Graduation Requirements

Credits for the Hunter Core and for a major usually do not add up to 120. A student may reach the necessary 120 credits by taking elective courses, or completing an additional major, a minor field of study (minor), or a certificate program.

Please note: New York State law requires a minimum number of liberal arts and science courses for undergraduate degrees, as follows:

• BA 75% of credits towards the degree, 90 credits
• BS  50% of credits towards the degree, 60 credits
• BMus, BFA 30% of credits towards the degree, 40 credits

Please see New York State Rule for Liberal Arts and Sciences Courses .

Effective beginning Fall 2019.

All students who matriculate at Hunter College must fulfill General Education Requirements known as the Hunter Core Requirement (aka: Hunter Core, HCR). This is a set of courses Hunter College considers essential to the intellectual development of its under-graduates. The Hunter Core requirements and expectations support the professional and personal development of Hunter students, prepare them for advanced study, and enable them to become active participants in the world of ideas.

The Hunter Core provides students with opportunities to sharpen their essential academic skills in writing, mathematics, scientific reasoning, and critical thinking. The Hunter Core also introduces students to a spectrum of distinctive perspectives with which various academic disciplines view our world, its past, and its future.

The Hunter Core is distinguished by its emphasis on foreign language study and its encouragement of concentrated student achievement in a subject outside the student’s first major. Hunter encourages all students to take an active role in planning their education, and to pursue and develop subjects of interest beyond what is required for their major.

All matriculated students must declare a major no later than the semester in which the combination of credits earned and credits for which they are currently registered totals 60 or greater. Transfer students entering with 60 credits or more must declare their major before the end of their first semester of attendance at Hunter.

You should confer with your advisor prior to declaring a major. Some majors require an application, audition, and/or entrance exam.

DegreeWorks is a web-based program that enables you to easily track your academic progress. You will be able to see how specific College requirements have been met and what courses you can take to fulfill the requirements which are remaining. With the click of a tab (the ‘What If’ feature), you will also be able to see how your academic requirements might change if you were to change your major.