To earn a degree from the College of General Studies (CGS), you must complete General Education, Major, and Elective requirements. This page covers the General Education portion of your degree.

What are GERs?

General Education Requirements (GERs) help you explore new interests while earning credits toward graduation. They build essential skills like critical thinking, problem solving, and communication—skills employers and graduate schools value. GERs also help you understand and navigate our diverse, interconnected world. They are the foundation of your education.

At CGS, current GERs (effective Fall 2018 and later) must be selected from the approved course list in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and the College of General Studies. See the CGS General Education Catalog (PDF) for the full list.

Selecting GERs should be exciting! Use the resources on this page to find the best options for you.

General Education Requirements - Student Guide

Writing

Why Writing Skills Matter: Writing well is essential no matter what you study or plan to do professionally. Getting good at writing takes time, and college is a great place to speed up that learning. The goal is to help you build strong writing skills that will support you in graduate school or your future career.

Introductory Composition Course (3 credits)

All students need to take ENGCMP 0200: Seminar in Composition (SC) unless:

• You scored 660 or higher on the SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section, or
• You got a 5 on the AP English exam.
• You must pass SC with at least a C- grade by the time you finish 24 credits.
• If your SAT score is below 560 or your ACT is below 24, you might first need to take ENGCMP 0150: Workshop in Composition before SC.
• Transfer students from Engineering: If you’re moving from the School of Engineering to CGS, you can use ENGR 0012: Intro to Engineering Computing instead of SC.

Two Writing-Intensive Courses (6 credits total, unless they overlap with other requirements)

• Writing-Intensive Courses (called W-Courses) focus on writing within your field of study.
• You will write 20 to 24 pages over the term, and much of this writing will be revised after feedback from your instructor and classmates.
• You need to complete two W-Courses.
• Try to take at least one W-Course in your major if it’s offered.
• You cannot transfer in credits to fulfill this requirement.

Note: W-Courses can count toward other General Education requirements (except Professional Communication).

Math / Algebra

• Every student needs to complete college-level algebra because these math skills help you succeed in other courses.
• You don’t have to take algebra if you scored:
  • 620 or higher on the SAT Math section, or
  • 27 or higher on the ACT Math section.
• If you don’t meet these scores, you must pass one of the following courses with a C- or better:
  • MATH 0020, MATH 0025, MATH 0031, CS 0004, or CS 0007.
• Make sure to finish the algebra requirement by the time you complete 30 credits.

Quantitative and Formal Reasoning

• You need to take at least one university-level math course (3 credits) that requires algebra. This can be:
  • A math course beyond trigonometry,
  • An approved statistics course, or
  • A course in mathematical or formal logic.
• You must earn a C- or better to pass this requirement.
• If you place into an upper-level math course through a placement test, you’re exempt from this requirement.

Diversity

• Diversity courses focus deeply on topics like race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, economic differences, and other important issues.
• These courses help you develop skills to understand social inequalities and prepare you to engage effectively in today’s diverse society.
• You need to complete one Diversity course (3 credits). If your major offers one, you can take it there.

Note: Diversity courses can also count toward other General Education requirements, so sometimes this won’t add extra credits.

Language/Oral and Professional Communication

You must choose one of these two options:

Option 1: Two Courses in a Second Language (6–10 credits)

• Take two university-level courses in a language other than English and earn at least a C- in each.
• You may be exempt if you can show basic proficiency by:
  • Completing 3 years of high school language study with a B or better in each course,
  • Passing a special language proficiency exam,
  • Transferring 2 or more terms of college-level language courses with a C or better,
  • Or if your native language is not English.

Note: The second language course can overlap with the Geographic Region requirement, except for American Sign Language.

Option 2: Two Courses in Oral and Professional Communication (6 credits)

• These courses help you develop strong communication skills for work and public settings.
• You must:
  • Take one of these 3-credit courses with a C- or better:
    • COMMRC 0520: Public Speaking
    • COMMRC 0500: Argument
  • Then choose a second 3-credit course from an approved list of COMMRC, ENGCMP, THEA, or CS courses in the catalog.

Note: If you pick an ENGCMP course for option 2, you cannot also use that course to fulfill the Writing requirement.

Humanities and Arts, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences

You’ll take 9 courses (3 credits each) that let you explore different cultures, ideas, and knowledge. These courses draw on the unique resources of a research university and help you see the world from many perspectives.

1. Literature (3 credits)

• Read and analyze different kinds of texts to learn how to interpret culture and develop critical thinking skills.

2. Arts (3 credits)

• Explore music, theater, or visual arts through surveys, genres, periods, or specific artists.

3. Creative Work (3 credits)

• Create original work in areas like theater, studio arts, writing, photography, film, music, dance, or new media, while learning techniques to produce it.

4. Philosophical Thinking or Ethics (3 credits)

• Study theories about knowledge, reality, values, morality, human rights, justice, and social responsibilities.

5. Social Sciences (3 credits)

• Learn about topics in social or behavioral sciences (like social psychology), including how experts investigate and analyze social issues.

6. Historical Analysis (3 credits)

• Develop skills to understand important cultural, social, economic, or political events in history and how they’ve shaped the world.

7–9. Natural Sciences (9 credits total)

• Take three courses that teach scientific principles and concepts.
• Courses can be interdisciplinary, but no more than two can be from the same department.

Global Awareness and Cultural Understanding

You need to complete 3 courses (3 credits each) that help you understand the world and its diverse cultures.

1. Global Issues (3 credits)

• Study important global topics like globalization, climate change, colonialism, health, gender, race, technology, labor, law, or the economy.

2. Specific Geographic Region (3 credits)

• Take a deep dive into the history, culture, and issues of a particular region or place outside the United States.

3. Cross-Cultural Awareness (3 credits)

• Learn about and reflect on the cultures of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, or indigenous peoples worldwide to gain a broader perspective beyond North America and Europe.

Note on Overlapping Courses

• Courses taken for general education requirements can also be applied to major requirements, when applicable.
• Diversity courses are allowed to overlap with other general education requirements.
• Writing ('W') courses are allowed to overlap with other general education requirements, except for the Professional Communication requirement.
• Students may overlap the second course in their language sequence, taken at the college level, with the Geographic Region requirement, except for American Sign Language. This does not apply to students who satisfy the Language requirement through high school study, a proficiency examination, or native proficiency.

_{Important for Some Students:
If you started at Pitt before Fall 2018 (2191), your General Education Requirements are on the Pre-Fall 2018 CGS Degree Requirements website.}