SUNY New Paltz’s General Education (GE) program lays the foundation for students' intellectual development by providing a broad knowledge base, essential communication skills, and opportunities to explore new perspectives, ways of thinking, arguing, and being. GE courses teach students how to think instead of what to think. Through New Paltz's diverse GE course offerings, students develop a capacity for lifetime learning and adaptability in a rapidly changing world.
In fall 2023, New Paltz introduced GE 5, our newest General Education program. GE 5 aligns with SUNY's new General Education Framework and shares its goals of addressing essential skills and competencies, exploring disciplinary and interdisciplinary ways of knowing, and encouraging engaged learning and student success. The GE 5 program applies to students who matriculate in or after fall 2023 and is required for completion of the bachelor's degree.
Students who matriculated at New Paltz prior to fall 2023 will complete the General Education program under which they entered the university:
- The GE4 program applies to students who matriculated at New Paltz from fall 2019 through spring 2023.
- Students who matriculated at New Paltz prior to fall 2019 will complete the program known as GE3 (GE III).
For more information about the GE3, GE4 and GE 5 programs at New Paltz, visit the pages linked below.
Learn More About General Education:
- GE 5: For students who matriculate fall 2023 and after
- GE4: For students who matriculated fall 2019 through spring 2023
- GE3 (GE III): For students who matriculated fall 2003 through spring 2019
