Exemptions, Substitutions, and Proficiency Exams

Expository Writing
Foreign Language
Quantitative Reasoning
Natural Science I
Natural Science II
Texts and Ideas
Cultures and Contexts
Societies and the Social Sciences
Expressive Culture
NYU-Abu Dhabi
Liberal Studies/Global Liberal Studies

Expository Writing

Because writing skills can always be improved, exemptions from the Expository Writing component are granted only for equivalent courses taken at another college or university.

Foreign Language

College students may fulfill the foreign language component by presenting outstanding scores on SAT II, Advanced Placement, or International Baccaulareate examinations or by passing a departmental proficiency examination. For further information, consult the CAS Bulletin under Placement Examinations in the Academic Policies chapter. For Advance Placement and International Baccalaureate exam equivalencies, consult the chart in the Admissions chapter.

College students whose secondary schooling was in a language other than English and other than a language offered in the College, or who complete the International Writing Workshop sequence (EXPOS-UA 4, EXPOS-UA 9), are exempt from the foreign language component. Students who complete the combined B.S./B.E. program are also exempt.

Quantitative Reasoning

The College of Arts and Science is implementing a policy change for exemption from the Quantitative Reasoning requirement. The Quantitative Reasoning exemption exam will be offered for the last time during the Fall 2012 semester. Please read below for further details.

For students who are currently enrolled at NYU:

College students who major in a natural science, who complete the pre-health program, or who are in the combined B.S./B.E. program are exempt from the Foundations of Scientific Inquiry component of the MAP. 

You may take an examination (sample exam questions) that can exempt you from the Quantitative Reasoning component.  You may take this exam only once during your time at NYU. The exemption examination will be offered for the last time during the Fall 2012 semester. If you are interested in taking the exemption exam in Fall 2012, please refer to the MAP website (map.cas.nyu.edu) for information on the exam date and to register for the exam. Students who are studying abroad during the Fall 2012 semester should contact the MAP office (morse.plan@nyu.edu).

The Quantitative Reasoning component can also be satisfied with approved AP credit or by completing an approved department course.

Approved AP Credit:
AP Credit for Calculus (AB or BC)—Score of 4 or 5
AP Credit for Statistics—Score of 4 or 5

Approved Department Courses:
ECON-UA 18 Statistics
POL-UA 800 Quantitative Methods in Political Science
MATH-UA 121 Calculus I
MATH-UA 143 Calculus I for Biological and Life Sciences
MATH-UA 211 Mathematics for Economics I
MATH-UA 221 Honors Calculus I
MATH-UA 17 Calculus for the Social Sciences
PSYCH-UA 9 Statistical Reasoning for the Behavioral Sciences
PSYCH-UA 10 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences

For admitted students entering NYU in Fall 2012 or later:

Students who enter NYU during the Fall 2012 semester or later are not eligible to take the Quantitative Reasoning exemption exam. As an alternative, the SAT Subject Tests in Mathematics (Levels 1 and 2) may also satisfy the Quantitative Reasoning requirement. You must take this test prior to your first semester at NYU.  If you have not done so already, please submit your test score to the NYU College of Arts and Science Admissions Office. The qualifying subject test score will be posted on the MAP website.

Natural Science I and II

College students who major in a natural science, who complete the pre-health program, or who are in the combined B.S./B.E. program are exempt from the Foundations of Scientific Inquiry component. For AP equivalencies, consult the chart in the CAS Bulletin Admissions chapter.

The Natural Science I and II components can also be satisfied with approved AP credit or by completing an approved department course sequence.

Approved AP Credit:
AP credit for Biology (8 points)
AP credit for Chemistry (8 points)
AP credit for Physics B (10 points)
AP credit for Physics C-Mech (3 points) and Physics C-E&M (3 points)

Approved Department Courses:
BIOL-UA 11-12 Principles of Biology I and II
CHEM-UA 125-0126 General Chemistry I and II including lab [Previously CHEM-UA 101-102 General Chemistry I and II and CHEM-UA 103-4 (lab)]
CHEM-UA 127-0128 General Chemistry I Honor including lab [CHEM-UA 109-110 Honors General Chemistry I and II and CHEM-UA 111-112 (lab)]
PHYS-UA 11-12 General Physics I and II

Natural Science I

College students who major in a natural science, who complete the pre-health program, or who are in the combined B.S./B.E. program are exempt from the Foundations of Scientific Inquiry component. For AP equivalencies, consult the chart in the CAS Bulletin Admissions chapter.

The Natural Science I component can be satisfied with approved AP credit or by completing an approved department course.

