Requirements and Guidelines for the CPS Core

Beginning fall 2025, incoming undergraduate students to Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies will follow the CPS Core for general education and will not be subject to NUpath requirements. The CPS Core follows the New England Commission of Higher Education general education requirements: 

NECHE General Education Requirements (Standards for Accreditation, 4.13 - 4.18)

  • Undergraduate degree programs must include a “coherent and substantive” general education requirement
  • At least 40 semester hours in general education
  • Requires a balance of three traditional domains:
    • Arts and humanities
    • Sciences (including mathematics)
    • Social sciences
  • Course offerings focus on both subject matter and methodologies of the three domains and their relationships to each other

CPS students will need to complete the NECHE standards indicated above based on the subject prefix codes listed below. To ensure a balance across the three domains, students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours in each of the areas: 

  • Arts and Humanities (AH), including at least 3 credit hours in College Writing 1 (ENG 1105) or College Writing 2 (ENG 1107)
  • Sciences (SC), including at least 3 credit hours in mathematics
  • Social Sciences (SS)

The remaining 4 CPS Core credit hours can be from any of the three categories.

CPS Core courses may also count toward degree program requirements.

College of Professional Studies Subject Codes That Fulfill the Core Requirements

Arts and Humanities

  • ART Art
  • CMN Communication Studies
  • ENG English
  • LST Liberal Studies
  • MUS Music
  • PHL Philosophy
  • TCC Technical Communications

Sciences

  • ALY Analytics
  • AVM Advanced Manufacturing Systems
  • BIO Biology
  • BTC Biotechnology
  • CET Computer Engineering Technology
  • CHM Chemistry
  • EAI Enterprise Artificial Intelligence
  • EET Electrical Engineering Technology
  • GET General Engineering Technology
  • GIS Geographic Information Systems
  • HMG Health Management
  • HSC Health Science
  • ITC Information Technology
  • MET Mechanical Engineering Technology
  • MTH Mathematics
  • PHY Physics
  • RMS Remote Sensing

Social Sciences

  • ACC Accounting
  • ANT Anthropology
  • ECN Economics
  • EDU Education
  • EDUC Education
  • FIN Finance
  • HRM Human Resources
  • HST History
  • HSV Human Services
  • INT Interdisciplinary Studies
  • LDR Leadership Studies
  • MGT Management
  • MKT Marketing
  • NPM Nonprofit Management
  • PJM Project Management
  • POL Political Science
  • PSY Psychology
  • RGA Regulatory Affairs
  • SOC Sociology