General Education Requirements for Transfer to CSU or UC (IGETC): Option III

University of California

The University of California System (UC) consists of 10 campuses:

  • Berkeley
  • Davis
  • Irvine
  • Los Angeles
  • Merced
  • Riverside
  • San Diego
  • San Francisco (Medical Center)
  • Santa Barbara
  • Santa Cruz

Each campus within the UC system has its own unique geographic and academic character. The UC offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in a variety of subject areas.

Articulation agreements between California Community Colleges and individual UC campuses can be found on the Assist website. Articulation agreements can help identify courses to select for course transferability, major preparation and general education requirements.

Many UC campuses offer individual admission agreements that guarantee students space on campus or in a particular major, provided they complete specific academic requirements while at a community college. Citrus College has Transfer Admission Guarantees (TAGs) with Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz. Students are urged to secure UC admission by submitting a TAG during the TAG application filing period, September 1 - 30. TAG criteria can be found at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/transfer/index.html.

Transfer Eligibility Requirements

The UC considers a student a transfer applicant if they are enrolled in a regular session at a college or university after high school, not including summer session. The student’s college record cannot be disregarded; they cannot apply as a freshman. A maximum of 70 semester units of transferable credit will be accepted for courses completed at a community college.

The UC gives junior-level community college students first priority over other transfer applicants, including those from four-year institutions and UC’s own intercampus transfer students.

Junior-Level Transfer

To be considered for UC admission as a junior, you must fulfill both of the following:

  1. Complete 60 semester (90 quarter) units of transferable college credit with a GPA of at least 2.4 (2.8 if you’re a nonresident). No more than 14 semester (21 quarter) units may be taken Pass/No Pass.
  2. Complete the following course pattern requirements, earning a grade of C or better in each course:
    • Two transferable college courses (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units each) in English composition
    • One transferable college course (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units) in mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning
    • Four transferable college courses (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units each) chosen from at least two of the following subject areas:
      • arts and humanities
      • social and behavioral sciences
      • physical and biological sciences

Each course in this pattern must be worth at least three semester units and you must earn a grade of C or better in each course. For information about which community college courses are UC transferable and which are approved for UC Transfer Admissions Eligibility, visit www.assist.org.

Lower-Division Transfer

While all UC campuses welcome a large pool of junior-level transfers, most admit only a limited number of lower-division students:

  • If you were eligible for admission to UC when you graduated from high school — meaning you satisfied the subject, examination and scholarship requirements or were identified by UC during your senior year as Eligible in the Local Context (ELC) and completed the subject and examination requirements in your senior year — you are eligible for transfer if you have a 2.0 GPA in your transferable college course work (2.8 GPA for non- residents).
  • If you met the scholarship requirement in high school, but did not satisfy the 15-course subject requirement, you must take transferable college courses in the missing subjects, earn a C or better in each required course and have an overall 2.0 GPA in all transferable coursework to be eligible to transfer (a 2.8 GPA is required for non-residents).

Nonresidents

The minimum admission requirements for nonresidents are very similar to those for residents. Non-California residents must consult with the admissions office at one of the UC campuses for details. In all cases, however, nonresidents must have a grade point average of 2.8 or higher in all transferable college coursework.

Completion of all the requirements in the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) will permit you to transfer from a community college to a campus in either the California State University (CSU) or the University of California (UC) system without the need, after transfer, to take additional lower division, general education courses to satisfy campus general education requirements. Completion of IGETC does not guarantee admission, nor is it required for admission.

The IGETC is not advisable for all transfer students. If you are pursuing a major that requires extensive lower-division preparation you may be better served by taking courses which fulfill the CSU General Education-Breadth requirements or those of the UC campus or college to which you plan to transfer. Majors may include, but are NOT LIMITED to:

  • Engineering,
  • Business Administration,
  • Computer Science,
  • Pre-professional Schools and Sciences.

Certification: Be sure to request certification when requesting transcripts be sent to your choice of university or college. All courses MUST be completed with grades of “C” or better. Please consult with a counselor or advisor regarding the use of courses from other colleges or universities. Students who choose to use the IGETC pattern are expected to complete all of the requirements of the pattern before transferring to a UC or CSU campus. However, if a student is unable to complete one or two IGETC courses he/she may be eligible for partial certification. Students should consult with a counselor or advisor for details regarding this option.

AREA 1: English Composition

If you plan to attend a CSU choose three courses, one from each group.

If you plan to attend UC, choose two courses, one from Group A and one from Group B.

