General Foundation Requirements (GFR) Course Codes and Additional Information

The General Foundation Requirements apply to students who began their higher education (after high school graduation) between the Summer 1996 and Spring 2007 semesters. For a full description of UMBC’s GFR and General Graduation Requirements, please review the GFR worksheet.

The codes below are used to indicate whether an individual course can be used to fulfill GFR requirements:

AH – Course fulfills one Arts and Humanities GFR requirement. This GFR area requires 3 courses, two of which must be in the same discipline and one of which must be in a different discipline.
SS - Course fulfills one Social Sciences GFR requirement. This GFR area requires 3 courses, two of which must be in the same discipline and one of which must be in a different discipline.
M – Course fulfills Mathematics GFR requirement. This GFR area requires one course at the appropriate placement level.
Biol/Phys Sci(lab) – Course fulfills one Biological/Physical Sciences GFR requirement including the laboratory component. This GFR area requires two courses, one of which must include a lab.
Biol/PhysSci(non-lab) – Course fulfills one Biological/Physical Sciences GFR requirement but does not include a laboratory component. This GFR area requires two courses, one of which must include a lab.
Lab Only – Course fulfills laboratory component of the Biological/Physical Sciences GFR requirement. This GFR area requires two courses, one of which must include a lab. Note that in order for a “Lab Only” course to apply to the GFRs, the corresponding lecture course must also be completed (i.e. CHEM 102 and CHEM 102L).
L – Course fulfills one Language/Culture GFR requirement beyond the 201-proficiency level. In the case of 102 and 103 level language courses, applicability towards the Language/Culture GFR requirement is contingent upon students’ placement level. Note that 101 level language courses are only applicable to the Language/Culture GFR requirement if they are taken in a language other than the one in which the student has obtained 201-level proficiency. The Language/Culture GFR area requires 201-proficiency plus two additional Language/Culture courses. BS and BSE degree-seeking students may substitute a Mathematics (M) GFR course for one of the two Language/Culture courses required beyond the 201-proficiency.
L/201 proficiency – Course fulfills the 201-proficiency requirement of the Language/Culture GFR area. The Language/Culture GFR area requires 201-proficiency plus two additional Language/Culture courses. BS and BSE degree-seeking students may substitute a Mathematics (M) GFR course for one of the two Language/Culture courses required beyond the 201-proficiency
C – Course fulfills one Language/Culture GFR requirement beyond the 201-proficiency level. The Language/Culture GFR area requires 201-proficiency plus two additional Language/Culture courses. BS and BSE degree-seeking students may substitute a Mathematics (M) GFR course for one of the two Language/Culture courses required beyond the 201-proficiency

Some courses are designated as applicable to more than one GFR area. When a course meets more than one area (i.e. AH or C), you may choose one requirement area in which to apply the course. The course may NOT be applied to both GFR areas.

Note: Students who began higher education Fall 2007 or later should refer to the General Education Program information. Students who began higher education prior to Summer 1996 and have not had more than a 2-year break in their enrollment history may fall under older general education requirements. Students wanting more information about these general education requirements should visit the Registrar’s Office between 8:30am-4:30pm Monday-Friday or email records@umbc.edu