D01.4 General Education Framework

The General Education Framework includes aspects that provide breadth and depth of study, and because communication and critical thinking skills are essential to the education of every student at RIT, opportunities for students to demonstrate achievement in these domains will pervade the General Education curriculum.  

Breadth in the General Education curriculum is achieved through seven Perspective categories that promote different ways of knowing about the world.  Courses in these categories will introduce students to fundamentals of liberal arts and sciences (methods, concepts, and theories) while emphasizing general education learning outcomes. Students achieve deeper learning in a focus area by completing an Immersion, consisting of a minimum of three related general education courses in a theme or field totaling at least nine credit hours. 

In accordance with RIT Policies and Procedures Policy D01.1, courses considered for general education standing will be evaluated using the criteria set forth by the RIT Student General Education Student Learning Outcomes and the New York State Education Department (NYSED) Office of College and University Evaluation Policy Statement on Liberal Arts and Sciences.  In particular, all general education courses will provide learning experiences designed to achieve at least one student learning outcome in both Communication and Critical Thinking, as described in the General Education Framework.

Each type of degree award requires a different number of general education credits as mandated by NYSED. When providing guidance, NYSED uses the term "liberal arts and sciences" to refer to general education. In accordance with NYSED's guidelines, students must complete, at a minimum, the number of credits indicated in each category, as illustrated in Table 1.

Table 1.  The table below is taken from the NYSED policy and shows the minimum number of semester credit hours (sch) required in each category. Details regarding the general education framework can be found on RIT's General Education website.

*Elective course credits plus other category credits must equal the minimum required.
**NYSED requires 20; RIT framework exceeds the minimum requirement

Responsible Office:
Faculty Senate and the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.

For inquiries, contact: Faculty Senate - fsenate@rit.edu
Office of the Provost - academicaffairs@rit.edu

Effective:  May 8, 2014

Policy History:
Approved May 8, 2014
Revision approved by Faculty Senate April 16, 2015
Revised November 16, 2017
Revised April 4, 2019 - Section I, second paragraph