CSU GE, IGETC & LDTP Course Requirements
Extrapolated from the California State University Admissions Handbook 2008-2009
 

CSU GE COURSES

Transfer: General Education Courses:
The CSU provides California Community College (CCC) transfers with four options for fulfilling CSU lower division general education requirements. Students should review the four programs described below, and with the help of a college counselor determine which option best meets their educational objective.

Option 1: CSU General Education-Breadth (GE-Breadth) Requirements:
Up to 39 of the 48 GE-Breadth semester units required can be transferred from and certified by a California Community College or other certifying institution. It is strongly recommended that students complete the 39 semester units of GE-Breadth courses as part of their minimum 60 semester units requirements for transfer as an upper division transfer student.

General Education Breath (GE-Breadth) Areas (may be completed separately):
Area A – Communication in the English Language (written as well as oral) and Critical Thinking (at least 9 semester
             units)
Area B – Physical Universe and Its Life Forms (at least 12 semester units including quantitative reasoning)
Area C – Arts, Literature, Philosophy, and Foreign Language (at least 12 semester units)
Area D – Social, Political, and Economic Institutions (at least 12 semester units)
Area E – Lifelong Understanding and Self-Development (at least 3 semester units)

Area and Full Certification:
Students can request GE certification from the California Community College where the greatest number of transferable courses has been completed. If students have completed some but not all of the GE areas, they can request “Subject-area Certification.” Students who have completed all the requirements for each area (Area A-E) can request to become fully-certified. “Certification” refers to official certification by a CCC that a transfer student has completed courses fulfilling CSU GE requirements. This status indicates that the student has completed all lower division CSU GE course requirements while at the community college campus.

Students who are fully certified with 39 semester units of lower division GE-Breadth units cannot be held to any additional lower division GE courses at the CSU campus. Upon enrollment, all CCC transfer students will be required to complete a minimum of 9 semester (12 quarter) units of upper division GE work.  Without certification, transfer students may be held to the general education pattern developed for CSU students, which may vary greatly from CCC General Education patterns.

Note: A few majors, such as nursing, engineering, science, and other technical majors, recommend students complete very specific coursework to meet general education. Students should see an advisor/counselor and consult with the CSU campus to which they intend to apply to best determine which courses should be completed prior to transfer for these majors.

Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)

California Community College transfers can use the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) to fulfill all lower division general education requirements at any CSU campus or many University of California (UC) campuses. This curriculum provides transfer students with an alternative to the CSU General Education-Breadth requirements and allows them to meet lower division general education requirements for both the CSU and the UC.

The IGETC requires completion of a minimum of 37 semester or 56 quarter units of lower division work with a C grade or better in each course (C- is not an acceptable grade in IGETC). The IGETC areas are as follows:

Area 1 - English Communication
Three courses, one in English composition, one in critical thinking, and one in oral communication (at least 9 semester units).
Area 2 - Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
One course (at least 3 semester units)

Area 3 - Arts and Humanities
At least three courses, with at least one from the arts and one from the humanities (at least 9 semester units).

Area 4 - Social and Behavioral Sciences
At least three courses from at least two different disciplines or an interdisciplinary sequence (at least 9 semester units).

Area 5 - Physical and Biological Sciences
Two courses, one physical science and one biological science, at least one must include a laboratory (at least 7 semester units).

The course requirements for all areas of IGETC are expected to be completed and certified by a California Community College to be accepted by the CSU or the UC prior to transfer (see Certification section which follows). Students who have completed the IGETC requirements and have their courses certified will be required to complete at least 9 semester units of upper division general education work after transferring to a CSU campus.

Because the IGETC is accepted by both the CSU and UC, it is an excellent option for students who are undecided about the system to which they plan to transfer. If students are enrolled in a major that requires extensive lower division preparation, they may not be able to complete all IGETC requirements prior to transfer. When using the IGETC, partial certification is generally not allowed.

Students should consult with a counselor to determine which general education program is most appropriate.

Meet the General Education Requirements as Defined by the CSU Campus
Transfer students can complete admission requirements and have the selected CSU campus evaluate the courses completed against CSU campus general education requirements. Close interaction with an advisor and use of www.assist.org to determine transferability of courses are often necessary when using this option.