Pathways at Baruch

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).

There are three parts to the Pathways requirements: I) the Required Core; II) the Flexible Core; and III) the College Option.

Part I:  The Required Core (4 courses in 3 categories)

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).

Part II:  The Flexible Core (6 courses in 5 categories)

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…

•    ANT and SOC courses are offered by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology;
•    ART, MSC, and THE courses are offered by the Department of Fine and Performing Arts;
•    BLS and LTS (formerly HSP) courses are offered by the Department of Black and Latino Studies;
•    BIO, ENV, CHM, and PHY courses are offered by the Department of Natural Science; and
•    Within the Pathways Flexible Core, POL and PAF (formerly PUB) are considered to be a single field.

…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:

• Students who enter Baruch as freshmen and transfer students who have satisfied neither the Life & Physical Sciences nor the Scientific World requirement at the time they entered Baruch must take the co-requisite Natural Sciences courses to satisfy these Pathways Common Core requirements. They may take
  PSY 1001
  , but it can be used only as their sixth Flexible Core course (or as a non-Pathways elective). It cannot be used to satisfy the Scientific World requirement.
• Students who have already satisfied both the Life and Physical Sciences and the Scientific World requirements at the time they entered Baruch may take
  PSY 1001
  as their sixth Flexible Core course.
• PSY 1001
  may be used to satisfy the Scientific World requirement only under the following circumstances:
  • 1. A freshman or transfer student enters Baruch with AP, College Now, or regular transfer credit for a Life and Physical Sciences course.
    2. A freshman or transfer student enters Baruch with AP, College Now, or regular transfer credit for
       PSY 1001
       .
    3. A student completes a STEM Variant course (
       BIO 2010
       ,
       CHM 2003
       ,
       PHY 2003
       , or
       PHY 3010
       ) at Baruch.

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).

Part III:  The College Option (1-4 courses)

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.

* 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

 

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:

*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:

*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:

NOTES:

• The liberal arts minor cannot be within the same area of study as the major. This is also true for students who are required to complete part of the minor for the College Option.
• 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 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):

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:

1. They may fulfill the BA College Option for students who entered or opted-in in Fall 2013 (see above);
2. They may fulfill the BBA College Option (see above);
3. They may fulfill the BS College Option outlined directly below:

 

BS students entering Baruch or opting into Pathways from Spring 2014-Fall 2014 have two ways of completing the College Option:

1. They may fulfill the BA College Option for students who entered or opted-in during Spring 2014-Fall 2014 (see above);
2. They may fulfill the BBA College Option.

 

BS students entering Baruch or opting in to Pathways starting Spring 2015 or later, follow the Baruch College Option:

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.