I’m aware of what a GE course is, and how those are typically done the first 2 years of college. But is a prerequisite class the same thing, just a different term? I used to think that there were specific prereq classes and which ones you take depends on what you want to major in. Is that right or wrong? And can someone explain what that means, if it’s right?
No, they’re different.
General education or “GE” requirements are classes that your school requires you to take that are good for your general college education. Those are things like freshman English composition, a semester of math, four semesters of foreign language, etc. They’re just general requirements, not necessarily relevant to your major.
A prerequisite is a class that you have to take before you can take another class. It’s required (or “requisite”) before (“pre”) you can understand the material in that class. For example, calculus I is typically a prerequisite for calculus II, and intro to psychology is typically a prerequisite for psychological research methods.
A major prerequisite is one that you have to take before you can begin the classes in that major; in those cases, the prerequisite usually isn’t counted as part of the major. At some schools where you have to apply to certain majors, you may have to take the major prerequisite and get a certain grade in it before you can be admitted to the major. For example, a prospective computer science major might need to complete an introductory class in programming before being admitted, or some engineering majors may have to take some pre-engineering coursework (and some math) before they can apply to the major.
They are two different kinds of requirements, but they can overlap in cases where a single class can satisfy both. For example, if you want to be a psychology major, Intro Psych is a required prerequisite, but it can also satisfy your a social science GE requirement. Of if you’re a science major, an intro-level lab science class that’s a major prerequisite can also meet your lab science GE requirement. It’s outside of your intended major area that GE’s will add additional classes that you wouldn’t have had to take anyway for your major. (Does that make sense?)