Liberal Arts and Science Requirements

Transfer students may be awarded credit to fulfill General Education requirements (30 credits required) and/or Liberal Arts & Science Course work.  (30 credits required for BS degree, 60 credits required for a BA degree) that goes beyond the General Education requirements. The General Education Requirements and Liberal Arts & Science courses are collectively known as The Essential Skills of Common Value. 

Liberal Arts & Sciences

Transfer students can transfer in, from any accredited 2- or 4-year institution of higher education, an equivalent course as per our online course equivalency database to also satisfy Liberal Arts & Science coursework that goes beyond the 30 credits of General Education.

 Many programs have required courses that fall under the Liberal Arts & Sciences that go beyond the General Education requirements.

Beyond the 30 credits in liberal arts and sciences-based GE courses, per the New York State Education Department (NYSED) guidelines each student must complete an additional 30 credit hours in liberal arts and sciences for the B.S. degree (60 total when included with the GE courses), or an additional 60 credit hours in liberal arts and sciences for the B.A. degree (90 total when included with the GE courses). D’Youville programs may mandate which courses from the liberal arts and sciences that their students take. Any remaining LAS credits less than 30 (B.S.) or 60 (B.A.) that are not mandated by programs can be chosen freely by the students.

All transfer credits are reviewed by The Registrar, working closely with admissions counselors and with faculty in determining on-going course equivalencies. If the evaluator is unable to determine required course work equivalency from the course description, it will be sent to the appropriate department chair for review and equivalency evaluation.  The evaluators will adhere to the NYSED guidelines for review of LAS coursework as follows:

Examples of course types that are generally considered within the liberal arts and sciences:

  • Humanities:
  • English—composition, creative writing, history of language, journalism, linguistics, literature, literature in translation, playwriting
  • Fine arts—art appreciation, history or theory
  • Foreign languages—composition, conversation, grammar, history of the language, literature of the language, reading, translation studies
  • Music—music appreciation, history or theory
  • Philosophy—comparative philosophy, history of philosophy, logic, schools of philosophy
  • Religion—comparative religion, history of religion
  • Theater—dramatic interpretation, dramatic literature, dramaturgy, history of drama, playwriting
  • Natural sciences and mathematics:
  • Natural sciences—anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, earth science, geology, physics, zoology
  • Mathematics—calculus, mathematical theory, statistics
  • Computer Science—broad survey/theory courses
  • Social sciences:
  • Anthropology, cultural studies, economics, geography, government, history, political science, psychology, sociology
  • Criminal justice—introductory and broad survey courses
  • Communications—interpersonal communication, mass communication, public speaking, speech and rhetoric

Examples of course types that are generally not considered within the liberal arts and sciences:

  • Agriculture
  • Business—administration, finance, human resources, management, marketing, production
  • Computer applications (e.g., word processing, database, spreadsheet), programming (e.g., specific languages)
  • Health and physical education
  • Home economics 
  • Education and teaching methods 
  • Library science 
  • Music—studio, performance, practice courses—voice, instrument, direction, conducting
  • Office technologies and practice 
  • Performing and related arts—acting, costume design, dance, direction, lighting, production, scene construction, sound production 
  • Specialized professional courses in such fields as accounting, architecture, dental hygiene, dentistry, engineering, law, medicine, nursing, nutrition, pharmacy, podiatry, veterinary medicine
  • Studio art—drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture
  • Technology/technician fields—construction, data processing, electrical, electronics, graphic arts, mechanical, medical, refrigeration repair
  • Television and radio production
  • Theology—pastoral counseling, ministry[1]

D’Youville also gives credit for Advance Placement (AP) examinations for any grade higher than a C.  Students who have completed an International Baccalaureate program (IB) with a g.p.a. of 3.0 or higher are awarded 30 credits of LAS.

Students will receive general education waiver of credit requirement for any Liberal Arts coursework that does not have D’Youville equivalency according to a credit-threshold table.  In every case, D’Youville will create a transfer package for every incoming student that maximizes all previous coursework and proceeds students effectively toward completion of their D’Youville degree.

General Education

The General Education program consists of Thirty (30) credits from the following courses:

Life Unpacked (FYE-100) (2 credits)

Humanities Seminar (ENG-112) or Humanities Seminar (HIS-112) (3 credits)

Ethics: Religious and Philosophical Perspectives (PHI-103) or Ethics: Religious and Philosophical Perspectives (RS-103) (3 credits)

One (1) One hundred level topics course with lab (4 credits)

Three (3) Two hundred level themed courses (9 credits)

Two (2) Three hundred level themed courses (6 credits)

One (1) Four hundred level capstone experience (3 credits)

Transfer students are awarded General Education credit in one of two ways:

  1. Students can transfer in an equivalent courses as per our online course equivalency database to satisfy the following:
  • Life Unpacked (FYE-100) (2 credits)
  • Humanities Seminar (ENG-112) or Humanities Seminar (HIS-112) (3 credits)
  • Ethics: Religious and Philosophical Perspectives (PHI-103) or Ethics: Religious and Philosophical Perspectives (RS-103) (3 credits)
  1. Based on the number of credits transferred in from a 2 year or 4 year institutions students will be given General Education Waiver Credits to be applied toward the remaining general education requirements