE (3 credits, no code) Must be taken at UMass Amherst. Approved courses for each student appear on the Academic Requirements Report after Diversity or College requirements.
FOR STUDENTS ADMITTED AS TRANSFERS, FALL 2018 THROUGH SPRING 2019 (PDF VERSION)
All students must satisfy university and general education requirements AND school/college requirements AND departmental/major requirements.
NOTE: Always consult your Academic Requirements Report and/or an advisor for clarification. Students who have COMPLETED the COMMONWEALTH TRANSFER COMPACT (CTC) at a Massachusetts community college or the MASS TRANSFER BLOCK (MTB) at a Massachusetts public college will have completed the Gen Ed requirements below, but will still need to fulfill their school/college and major requirements (which include Junior Year Writing for CTC/MTB students and Integrative Experience for MTB students). Additionally, MTB students must take (or have taken) a U.S. or global diversity course.
ALL OTHER TRANSFERS must complete the requirements outlined below, bearing in mind the following:
a) from your major department, only one course may apply to Gen Ed requirements and one additional course may fulfill a Diversity requirement (Gen Eds will be reevaluated if you change your major);
b) after enrollment, Gen Ed courses may not be taken Pass / Fail; and
c) no more than three I or SI courses will count toward Gen Ed and Diversity requirements.
General Education courses are identified by a specific letter designation, which can be found in SPIRE. To monitor your Gen Ed progress, go to your SPIRE Student Center, and from the blue menu on the left, first click on “Academics” and then click on “Academic Requirements.” For further information about Gen Ed, visit the Gen Ed website at http://www.umass.edu/gened.
WRITING (2 courses)
- COLLEGE WRITING (CW) course OR a satisfactory score on the Writing Placement Test, combined SAT I Critical Reading and Writing Tests, or AP Language and Composition (only) exam.
- JUNIOR YEAR WRITING, to be taken in the student's major department
BASIC MATHEMATICS and ANALYTICAL REASONING
- BASIC MATH SKILLS (R1)
- ANALYTICAL REASONING (R2)
Students must complete one course in Basic Math Skills (R1) or get a satisfactory score on the Basic Mathematics Skills Exemption Test. This requirement can also be satisfied with a higher level course that presupposes knowledge of basic math skills. Both the R1 and R2 requirements will be satisfied by taking an R2 course from: https://www.umass.edu/registrar/students/general-educationacademic-requirements/r1r2-gen-ed-requirements
BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL WORLD (2 courses)
- BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE (BS)
- PHYSICAL SCIENCE (PS)
SOCIAL WORLD (4 courses) The Social World requirements can be combined with Social and Cultural Diversity requirements. (see below)
- ARTS or LITERATURE (AT, AL)
- HISTORICAL STUDIES (HS)
- SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES (SB)
- SOCIAL WORLD (AL, AT, or SB) or INTERDISCIPLINARY (I or SI)
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY (2 courses) Undergraduates must take two Diversity classes, one of which focuses on Diversity in the United States (DU) and the other on Global Diversity (DG). The DU and DG designations are combined with other Social World courses (such as ALDU, HSDG, SBDG, IDU, etc.). Students who have not fulfilled their Social and Cultural Diversity requirement are expected to take a DU or DG course within their first year.
- United States (DU)
- Global (DG)
ADDITIONAL GENERAL EDUCATION (2 courses) Two additional courses must be completed in any of the above Gen Ed areas EXCEPT Writing. These additional courses ensure that transfer students earn the appropriate proportion of Gen Ed credits within their overall degree program.
INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE (3 credits, no code). Must be taken at UMass Amherst. Approved courses for each student appear on the Academic Requirements Report after Diversity or College requirements.
FOR STUDENTS ADMITTED AS TRANSFERS, FALL 2010 AND PRIOR TO FALL 2018 (PDF VERSION)
All students must satisfy university and general education requirements AND school/college requirements AND departmental/major requirements.
NOTE: Always consult your Academic Requirements Report and/or an advisor for clarification.
Students who have COMPLETED the MASSTRANSFER GEN ED FOUNDATION (formerly called the MassTransfer Block) or the COMMONWEALTH TRANSFER COMPACT (CTC) at a Massachusetts community college, will have completed the Gen Ed requirements below, but will still need to fulfill their school/college and major requirements (which include Junior Year Writing and Integrative Experience). Additionally, you must take, or have taken, a U.S. or Global diversity course.
ALL OTHER TRANSFERS must complete the requirements outlined below, bearing in mind the following:
a) From your major department, only one course may apply to Gen Ed requirements and one additional course may fulfill a Diversity D requirement (Gen Eds will be reevaluated if you change your major)
b) After enrollment, Gen Ed courses may not be taken Pass / Fail.
c) No more than three I or SI courses will count toward Gen Ed and Diversity requirements.
General Education courses are identified by a specific letter designation, which can be found in SPIRE. To monitor your Gen Ed progress, go to your SPIRE Student Center, and from the blue menu on the left, first click on “Academics,” and then click on “Academic Requirements.” For further information about Gen Ed, visit the Gen Ed website at http://www.umass.edu/gened.
WRITING (2 courses)
- COLLEGE WRITING (CW) course OR a satisfactory score on the Writing Placement Test, combined SAT I Critical Reading and Writing Tests, or AP Language and Composition (only) exam.
- JUNIOR YEAR WRITING, to be taken in the student's major department.
BASIC MATHEMATICS and ANALYTICAL REASONING
- BASIC MATH SKILLS (R1)
- ANALYTICAL REASONING (R2)
Students must complete one course in Basic Math Skills (R1) or get a satisfactory score on the Basic Mathematics Skills Exemption Test. This requirement can also be satisfied with a higher level course that presupposes knowledge of basic math skills. Both the R1 and R2 requirements will be satisfied by taking an R2 course from: https://www.umass.edu/registrar/students/general-educationacademic-requirements/r1r2-gen-ed-requirements
BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL WORLD (2 courses)
- BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE (BS)
- PHYSICAL SCIENCE (PS)
SOCIAL WORLD (4 courses) The Social World requirements can be combined with Social and Cultural Diversity requirements (see below).
- ARTS or LITERATURE (AT, AL)
- HISTORICAL STUDIES (HS)
- SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES (SB)
- SOCIAL WORLD (AL, AT, or SB) or INTERDISCIPLINARY (I or SI)
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY (2 courses) Undergraduates must take two Diversity classes, one of which focuses on Diversity in the United States ("U" or "DU") and the other on Global Diversity ("G" or "DG").* The "U" or "DU" and "G" or "DG" designations may be combined with other Social World courses (such as ALU, ALDU, HSG, SBDG, IG, etc.).
- United States (U or DU)
- Global (G or DG)
ADDITIONAL GENERAL EDUCATION (2 courses) Two additional courses must be completed in any of the above Gen Ed areas EXCEPT Writing. These additional courses ensure that transfer students earn the appropriate proportion of Gen Ed credits within their overall degree program.
INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE (3 credits, no code). Must be taken at UMass Amherst. Approved courses for each student appear on the Academic Requirements Report after Diversity or College requirements.