General Education Requirements

The Ohio State University is committed to educating students for life as well as for their future careers. The university's General Education (GE) requirements are a vital piece of their education that every undergraduate student at Ohio State shares, regardless of major. It is designed to enhance a student's technical training for a career in a specific field with other skills that will make them a well-rounded person. These include skills such as communication, critical analysis, and cultural awareness.

In Autumn 2022, the university implemented a new set of GE requirements for most new students. Students who enrolled at Ohio State before Autumn 2022 continue to complete their "General Education - Legacy" courses.

Why is the GE important?

The GE requirements are not a list of courses that students need to get out of the way to graduate. Instead, they are intentionally designed to empower students to develop the knowledge, perspectives, and abilities to understand our society's history and aspirations, its relationship with and responsibility to the natural world, its diversity, its problems and its needs. The goal is for students to develop an understanding of their role in society that inspires a long-lasting desire to learn and to work with others to create a brighter future.

Read more about the goals for the Legacy GE Read more about the goals for the New GE

More Information

The Legacy GE (GEL) is based on the same categories of classes across the university, with slight variations for each college,major, and/or program of study (for example: Honors students or students pursuing aan AA/AS may have different requirements).

You may be able to use some GE coursework to meet some of your major requirements, too. To learn more about your specific requirements (especially those for GEL), please click on your college link below. If you are unsure of what college you are in, you can search for your major here and find the college in the middle column.

Arts and Sciences Business Dentistry Education and Human Ecology Engineering Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Nursing Pharmacy Public Affairs Public Health Social Work

The New GE (GEN) is the same across all majors and colleges

Academic Advisors want to help you understand

Click to listen to an explanation of the New GE

If you have questions about this information and how it relates to your specific situation, please contact your advisor.

Schedule a meeting with your advisor