Stony Brook University Business Management

The Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC)

All students must complete General Education requirements by completing the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC). Students are responsible for completing the general education requirements published in the bulletin or catalog that was current as of the first semester of matriculation (or rematriculation).

The following groups of students will complete the general education requirements as defined by the Stony Brook Curriculum, commonly referred to as SBC. 

• Freshmen who matriculate in the Fall of 2014 or later
• Transfer students who matriculate in the Spring of 2015 or later
• All students matriculating at SUNY Korea
• Students who rematriculate in the Fall of 2014 or later

Students who are not in the above groups will complete the Diversified Education Curriculum (D.E.C). D.E.C. requirements for each student are published in the bulletin that was current as of the first semester of matriculation (or rematriculation).

The Stony Brook Curriculum includes both breadth and depth of study, and ensures that students will learn skills necessary for life-long learning. Use the course search to search for courses that complete SBC categories. 

Through the general education curriculum, students will:

DEMONSTRATE VERSATILITY

by showing proficiency in each of ten fundamental categories:

• Explore and Understand the Fine and Performing Arts (ARTS)
• Engage Global Issues (GLO)
• Address Problems using Critical Analysis and the Methods of the Humanities (HUM)
• Communicate in a Human Language Other Than English (LANG) (see Note 1)
• Master Quantitative Problem Solving (QPS)
• Understand, Observe, and Analyze Human Behavior and Societal Constructs (SBS)
• Study the Natural World (SNW)
• Understanding Technology (TECH)
• Understand the Political, Economic, Social, and Cultural History of the United States (USA)
• Write Effectively in English (WRT)

EXPLORE INTERCONNECTEDNESS

by completing a course that examines significant relationships between Science or Technology and the Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences (STAS).

PURSUE DEEPER UNDERSTANDING

by completing advanced studies in three of four distinct areas of knowledge. A “+” sign in the abbreviations for these categories signifies that most courses in this category will be relatively advanced courses at the 200- to 400-level. These categories are:

• Experiential Learning (EXP+)
• Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA+)
• Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS+)
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM+)

PREPARE FOR LIFE-LONG LEARNING

by taking (in most cases) courses which may also satisfy other SBC, major or other degree requirements.

• Practice and Respect Critical and Ethical Reasoning (CER)
• Respect Diversity and Foster Inclusiveness (DIV) (see Note 2 below)
• Evaluate and Synthesize Researched Information (ESI)
• Speak Effectively before an Audience (SPK)
• Write Effectively within One’s Discipline (WRTD)

• Freshmen who matriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
• Transfer students who matriculate in the Spring of 2020 or later
• Students who rematriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later

Students may reduce the number of courses needed to achieve the Stony Brook Curriculum categories through university certified AP credit, courses certified in more than one area, challenge exams, on-campus placement tests, course waivers, and faculty-designed themed course clusters. In accordance with SUNY policy, at a minimum, students must complete at least 30 credits of General Education awarded by an institution of higher education. In order to satisfy the SBC categories, a passing letter grade or a grade of S must be earned in the corresponding course. Recorded grades of P, NC, U or F will not satisfy SBC categories. LANG, WRT, and QPS categories must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

A detailed list of the courses and activities that fulfill these objectives may be found in the university undergraduate Bulletin. Many of the above requirements may be fulfilled as part of a student’s major or minor. Students who have completed the Stony Brook Curriculum will have met all requirements for the SUNY General Education Framework.

More Information

• SBC Learning Outcomes
• Application of Transfer Credits to Stony Brook Curriculum
• SUNY General Education and Stony Brook Curriculum Equivalency Table
• SUNY General Education Framework

Note on Courses Satisfying SBC categories:

• A student’s general education record may not be changed retroactively. The University may change the SBC area or categories of a course, but for a particular student, the course will count only toward the requirement it fulfilled at the time the student took the course.
• For a number of semesters, the student population at Stony Brook University will include students who are pursuing either the Diversified Education Curriculum OR the Stony Brook Curriculum. Therefore, enrollment in a given course may include students pursuing either D.E.C. or SBC. To facilitate degree progress of both groups of students, a course may satisfy D.E.C., SBC or both. However, the DEC category of a course is not always equivalent to the SBC categories. A course satisfies only the categories in D.E.C. or SBC as approved by the Stony Brook faculty.
• In order to satisfy the SBC categories, a passing letter grade or a grade of S must be earned in the corresponding course. Recorded grades of P, NC, U or F will not satisfy SBC categories. LANG, WRT, and QPS categories must be passed with a grade of C or higher.
• The inclusion of an SBC abbreviation indicates whether a course is approved to satisfy one or more sets of SBC categories. If an SBC abbreviation does not appear with the course entry in the Bulletin, that course may not be used to satisfy any SBC categories.
• College courses taken while the student was in high school will be evaluated for applicability to SBC categories.
• Transferred courses must carry at least three semester hours of credit to be applicable to any category.