Cornell University Registrar

Swim Requirement

The Faculty Advisory Committee on Athletics and Physical Education has established a basic swimming and water safety competency requirement for all undergraduate students. Normally, the requirement is taken during the Fall Orientation process at Helen Newman Hall or Teagle Hall pools. The requirement consists of the following: jump or step feet-first into the deep end of the pool, float or tread for one minute, turn around in a full circle, swim 25 yards using any stroke(s) of choice without touching the bottom or holding on to the sides (there is no time limit) and exit from the water. Students who do not complete the swim requirement during their first year, during a PE swim class or during orientation in subsequent years, will have to pay a $100 fee. Any student who cannot meet this requirement must register for PE 1100 Beginning Swimming as their physical education course before electives can be chosen.

If a student does not pass the swim requirement in their first Beginning Swimming PE class, then the student must take a second Beginning Swimming PE class (PE 1100 or PE 1101). Successful completion of two Beginning Swimming classes (based on attendance requirements) with the instructor's recommendation will fulfill the University's swim requirement.

Students unable to meet the swim requirement because of medical reasons should contact the Office of Student Disability Services. When a waiver is granted by the Faculty Committee on Physical Education, an alternate requirement is imposed. The alternate requirement substitute is set by the Director of Physical Education.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) college distribution requirements are the cornerstone of a diverse and comprehensive education.

These requirements encourage our students to venture beyond familiar subjects, develop a deeper understanding of others, uncover insights that can spark new interests, and pave the way toward meaningful careers that can shape a just and sustainable future.

The CALS distribution requirements consist of:

•  A minimum of thirty-nine (39) credit hours of coursework.
•  A single course may not fulfill more than one college distribution requirement. However, a single course can simultaneously fulfill college and major requirements.
• College distributions may be fulfilled by S/U or Letter grades. Some majors may require letter grades and students should consult with their major. 
• Non-academic credit courses (numbered 1000-1099 and PE) do not fulfill distribution requirements. Special Topics Courses (numbered 4940) do not fulfill distribution requirements.
• Courses that fulfill distributions are approved by the CALS Curriculum Committee. Distributions cannot be applied to a course retroactively, and individual student petitions for Cornell courses to fulfill distributions will not be accepted. Students may request a review of external transfer courses for fulfilling distribution requirements.  
• All distributions with the exception of EEE-AG (E3) must be a minimum of 3 credits. 

Students must complete all of the following:

Agriculture, Food Systems & Human Nutrition (AFS-AG) 

• Take one (1) Agriculture, Food Systems & Human Nutrition (AFS-AG) course.

The Agriculture, Food Systems & Human Nutrition distribution requirement at CALS emphasizes a comprehensive understanding of the food system, including production, processing, distribution, consumption, and waste, with a focus on the integration of these multiple components. Students must learn to describe, analyze, and understand the interdependent nature and the environmental and nutritional impacts of the food system. To fulfill the requirement, a course must be a minimum of three (3) credits, cover at least two components of the food system, analyze their interactions, and dedicate at least half of its content to this holistic view, potentially including topics like agricultural history, food sustainability, and nutrition access.

Biological Sciences (BSC-AG)

• Take one (1) Biological Sciences (BSC-AG) course. Note: the following are NOT accepted as fulfilling BSC-AG: BIO-AG, BIO-AS.

Courses that meet the Biological Sciences requirement for CALS must be a minimum of three (3) credits and dedicate most of their content (at least 75%) to exploring one or more of the following biological concepts: evolution, structure and function, the flow, exchange and storage of information, pathways and transformations of energy and matter, or living systems. These courses include an evolutionary component, teach students how to apply scientific methods, and include at least one of the following competencies: quantitative reasoning, modeling and simulation, interdisciplinary thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration and communication, or science and society relational understanding. Courses also emphasize student-centered learning activities such as labs, problem solving, case studies, research projects, or collaborative projects. Some courses within this distribution are identified as suitable for non-life sciences majors— these courses have no prerequisites and require only high school-level science knowledge.