Approved AP Credit:
AP credit for Physics C-Mech (3 points)
AP credit for Physics C-E&M (3 points)
AP credit for Environmental Science (4 points)

Approved Department Courses:
CHEM-UA 125 General Chemistry I including lab [Previously CHEM-UA 101 General Chemistry I and CHEM-UA 103 (lab)]
CHEM-UA 127 General Chemistry I Honors including lab [Previously CHEM-UA 109 Honors General Chemistry I and CHEM-UA 111 (lab)]
PHYS-UA 11 General Physics I

Natural Science II

College students who major in a natural science, who complete the pre-health program, or who are in the combined B.S./B.E. program are exempt from the Foundations of Scientific Inquiry component. For AP equivalencies, consult the chart in the CAS Bulletin Admissions chapter.

The Natural Science II component can be satisfied by completing an approved department course.

Approved Department Courses:
ANTH-UA 2 Human Evolution
BIOL-UA 11 Principles of Biology I

Texts and Ideas

Because of the importance the faculty place on assuring every student a core experience in the humanities and social science, there are no exemptions or substitutions for Texts and Ideas.

 

Cultures and Contexts

Because of the importance the faculty place on assuring every student a core experience in the humanities and social science, there are no exemptions or substitutions for Cultures and Contexts.
 

Societies and the Social Sciences and Expressive Culture

The Societies and the Social Sciences and Expressive Culture components can be satisfied through completion of approved joint-major programs.

Approved Joint-Major Programs:
Anthropology and Classical Civilization
French and Linguistics
German and Linguistics
Italian and Linguistics
Spanish and Linguistics

Societies and the Social Sciences

The Societies and the Social Sciences component can be satisfied through completion of an approved major or minor program or by completing an approved department course.

Approved Majors and Minors:
American Studies (major only)
Anthropology
Anthropology and Linguistics
Economics
Economics and Mathematics
Economics and Computer Science
European and Mediterranean Studies
Gender and Sexuality Studies
Global Public Health/Anthropology
Global Public Health/History
Global Public Health/Sociology
History
International Relations
Journalism
Language and Mind
Latino Studies (major only)
Law and Society
Linguistics
Metropolitan Studies
Politics
Psychology
Sociology

Approved Department Courses:
ANTH-UA 1 Human Society and Culture (Anthropology)
ANTH-UA 3 Archaeology: Early Societies and Cultures (Anthropology)
ECON-UA 1 Economic Principles I (P) (Economics)
ECON-UA 2 Economic Principles II (P) (Economics)
HIST-UA 9 The United States to 1865 (History)
LING-UA 1 Language (Linguistics)
LING-UA  15 Language and Society (Linguistics)
LING-UA 9015 Language and Society (Linguistics)
LING-UA  47 The Language of America's Ethnic Minorities (Linguistics)
LING-UA 30 Language in Latin America (Linguistics)
LING-UA 58 Introduction to African Languages (Linguistics)
LING-UA 9058 Introduction to African Languages (Linguistics)
POL-UA 300 Power and Politics in America (Politics)
POL-UA 500 Comparative Politics (Politics)
PSYCH-UA 1 Introduction to Psychology (Psychology)
RELST-UA 1 Theories and Methods in the Study of Religion (Religious Studies)
SCA-UA 1 Concepts in Social and Cultural Analysis (Social and Cultural Analysis)
SCA-UA 401 Approaches to Gender and Sexuality Studies (Social and Cultural Analysis)
SCA-UA 601 Introduction to Metropolitan Studies (Social and Cultural Analysis)
SOC-UA 1 Introduction to Sociology (Sociology)
SOC-UA 2 Introduction to Sociology (Honors) (Sociology)
SOC-UA 135 Race and Ethnicity (Sociology)
SOC-UA 205 Social Movements, Protest and Conflict (Sociology)
SOC-UA 386 American Capitalism in Theory and Practice (formerly known as Ideas and Institutions in American Society) (Sociology)
SOC-UA 417 Sociology of Law (Sociology)

Expressive Culture

The Expressive Culture component can be satisfied through completion of an approved major or minor program or by completion of one of the courses offered under MAP-UA 7xx, Expressive Culture. 

NOTE: As of summer 2012, substitution of courses from other departments to satisfy Expressive Culture has been discontinued.

Approved Majors and Minors:
Africana Studies
Ancient Studies
Art History (previously known as Fine Arts)
Asian/Pacific/American Studies
Cinema Studies
Classical Civilization
Classical Civilization and Hellenic Studies
Classics and Fine Arts
Comparative Literature
Dramatic Literature, Theatre History, and the Cinema
East Asian Studies (major)
East Asian Studies (non-language minor)
English
Fine Arts (now known as Art History)
French
German
Hebrew and Judaic Studies
Hellenic Studies
Irish Studies
Italian
Latin American Studies
Latin/Greek
Literature in Translation
Luso-Brazilian Language and Literature
Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Middle Eastern Studies (major)
Middle Eastern Studies (non-language minor)
Music
Philosophy
Religious Studies
Romance Languages
Russian
Spanish
Urban Design and Architecture Studies