Degrees Offered

The college has been authorized by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York to grant eight degrees:

• the Associate in Applied Science (AAS),

• the Associate in Arts (AA),

• the Associate in Science (AS),

• the Bachelor of Science (BS),

• the Bachelor of Science in Education (BS Ed)

• the Bachelor of Technology (BTech)

• the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)

• the Bachelor of Architecture (BArch)

In addition, students at the college are able to earn BA and BS degrees through the CUNY BA and BS programs.

Associate Degrees

The college offers three degrees at the associate level: the associate in arts, the associate in science, and the associate in applied science. The associate in arts is intended as a transfer degree for students who plan to continue their studies toward a bachelor’s degree and who do not plan to major in math or the sciences. The associate in science is offered in several areas. As with the associate in arts, these degrees are intended for students who plan to pursue baccalaureate studies in math, science, or health. The balance of the associate degrees offered at the college are classified as associate in applied science, and are intended for career preparation. Requirements for each of these degrees are listed on the appropriate pages of this catalog.

Baccalaureate Degrees

The college offers five baccalaureate degrees: the bachelor of science, the bachelor of science in education, the bachelor of technology, the bachelor of fine arts, and the bachelor of architecture. The requirements for each of these degrees may be found in the appropriate pages of this catalog. In addition, City Tech students are eligible to participate in the CUNY BA program, a multidisciplinary program that allows the student to take advantage of the offerings at the several CUNY campuses. It is described below.

CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies

All units of CUNY participate in a university-wide bachelor’s program which allows students, in consultation with their faculty advisors, to design majors that, while academically valid, differ from CUNY prescribed majors. Such programs will commonly combine coursework at more than one CUNY college.

If you are a matriculated City Tech student with demonstrated competence in reading, writing, and mathematics, and you have completed more than 15 credits with at least a 2.5 grade point average, you may apply to this program. If admitted, you will work with two faculty members to plan an individualized course of study.

The program requires 120 credits consisting of both lower- and upper-level courses. The program allows students to take advantage of offerings at all CUNY colleges. You may also earn up to 30 credits for relevant non-classroom work. Although the program has been developed primarily for liberal arts areas, you may also take up to 60 credits in technical or business subjects.

Online Degree Programs

City Tech offers seven degree programs to primarily online students. Online degree programs allow students to take 50% or more of the required credits via distance learning.

• AAS in program

• AS in program

• BS in program

• AAS in program

• AS in program

• BS in program

• BS in program

Academic Minors

An academic minor is a path of study designed to enable students to pursue a second field of specialization. Academic minors are intended to officially recognize students’ attainment of knowledge in more than one academic field and to encourage students’ goals of broadening their education across academic disciplines. An academic minor requires a minimum of 12 credit hours. Academic minor requirements must be completed with a 2.0 grade point average or higher. At least 50 percent of these credits must be taken at the college. Explore the full list of Academic Minors.

Note: Academic minors may not be conferred retroactively upon students who have already graduated. Only one academic minor can be pursued per baccalaureate degree.

CUNY Requirements for Proficiency in English and Mathematics

The Board of Trustees of The City University of New York stipulate that proficiency in English and mathematics are required for admission into any college baccalaureate program and as prerequisites for credit-bearing courses in English and mathematics. Refer to CUNY proficiency requirements (click here), for more detailed information. Students who have not demonstrated competency in one or more areas at the point of admission to the College will be assigned appropriate developmental, corequisite, or college English as a second language (ESOL) courses in preparation for college level coursework.

Students must complete all required developmental and ESOL courses before they may progress beyond 12 credits of credit-bearing coursework. Students who have not yet completed all required developmental and ESOL courses must enroll in the remaining required courses each semester until all developmental and ESOL requirements are met. Any exceptions must be approved by the Office of the Provost, via the Associate Provost.

Math Waiver and Substitution Based on Math Disability

Students who are unable to fulfill the college readiness requirements in math, due to a disability and despite accommodations, can request an academic adjustment as per The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments of 2008, Section 504 an amendment of the Rehabilitation Act and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990. A prior math waiver, indicated on the student’s record, will be honored.