Physical Sciences (PSC-AG)

• Take one (1) Physical Sciences (PSC-AG) course.

CALS Physical Sciences must be a minimum of three (3) credits courses and cover at least 75% of their content in fields such as chemistry, physics, earth science, atmospheric science, or astronomy, connecting theoretical knowledge to practical applications. Courses also emphasize student-centered learning activities such as labs, problem solving, case studies, research projects, or collaborative projects. Some courses within this distribution are identified as suitable for non-sciences majors - these courses have no prerequisites and require only high school-level science knowledge.

Sustainability Challenges (SCH-AG)

• Take one (1) Sustainability Challenges (SCH-AG) course.

Courses that satisfy the sustainability distribution requirement in CALS must be a minimum of three (3) credits and must allocate at least 30% of content or learning outcomes to examining the intricate interplay between economic, socio-political, and environmental aspects of sustainability issues or their solutions or to exploring the connections among three or more UN Sustainable Development Goals in relation to the main class topic. Additionally, the course must incorporate a learning outcome focused on one of three key proficiencies: systems thinking, decision-making amidst uncertainty, or understanding the factors that constrain sustainability, thereby ensuring students gain a comprehensive and interdisciplinary perspective on sustainability challenges.

Data Literacy (DLG-AG and DLS-AG)

Two required courses:

• Take one (1) course with attribute Data Literacy Statistics (DLS-AG).
• Take one (1) course with attribute Data Literacy General (DLG-AG) OR one (1) course with attribute Data Literacy Statistics (DLS-AG).

CALS courses fulfilling the Data Literacy General (DLG-AG) requirement are designed to teach students how to interpret and articulate insights from both quantitative and qualitative data, with an emphasis on various competencies such as data analysis, acquisition methods, curation, and security. Students will be expected to understand the types of data, their applications, and the ethical implications of data misuse upon completion of these courses. The courses must be a minimum of three (3) credits and dedicate a significant portion of content to at least three (3) specific data literacy competencies and include at least one of these competencies as a main learning outcome.

Courses that fulfill Data Literacy Statistics (DLS-AG) additionally provide explicit instruction on mathematical approaches to collection, description, analysis, and inference of conclusions from quantitative data. Course content focuses on the Data Manipulating & Analysis competency: Ability to draw conclusions from data with quantitative and/or qualitative methods, which may include statistical or computational methods and may include tools like R, Python, Stata, Tableau, Unix, NVivo, QGIS, Excel, SPSS, etc.

Ethics (ETH-AG)

• Take one (1) course with attribute Ethics (ETH-AG). Note the following are NOT accepted as fulfilling ETH-AG: KCM-AG, ETM-AAP, ETM-AS, ETM-HA, KCM-AAP, KCM-HE.

Courses that fulfill the CALS Ethics requirement are designed to immerse students in the study of ethical principles impacting various facets of life, including personal, social, and global spheres, as well as in research and professional practices. These courses aim for students to critically engage with their values, understand diverse ethical perspectives, and articulate reasoned ethical positions. To satisfy the Ethics requirement, a course be a minimum of three (3) credits and must devote over half of its content to ethical issues relevant to its main topic, incorporate historical or modern ethical debates, foster personal ethical reflection, and include specific learning outcomes focused on ethics.

Human Diversity (D-AG)

• Take one (1) course with attribute Human Diversity (D-AG).

CALS Human Diversity courses foster a comprehensive understanding of the complexities surrounding historically or contemporarily marginalized communities, emphasizing the critical analysis of unequal power dynamics shaped by factors such as race, nationality, ethnicity, indigeneity, sexuality, disability, religion, gender, or economic status. To meet this requirement, a course must allocate at least 50% of its content to examining these issues, be a minimum of three (3) credits, and achieve specific learning outcomes. These outcomes include demonstrating knowledge of diverse cultural practices, understanding systemic oppression, and assessing personal cultural perspectives to identify potential biases.

