General Education Requirements for Transfer to CSU (CSUGE): Option II

California State University

The California State University (CSU) is the nation’s largest university system, with 23 campuses located across the state, from Humboldt in the north to San Diego in the south.

While part of the CSU system, each campus has a unique identity. CSU campuses have distinct student populations and programs. Many of their programs are offered in the late afternoon and evenings for students who work during the day.

The 23 CSU campuses are:

  • Bakersfield
  • Channel Islands
  • Chico
  • Dominguez Hills
  • East Bay
  • Fresno
  • Fullerton
  • Humboldt
  • Los Angeles
  • Long Beach
  • Maritime Academy
  • Monterey Bay
  • Northridge
  • Pomona
  • Sacramento
  • San Bernardino
  • San Diego
  • San Francisco
  • San Jose
  • San Luis Obispo
  • San Marcos
  • Sonoma
  • Stanislaus

General Education (GE) consists of courses selected from a variety of disciplines, intended to provide a well-rounded education. Completing a GE pattern is one of the recommended components for transfer to any CSU. Other transfer components include grade point average and preparation for the major coursework. Please visit the Transfer Center or Counseling office to obtain all the requirements for transfer to a CSU.

GOLDEN FOUR: Areas A1, A2, A3 and B4 are required for admission into any CSU. P/NP grades are not recommended in these areas, as many CSU campuses require letter grades of “C” or better for graduation.

Minimum admission eligibility for upper division transfer applicant:

  1. Completion of at least 60 transferable units with a minimum GPA of 2.0;
  2. Within total units completed, completion of a minimum of 30 lower division units of General Education/Breadth; and
  3. Completion of areas A1, A2, A3 and B4 with a grade of “C” or better.

Students are encouraged to see a counselor or advisor by appointment to discuss transfer and the CSU-GE Breadth option as part of a student educational plan.

AREA A: English Language, Communication and Critical Thinking

Complete one course in each category for a minimum 9 semester/12 quarter units.

A1. Oral Communication
SPCH 100Interpersonal Communication3
SPCH 101Public Address3
SPCH 101HPublic Address - Honors3
SPCH 103Argumentation and Debate3
SPCH 106Small Group Communication3
A2. Written Communication
ENGL 101Reading and Composition4
ENGL 101EReading and Composition, Enhanced5
ENGL 101HReading and Composition - Honors4
ENGL 102Introduction to Literature3
A3. Critical Thinking
ENGL 103Composition and Critical Thinking3
ENGL 103HComposition and Critical Thinking - Honors3
ENGL 104Argumentative Writing and Critical Thinking3
ENGL 104HArgumentative Writing and Critical Thinking - Honors3
PHIL 110Philosophy/Logic3
PHIL 210Symbolic Logic3
SPCH 103Argumentation and Debate3

AREA B: Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning

No fewer than 9 semester/12 quarter units. One course from biological sciences, physical sciences and mathematics. At least one science course must be a laboratory course: (Lab).

