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 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 establishes parameters for a shared core curriculum and will help 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.
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. For associate degree transfer students: a total of two writing-intensive courses, one in the core curriculum and one in the major.
• 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. For baccalaureate degree transfer students: a total of four writing-intensive courses, two in the core curriculum and two in the major.
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.
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/
Course Substitution Policy
A reasonable number of course substitutions may be permitted, provided that they meet NYCCT’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 file a graduation application form, available on the college website at www.citytech.cuny. edu or at the registrar’s office.
Opening and closing dates for a 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.