UMass Boston: Office of Undergraduate Studies

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General Education: The Distribution Requirement

As described on the page providing an overview of the University's General Education Requirements, the University of Massachusetts at Boston has adopted the set of principles shown below as the foundation on which its general education program for undergraduates has been built:

Critical Analysis and Logical Thought
Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning
Human Diversity
Principal Approaches to Knowledge

We find there are four approaches to knowledge:

Objective 5 (Natural Sciences and Mathematics [NS and MT]): Students will learn how the laws of the physical and biological world are derived through observation, theory, and experiment. In this age of expanding scientific knowledge and powerful technologies, an educated person should understand the importance of falsifiable hypotheses, the nature of scientific "truth", and the impact of science on society.

Objective 6 (Social and Behavioral Sciences [SB]): Students will learn about the nature and development of human behavior and institutions through time, in order to become aware of the complex and ambiguous nature of changing human experience.

Objective 7 (Arts and Humanities [AR and HU]): Students will develop an informed appreciation of the arts and humanities, which encompass philosophy, literature, the fine arts, and the performing arts. Students will learn how people have come to understand and express artistic, aesthetic, moral, spiritual, and philosophical dimensions of the human condition.

Objective 8 (World Languages and Cultures [WL and WC]): Students will learn how language and culture impose their own structurings of knowledge. This may be achieved through intensive study of unfamiliar cultures, or by the study of a foreign language or foreign literature in translation.

These objectives are met through the Distribution Requirement. The five undergraduate colleges at UMass Boston have each interpreted these overall objectives to produce a set of requirements specific to the individual college. Many, but not all, courses in the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Science and Mathematics fall into one of the seven distribution areas.

What Makes a Course Fulfill This Requirement?

According to the plan approved in November 2000, distribution courses must provide in-class instruction and practice in at least two General Education Capabilities, aiming at mid-level competence and as appropriate for the discipline. The specific capabilities are: Verbal Reasoning (Critical Thinking); Quantitative Reasoning; Critical Reading and Analysis; Effective Communication (Writing and/or Speaking); Listening and Speaking; Using Technology to Further Learning; and Collaborative Work. Placing a course into the distribution is not automatic; the department offering the course must present an acceptable proposal to the appropriate committee before the course can be given a specific distribution assignment. See the How-To Guide for Course Proposals for details on this process.

What Are The Specific Distribution Requirements?

A description of each college's distribution requirement is provided below. Please note that the requirements described assume that the student matriculated in the fall semester of 2002 or later; requirements are different for students matriculating in earlier semesters. It should also be noted that a student who has been away from the University for four or more consecutive semesters must complete the requirements that are in force at the time of his or her return to the University.

The College of Liberal Arts and The College of Science and Mathematics

Area	BA Requirements	BS Requirements
AR (Arts) HU (Humanities)	3 courses, including both AR and HU	1 AR course and 1 HU course
MT (Mathematics) NS (Natural Science)	3 courses, at least one of which must be NS. Any mathematics course must be MATH 125 or higher.	4 courses, at least one of which must be NS. Any mathematics course must be MATH 141 or higher. (MATH 140 is used to satisfy the QR requirement for a BS student.)
SB (Social and Behavioral Sciences)	3 courses.	2 courses.
WC (World Cultures) WL (World Languages)	Elementary proficiency in a language other than English (see below for details) and 2 courses, WC or WL or both.	1 WC or WL course (if WL, must be at the 102 level or higher).
Elementary Language Proficiency	Students can meet this requirement by completing or transferring in a college foreign language course at the 102 level or higher. If a student completes or transfers in two semesters of the same language (such as 101 and 102), the student will also meet the two-course WC/WL requirement described above. completing three separate years of the same foreign language in high school (this means, for instance, taking Spanish I, II, and III). completing at least one year of secondary or post-secondary education in a non-English-speaking school or university. scoring three or higher on an AP exam in a foreign language, or scoring 50 or higher on a CLEP exam in a foreign language. demonstrating proficiency to the appropriate language department or, if the language is not taught at UMass Boston, to the assistant director of undergraduate studies. Please note: Students who have already met this requirement by any of methods 2-5 above may not take elementary language courses at UMass Boston in the language with which they met the requirement, or transfer such courses to UMass Boston, except in unusual circumstances. For further information about the requirement, please see the chair of the appropriate department.	not required
Total Courses	11 courses plus elementary language proficiency.	9 courses.

(Click here for an updated list of courses that have been approved as Distribution II courses.)

The College of Management

Area	Requirements
AR (Arts) HU (Humanities)	2 courses (AR and/or HU).
MT (Mathematics) NS (Natural Science)	2 courses (MT and/or NS).
SB (Social and Behavioral Sciences)	2 courses.
WC (World Cultures) WL (World Languages)	1 course (WC or WL).
Any of the above areas	2 courses.
Total Courses	9 courses.

(Click here for an updated list of courses that have been approved as Distribution II courses.)

The College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Area	Requirements
AR (Arts) HU (Humanities)	2 courses (AR and/or HU).
MT (Mathematics) NS (Natural Science)	Students in CNHS have a series of required courses in the natural sciences as part of the required nursing curriculum.
SB (Social and Behavioral Sciences)	Sociology 101 (Intro to Sociology) is required.
WC (World Cultures) WL (World Languages)	2 courses (WC or WL).

(Click here for an updated list of courses that have been approved as Distribution II courses.)

The College of Public and Community Service

Area	Requirements
AR (Arts) HU (Humanities)	CPCS students must complete the Historical Change in the US and Value Conflicts competencies, and then may choose another from a list of options.
MT (Mathematics) NS (Natural Science)	CPCS students must complete either the Scientific Awareness or the Statistical Reasoning competency.
SB (Social and Behavioral Sciences)	CPCS students must complete the Participation in Governance and Social Research competencies, and then may choose one more from a long list of options.
WC (World Cultures) WL (World Languages)	CPCS students must complete the Social Difference competency, and are given the opportunity to develop an understanding and appreciation of cultural differences throughout the CPCS curriculum.