B1. Physical Sciences
ASTR 115Planetary Astronomy3
ASTR 115HPlanetary Astronomy - Honors3
ASTR 116Stellar Astronomy (Lab)4
ASTR 117Life In The Universe3
CHEM 103College Chemistry I (Lab)5
CHEM 104College Chemistry II (Lab)5
CHEM 110Beginning General Chemistry (Lab)5
CHEM 111General Chemistry I (Lab)5
CHEM 112General Chemistry II (Lab)5
CHEM 210Organic Chemistry A3
CHEM 220Organic Chemistry B3
ESCI 110Earth Science (Lab)4
ESCI 119Physical Geology without Laboratory3
ESCI 120Physical Geology (Lab)4
ESCI 121Historical Geology4
ESCI 122Earth History3
ESCI 124Natural Disasters3
ESCI 130Physical Oceanography3
GEOG 118Physical Geography3
GEOG 130Introduction to Weather and Climate3
PHYS 109Physics and the Arts3
PHYS 110Physics in Everyday Life (Lab)4
PHYS 111College Physics A (Lab)4
PHYS 112College Physics B (Lab)4
PHYS 201Physics A: Mechanics (Lab)5
PHYS 201HPhysics A: Mechanics - Honors5
PHYS 202Physics B: Thermodynamics and Electromagnetism (Lab)5
PHYS 203Physics C: Waves, Optics & Modern Physics (Lab)5
B2. Biological Sciences
ANTH 212Introduction to Physical Anthropology3
ANTH 212LIntroduction to Physical Anthropology Lab (Lab, must be taken with ANTH 212))1
BIOL 102Human Genetics3
BIOL 104Biology: Contemporary Topics3
BIOL 105General Biology (Lab)4
BIOL 105HGeneral Biology - Honors (Lab)4
BIOL 108Biology of Cancer3
BIOL 110Field Biology (Lab)4
BIOL 117Biology of Infectious Diseases 3
BIOL 124Molecular and Cellular Biology (Lab)5
BIOL 125Evolution, Ecology & Biodiversity (Lab)5
BIOL 145Environmental Science3
BIOL 200Human Anatomy (Lab)4
BIOL 201Human Physiology (Lab)4
BIOL 220Microbiology (Lab)5
BIOT 107Biotechnology: Transforming Society Through Biology3
BIOT 108Intro to Biotechnology: Real World Biology Applications4
FOR 102Introduction to Forest Ecology3
PSY 102Psychobiology3
B4. Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning
MATH 144Technical Mathematics5
MATH 151Plane Trigonometry4
MATH 160Mathematics for Everyday Living - A Liberal Arts Course5
MATH 165Introductory Statistics4
MATH 165HIntroductory Statistics - Honors4
MATH 168Mathematics for Elementary Teachers l5
MATH 170College Algebra4
MATH 175Pre-Calculus6
MATH 180Calculus for Business and Social Sciences4
MATH 190Calculus with Analytic Geometry l5
MATH 191Calculus with Analytic Geometry ll5
MATH 210Calculus with Analytic Geometry lll5
MATH 211Differential Equations5
MATH 212Introduction to Linear Algebra4
PSY 103Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences3

AREA C: Arts and Humanities

No fewer than 9 semester/12quarter units. Choose one course from arts and one from humanities, plus one additional course in either arts or humanities.