The student should consult with an academic advisor since a waiver may preclude registration in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) majors or other degree programs with essential math requirements. Academic programs open to students granted the math disability waiver include: Communication Design, Human Services, Liberal Arts, or Professional and Technical Writing with a specialization in Economics, Psychology, Social Science, Communication Design or Public Health (except specializations requiring Environmental Sciences I, II).

Math Waiver-Substitution Request Forms are submitted to the director of The Center for Student Accessibility. Documentation of unsuccessful attempts, despite accommodations, of the CUNY Math Assessment Test or a Math Quantitative Reasoning course, and an evaluation from a licensed psychologist indicating a math disability is required. If the waiver is granted, the provost will approve a non-math substitute course. Students seeking a waiver/ substitution should consult a degree advisor, the Transfer Office, Advisement Office or the New Student Center, since a waiver-substitution is an alternate route to meeting the general education Math & Quantitative Reasoning graduation requirement and does not serve as meeting the prerequisites for additional math courses.

College Requirements

For All Associate and Baccalaureate Degrees

• Fulfill the degree requirements listed in the catalog for the academic year in which the student was admitted to the college. Exception: Students who withdrew from the college in good standing and were readmitted must meet the degree requirements in effect at the time of their readmission. However, students who received an approved leave of absence and were absent for no more than two semesters, are eligible for consideration under the degree requirements in effect at the time of leaving. Students may also petition in writing to the Office of the Provost, Namm Hall, room N 320 for reinstatement of their original degree requirements.

• Complete the required number of credits. Generally, the associate degree requires a minimum of 60 credits, although some majors require more than the 60 minimum. A minimum of 30 credits must be completed in residence, at least 15 of which must be in the major department.
  Generally, the baccalaureate degree requires a minimum of 120 credits, although some baccalaureate majors require more than the 120 minimum. A minimum of 30 credits must be completed in residence, at least 15 of which must be from among those listed as “Required Courses in the Major” in the catalog description of degree requirements.

• Complete all degree requirements within ten years of the date of matriculation. Exception: dental hygiene and nursing students must complete degree requirements within five years of matriculation. To request to have the ten-year rule waived to receive credit for a course taken ten or more years ago, either at NYCCT or another accredited college, petition the Committee on Course and Standards to waive the rule. The waiver form may be obtained from the Registrar’s Office which will forward it to the Committee on Course and Standards.

• Have an cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or above.

• Be in attendance at New York City College of Technology during the semester in which you complete the degree requirements. If one of the last courses is taken at another college (see courses on permit in the Registration page), students are subject to the following regulations: (a) secure a permit from the registrar’s office; (b) take no more than two courses on permit to complete your degree requirements; (c) you must take the last course within two years of the last date of attendance at New York City College of Technology.

• Confer with your department advisor to determine course distribution, corequisites (courses that must be taken along with another course) and prerequisites (courses that must be taken before you can take a more advanced one). A prerequisite must be completed successfully before registering for the next higher-level course that requires it; a corequisite must be taken concurrently with the course that requires it.

• Complete the core curriculum program (general education requirements) for the degree. In some cases, your departmental requirements may narrow the choices available to satisfy the core curriculum program.

General Education/Core Curriculum and Pathways

Most colleges require that students be broadly educated beyond the boundaries of the major. This broad liberal education is essential in fostering open minds and cultivating social responsibility, as well as deepening students’ background of general knowledge. At City Tech, the commitment to liberal education is expressed in our core curriculum, the set of liberal arts and sciences courses required of all students in degree-granting programs. The core curriculum at City Tech is designed to help students develop a broad knowledge base, crucial skills and aptitudes, and an awareness of ethical and aesthetic values that are applicable to their academic, professional and personal lives. Students are thereby better able to comprehend the content and processes of their major disciplines. Just as importantly, the courses in the core curriculum contribute to the development of students as active, lifelong learners who are able to adapt and prosper through constant change and professional evolution.