CALS also accepts courses of at least three (3) credits with the following distributions as fulfilling D-AG: SCD-AS, SCD-HA, D-HE.

Non-equated external transfer courses will only be considered for junior transfer students who have taken an appropriate course at their prior institution and whose schedule does not allow space to take a Human Diversity (D-AG) course at Cornell. These situations will be reviewed individually after a required appointment with CALS Student Services.

Cultural, Social & Historical Understanding

Take two (2) courses of the below distributions, with a maximum of one (1) course in each category: CA-AG, FL-AG, HA-AG, LA-AG, SBA-AG. 

Cultural Analysis (CA-AG)

These courses study human life in particular cultural contexts through interpretive analysis of individual behavior, discourse, and social practice. Topics include belief systems (science, medicine, religion), expressive arts and symbolic behavior (visual arts, performance, poetry, myth, narrative, ritual), identity (nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality), social groups and institutions (family, market, community), and power and politics (states, colonialism, inequality).

CALS also accepts courses of at least three (3) credits with the following distributions as fulfilling CA-AG: ALC-AS, ALC-HA, ALC-AAP, CA-HE, CA-AAP, GLC-AS.

Foreign Language (FL-AG)

Foreign Language - Foreign Language courses available for CALS students at Cornell are offered by several departments, including Africana Studies and Research Center (AS&RC – language courses only), Asian Studies with languages such as Bangla-Bengali, Burmese, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Sanskrit, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese, and Classics (CLASS – language courses only). Additional offerings are provided by German Studies, which includes German, Dutch, and Swedish (language courses only), Linguistics (LING – language courses only), Near Eastern Studies (NES - language courses only), Romance Studies with languages like Catalan, French, Italian, Portuguese, Quechua, and Spanish, and Russian Studies, covering Russian, Hungarian, Polish, Serbian/Croatian, and Ukrainian. CALS will recognize these Foreign Language (FL) classifications by any college at Cornell, provided the class is taken for three (3) or more credits. Transfer students may have non-Cornell courses that meet SUNY World Languages and are a minimum of three (3) credits reviewed as fulfilling FL-AG. 

Historical Analysis (HA-AG)

These courses interpret continuities and changes - political, social, economic, diplomatic, religious, intellectual, artistic, scientific - through time. The focus may be on groups of people, dominant or subordinate, a specific country or region, an event, a process, or a time period.

CALS also accepts courses of at least three (3) credits with the following distributions as fulfilling HA-AG: HA-AAP, HST-AAP, HST-AS, HST-HA, HA-HE.

Literature and the Arts (LA-AG)

These courses explore literature and the arts in two different but related ways. Some courses focus on the critical study of artworks and on their history, aesthetics, and theory. These courses develop skills of reading, observing, and hearing and encourage reflection on such experiences; many investigate the interplay among individual achievement, artistic tradition, and historical context. Other courses are devoted to the production and performance of artworks (in creative writing, performing arts, and media such as film and video). These courses emphasize the interaction among technical mastery, cognitive knowledge, and creative imagination.

CALS also accepts courses of at least three (3) credits with the following distributions as fulfilling LA-AG: ALC-AS, ALC-HA, ALC-AAP, LA-AAP.

Social and Behavioral Analysis (SBA-AG)

These courses examine human life in its social context through the use of social scientific methods, often including hypothesis testing, scientific sampling techniques, and statistical analysis. Topics studied range from the thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and attitudes of individuals to interpersonal relations between individuals (e.g., in friendship, love, conflict) to larger social organizations (e.g., the family, society, religious or educational or civic institutions, the economy, government) to the relationships and conflicts among groups or individuals (e.g., discrimination, inequality, prejudice, stigmas, conflict resolution).

CALS also accepts courses of at least three (3) credits with the following distributions as fulfilling SBA-AG: SSC-AS, SBA-HE, SBA-AAP, SSC-AAP.