C1. Arts
ARCH 250History of Architecture: Prehistory to Mannerism3
ARCH 251History of Architecture: Baroque to the Present Day3
ART 100Art History - Fundamentals of Global Art History3
ART 100ASurvey of Western Art from Prehistory through the Middle Ages3
ART 100AHSurvey of Western Art from Prehistory through the Middle Ages - Honors3
ART 100BSurvey of Western Art from Renaissance to Contemporary3
ART 100BHSurvey of Western Art from Renaissance to Contemporary - Honors3
ART 101Art History - Ancient Art3
ART 102Art History - Western Medieval Art3
ART 103Art History - Renaissance and Baroque Art in Western Europe3
ART 104Art History - Modern and Contemporary Art3
ART 105Art History - Topics in Contemporary Art3
ART 106HArt History - Ancient Latin American Art - Honors3
ART 108History of Photography3
ART 109Survey of Arts of Africa, Oceania, and Indigenous North America3
ART 110Introduction to the Visual Arts3
ART 111Beginning Drawing3
ART 112Intermediate Drawing3
ART 130Beginning Painting3
ART 140Beginning Ceramics3
ART 199Motion Picture Appreciation3
ART 199HMotion Picture Appreciation - Honors3
ART 200History of Motion Pictures: 1895-19453
ART 201History of Motion Pictures 1945-Present3
ART 206History of Latin American Art - Colonial through Contemporary3
ART 207History of Asian Art3
ART 207HHistory of Asian Art - Honors3
COMM 136Cultural History of American Films3
DANC 102History of Dance3
ENGL 290Ethnic Voices in Film3
MUSE 109Music Appreciation3
MUSE 110History of Music I3
MUSE 111History of Music II3
MUSE 112History of Jazz3
MUSE 113History of Rock and Roll3
MUSE 114Introduction to American Music3
THEA 101Introduction to Theatre Arts3
THEA 101HIntroduction to Theatre Arts - Honors3
THEA 200The Art of the Theatre3
THEA 201Stage Acting I - Beginning3
THEA 202Stage Acting II - Intermediate3
C2. Humanities
ARCH 250History of Architecture: Prehistory to Mannerism3
ARCH 251History of Architecture: Baroque to the Present Day3
ASL 101American Sign Language I5
ASL 102American Sign Language II5
CHIN 101Chinese I5
CHIN 102Chinese II5
CHIN 201Chinese III5
COMM 111Introduction to Popular Culture3
COMM 200Visual Communications3
ENGL 102Introduction to Literature3
ENGL 213Horror Literature3
ENGL 213HHorror Literature - Honors3
ENGL 216American Latino Literature3
ENGL 224Queer Literature3
ENGL 224HQueer Literature - Honors3
ENGL 233Asian American Literature3
ENGL 243African American Literature3
ENGL 251Introduction to English Literature I3
ENGL 252Introduction to English Literature II3
ENGL 261Introduction to U.S. American Literature I3
ENGL 262Introduction to U. S. American Literature II: 1865-The Present3
ENGL 271Introduction to World Literature: Ancient - Early Modern3
ENGL 272Introduction to World Literature: 1600's through Twentieth Century3
ENGL 280Introduction to Women's Literature3
ENGL 291Film as Literature3
ENGL 291HFilm as Literature - Honors3
ENGL 293Children's Literature3
ENGL 293HChildren's Literature - Honors3
ENGL 294Introduction to Shakespeare3
ENGL 295Ethnic Voices in U.S. Literature from 1900 to Present3
ENGL 298Literature of the Bible3
ENGL 290Ethnic Voices in Film3
FREN 101French I5
FREN 102French II5
GER 101German I5
GER 102German II5
GER 201German III5
GER 202German IV5
HIST 102Western Civilization 1715 to the Present3
HIST 103History of World Civilization up to 1500 C.E.3
HIST 103HHistory of World Civilization up to 1500 C.E./Honors3
HIST 104History of World Civilization since 15003
HIST 104HHistory of World Civilization since 1500 - Honors3
HIST 107History of the United States before 18773
HIST 107HHistory of the United States before 1877 - Honors3
HIST 108History of the United States since 18773
HIST 108HHistory of the United States since 1877 - Honors3
HIST 130Latin American Culture and Civilization3
HIST 131History of Latin America to 18253
HIST 132History of Modern Latin America3
HIST 140History of the American West3
HIST 160History of Women in the United States3
HUM 101Humanities - Prehistory through the Medieval Period3
HUM 101HHumanities - Prehistory through the Medieval Period - Honors3
HUM 102Humanities from the Renaissance through the 19th Century3
HUM 110Humanities in the Modern Period3
HUM 115Multi-Cultural Mythologies3
HUM 120British Civilization3
HUM 123Introduction to Peace Studies - Saving Civilization3
HUM 125Italian Civilization3
HUM 127Spanish Civilization3
ITAL 101Italian I5
ITAL 102Italian II5
JPN 101Japanese I5
JPN 102Japanese II5
KIN 166American Food And Culture: Global Origins, History, and Current Impacts3
PHIL 101Great Religions of the World3
PHIL 106Introduction to Philosophy3
PHIL 106HIntroduction to Philosophy - Honors3
PHIL 108Philosophy - Ethics3
PHIL 130History of Ancient Philosophy3
PHIL 131History of Modern Philosophy3
PHIL 140Philosophy of Religion3
SOC 130Introduction to LGBTQ Studies 3
SPAN 101Spanish I5
SPAN 101HSpanish I - Honors5
SPAN 102Spanish II5
SPAN 102HSpanish II - Honors5
SPAN 127Spanish Civilization3
SPAN 130Latin American Culture and Civilization3
SPAN 201Spanish III5
SPAN 201HSpanish III - Honors5
SPAN 202Spanish IV5
SPAN 210Intermediate Spanish for Spanish Speakers I5
SPAN 211Intermediate Spanish for Spanish Speakers II5
SPCH 150Intercultural Communication3

AREA D: Social, Political and Economic Institutions and Behavior; Historical Background.

No fewer than 6 semester/9 quarter units.