Students who begin in fall 2013 or after or who are returning after an absence of more than one semester benefit from a core curriculum shared among all of the colleges of The City University of New York. The Pathways Initiative established parameters for a shared core curriculum and helps students advance toward degrees in a timely fashion. City Tech has gone one step further, and has utilized the Pathways framework in a way that allows students to both meet CUNY’s guidelines for graduation and meet the rigorous demands of the professions for which our students prepare themselves. The degree requirements presented in this catalog both satisfy the Pathways Initiative and meet the specialized needs of City Tech students.

• For more information about Pathways and the City Tech general education system, and to see lists of courses satisfying Pathways categories, click here.

• For more information about how transfer credit may modify these requirements, please consult the Transfer Credit page.

Writing Intensive Course Requirements

Successful entry into a career area generally requires significant writing skills. To ensure that students gain these skills, the college has added the following to the requirements for all degree programs:

• Successful completion of two writing intensive courses for the associate degree, one of which must be a course in the associate general education core and one a first-level course in the major. These courses must be completed prior to the attainment of 45 credits.

• Successful completion of four writing intensive courses for the baccalaureate degree: one additional course in the baccalaureate general education core plus one additional upper level course in the major, making a total of four.

Writing intensive courses can be identified when searching for classes in CUNYfirst by selecting the course attribute “Writing Intensive Course,” from the drop-down menu. To learn more about the Writing Across the Curriculum program at City Tech see: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/writingacrossthecurriculum/writing-intensive-courses/

Writing Intensive Requirements for Transfer Students

Writing intensive courses completed successfully at other CUNY colleges or at colleges that have articulation agreements with New York City College of Technology will count toward meeting these requirements.

• Students who have completed fewer than 30 college credits upon matriculation must complete two courses designated writing intensive (WI) for the associate degree, one from general education requirements (GenEd) and one from the major; and two additional courses designated WI for the baccalaureate degree, one from GenEd and one from the major;

• Students who transfer to New York City College of Technology with at least 30 but fewer than 60 college credits must complete one course designated writing intensive (WI) for the associate degree, or three courses designated WI for the baccalaureate degree, with at least one from general education requirements (GenEd) and at least one from the major;

• Students who transfer to New York City College of Technology with at least 60 but fewer than 90 college credits must complete two courses designated writing intensive (WI) for the baccalaureate degree with at least one from general education requirements (GenEd) and at least one from the major.

• Students who transfer to New York City College of Technology with 90 or more college credits must complete one course designated writing intensive (WI) for the baccalaureate degree.

• Per CUNY policy, all Common Core and College Option general education requirements are waived for students with a prior baccalaureate degree; therefore no writing intensive courses are required. For complete information on general education requirement waivers related to other types of degrees, please consult CUNY’s How Credits Transfer website.

Course Substitution Policy

A reasonable number of course substitutions may be permitted, provided that they meet City Tech’s core requirements, comply with any outside accreditation requirements, and do not compromise the academic integrity of the degree or certificate program.

• Course substitutions that involve courses from the student’s major department or courses in NYCCT “core requirements” must be approved in writing by the chair of the student’s major department, the appropriate dean, and the registrar’s office.

• Course substitutions involving courses from different departments must be approved in writing by the chairs of the departments involved, and the dean(s) of the appropriate school(s) and will be reviewed by the Registrar. To provide a framework for appropriate course substitution and to ensure consistency and oversight, the Registrar will keep track of all course substitutions made by (1) each individual student and (2) each program department.

Filing for Graduation

In order to graduate you must achieve a 2.00 cumulative average. In addition, several departments require other minimum standards for graduation. For example, the dental hygiene department requires a minimum grade of C in each dental hygiene course. Carefully review the requirements for your degree and check with your advisor regarding additional minimum requirements needed for graduation. During the semester in which you expect to graduate, you must apply to graduate via CUNYfirst. Directions are available here www.citytech.cuny.edu/registrar/applying-graduation.aspx.

Opening and closing dates for filing may be found in the academic calendar placed on the College website each semester. Your application will be reviewed and you will be notified as to whether you have met the graduation requirements. If you receive notice that you have not met all your requirements for a degree, you must reapply in a subsequent semester when the missing requirements have been satisfied.