AJ 101Introduction to the Administration of Justice3
AJ 102Concepts of Criminal Law3
ANTH 210Introduction to Cultural Anthropology3
ANTH 210HIntroduction to Cultural Anthropology - Honors3
ANTH 212Introduction to Physical Anthropology3
ANTH 216Sex and Gender in Cross Cultural Perspectives3
ANTH 216HSex and Gender in a Cross Cultural Perspective - Honors3
ANTH 220Introduction to Archaeology3
ANTH 222Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology3
ANTH 224Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft3
BUS 132Business, Ethics and Society3
BUS 171Human Relations in the Workplace3
CHLD 110Early Childhood Development3
CHLD 111Child Development Youth - Adolescence3
CHLD 114Home-Child-Community Relations3
COMM 100Mass Media and Society3
COMM 111Introduction to Popular Culture3
COMM 150Communication Theory3
COUN 212Valuing Diversity 3
ECON 100Survey of Economics3
ECON 101Principles of Macroeconomics3
ECON 101HPrinciples of Macroeconomics - Honors3
ECON 102Principles of Microeconomics3
ETHN 101Introduction to Ethnic Studies3
ETHN 116Introduction to Chicano/Latino Studies3
GEOG 102Cultural Geography3
GEOG 103Introduction to Global Studies3
GEOG 104World Regional Geography3
GEOG 105Global Issues3
HIST 102Western Civilization 1715 to the Present3
HIST 103History of World Civilization up to 1500 C.E.3
HIST 103HHistory of World Civilization up to 1500 C.E./Honors3
HIST 104History of World Civilization since 15003
HIST 104HHistory of World Civilization since 1500 - Honors3
HIST 107History of the United States before 18773
HIST 107HHistory of the United States before 1877 - Honors3
HIST 108History of the United States since 18773
HIST 108HHistory of the United States since 1877 - Honors3
HIST 109The World in Conflict - The 20th Century, a History3
HIST 111History of the African-Americans to 18763
HIST 112History of the African-Americans since 18763
HUM 125Italian Civilization3
HIST 130Latin American Culture and Civilization3
HIST 131History of Latin America to 18253
HIST 132History of Modern Latin America3
HIST 139History of California3
HIST 140History of the American West3
HIST 145History of Mexico3
HIST 155History of the Vietnam War3
HIST 160History of Women in the United States3
HIST 222History of World War II3
HUM 120British Civilization3
HUM 123Introduction to Peace Studies - Saving Civilization3
HUM 127Spanish Civilization3
KIN 166American Food And Culture: Global Origins, History, and Current Impacts3
KIN 167Women in Sport3
KIN 178Race, Gender and Sports3
KIN 179Health and Social Justice3
POLI 103American Government and Politics3
POLI 103HAmerican Government and Politics - Honors3
POLI 105Comparative Politics3
POLI 108Political Theory3
POLI 116International Relations3
PSY 101Introduction to Psychology3
PSY 101HIntroduction to Psychology - Honors3
PSY 203Research Methods in Psychology4
PSY 205Developmental Psychology3
PSY 206Child Growth and Development3
PSY 212Psychological Disorders3
PSY 220Introduction to Social Psychology3
PSY 225Psychology of Human Sexuality3
PSY 226Psychology of Women3
SOC 114Marriage, Family, and Intimate Relations3
SOC 118Race and Ethnicity 3
SOC 130Introduction to LGBTQ Studies 3
SOC 201Introduction to Sociology3
SOC 201HIntroduction to Sociology - Honors3
SOC 202Contemporary Social Problems3
SOC 220Introduction to Gender3
SPAN 127Spanish Civilization3
SPAN 130Latin American Culture and Civilization3
SPCH 150Intercultural Communication3

AREA E: Lifelong Understanding

No fewer than 3 semester/4 quarter units.

BUS 146Principles of Money Management3
BUS 171Human Relations in the Workplace3
COUN 120Managing Stress and Anxiety for Emotional Well-Being3
COUN 145Career/Life Planning3
COUN 160Strategies for College Success3
COUN 161Higher Education Transitional Skills for Student Veterans/Families3
COUN 212Valuing Diversity 3
KIN 100Introduction to Kinesiology3
KIN 116Yoga1
KIN 117Vinyasa, Aerial, and Acroyoga1
KIN 118Meditation and Mindfulness3
KIN 166American Food And Culture: Global Origins, History, and Current Impacts3
KIN 167Women in Sport3
KIN 168Introduction to Public Health3
KIN 170Fitness for Life3
KIN 171Health and Wellness3
KIN 171HHealth and Wellness - Honors3
KIN 173Introduction to Nutrition3
PSY 206Child Growth and Development3
PSY 225Psychology of Human Sexuality3
SOC 114Marriage, Family, and Intimate Relations3

AREA F: Ethnic Studies

No fewer than 3 semester/4 quarter units.

ETHN 101Introduction to Ethnic Studies3
ETHN 116Introduction to Chicano/Latino Studies3

CSU History, Constitution & American Ideals

This is a CSU Baccalaureate requirement and not part of CSU certification. Students may complete the following courses prior to transferring. (The CSU system will not award a degree until the U.S. History and American Institutions requirement are fulfilled.)

Group A. U.S. History
HIST 107History of the United States before 18773
HIST 107HHistory of the United States before 1877 - Honors3
HIST 108History of the United States since 18773
HIST 108HHistory of the United States since 1877 - Honors3
HIST 111History of the African-Americans to 18763
HIST 112History of the African-Americans since 18763
HIST 160History of Women in the United States3
Group B. American Institutions
POLI 103American Government and Politics3
POLI 103HAmerican Government and Politics - Honors3