Group 1A: English Composition
One course, minimum 3 semester/4 quarter units.
ENGL 101Reading and Composition4
ENGL 101EReading and Composition, Enhanced5
ENGL 101HReading and Composition - Honors4
ENGL 102Introduction to Literature3
Group 1B: Critical Thinking/English Comp
One course, 3 semester/4 quarter units
ENGL 103Composition and Critical Thinking3
ENGL 103HComposition and Critical Thinking - Honors3
ENGL 104Argumentative Writing and Critical Thinking3
ENGL 104HArgumentative Writing and Critical Thinking - Honors3
Group 1C: Oral Communication (CSU Only)
SPCH 100Interpersonal Communication3
SPCH 100H Interpersonal Communication - Honors3
SPCH 101Public Address3
SPCH 101HPublic Address - Honors3
SPCH 103Argumentation and Debate3
SPCH 106Small Group Communication3

AREA 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning

One course, or 3 semester/4 quarter units.

MATH 160Mathematics for Everyday Living - A Liberal Arts Course5
MATH 165Introductory Statistics4
MATH 165HIntroductory Statistics - Honors4
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
PSY 203Research Methods in Psychology4

AREA 3: Arts & Humanities

Three courses, 9 semester/12 quarter units. One course MUST be from Group 3A and one from Group 3B.

Group 3A: Art
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 106Art History - Ancient Latin American 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 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 206HHistory of Latin American Art - Colonial through Contemporary - Honors3
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
PHTO 108History of Photography3
THEA 101Introduction to Theatre Arts3
THEA 101HIntroduction to Theatre Arts - Honors3
THEA 200Script Analysis: The Art of the Theatre3
Group 3B: Humanities
ARCH 250History of Architecture: Prehistory to Mannerism3
ARCH 251History of Architecture: Baroque to the Present Day3
ART 108History of Photography3
ASL 102American Sign Language II5
CHIN 102Chinese II5
CHIN 201Chinese III5
COMM 111Introduction to Popular Culture3
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 290Ethnic Voices in Film3
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
FREN 102French II5
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 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 102Italian II5
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
PHTO 108History of Photography3
SOC 130Introduction to LGBTQ Studies 3
SPAN 102Spanish II5
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

AREA 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences

6 semester/9 quarter units.
At least two courses from two disciplines.

AJ 101Introduction to the Administration of Justice3
AJ 102Concepts of Criminal Law3
ANTH 210Introduction to Cultural Anthropology3
ANTH 210HIntroduction to Cultural Anthropology - Honors3
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
COMM 100Mass Media and Society3
COMM 150Communication Theory3
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 111African-American History to 18763
HIST 112History of the African-Americans since 18763
HIST 130Latin American Culture and Civilization3
HIST 131History of Latin America to 18253
HIST 132History of Modern Latin America3
HIST 139History of California3
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 125Italian 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
POLI 120Principles of United Nations3
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 5: Physical and Biological Sciences

Select two courses (7 semester/9 quarter units), one course from Physical Science and one from Biological Sciences.
At least one must include a lab: (Lab).

Group 5A: 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
FOR 102Introduction to Forest Ecology3
GEOG 118Physical Geography3
GEOG 130Introduction to Weather and Climate3
PHYS 110Physics in Everyday Life (Lab)4
PHYS 110HPhysics in Everyday Life - Honors4
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
Group 5B: Biological Sciences
ANTH 212Introduction to Physical Anthropology3
ANTH 212LIntroduction to Physical Anthropology Lab (Lab only, must be taken with ANTH 212)1
BIOL 102Human Genetics3
BIOL 105General Biology (Lab)4
BIOL 105HGeneral Biology - Honors (Lab)4
BIOL 108Biology of Cancer3
BIOL 110Field Biology4
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 108Intro to Biotechnology: Real World Biology Applications4
PSY 102Psychobiology3

Area 6A: (UC Only) Languages Other Than English

Students transferring to UC are required to demonstrate competence (proficiency) in a language other than English, equal to two years of high school study.

ASL 101American Sign Language I5
ASL 101HAmerican Sign Language I - Honors5
ASL 102American Sign Language II5
ASL 102HAmerican Sign Language II - Honors5
ASL 103American Sign Language III5
CHIN 101Chinese I5
CHIN 102Chinese II5
CHIN 201Chinese III5
FREN 101French I5
FREN 102French II5
GER 101German I5
GER 102German II5
GER 201German III5
GER 202German IV5
ITAL 101Italian I5
ITAL 102Italian II5
JPN 101Japanese I5
JPN 102Japanese II5
SPAN 101Spanish I5
SPAN 102Spanish II5
SPAN 141Intermediate Conversational Spanish3
SPAN 201Spanish III5
SPAN 201HSpanish III - Honors5
SPAN 202Spanish IV5
SPAN 210Intermediate Spanish for Spanish Speakers I5
SPAN 211Intermediate Spanish for Spanish Speakers II5

Area 7: Ethnic Studies

One course, 3 semester/4 quarter units. 

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

US History, Constitution and American Ideals

Requirement (CSU Only)
CSU Graduation Requirement (Not part of IGETC) Select one course from each of the following categories: (6 semester/9 quarter units)

US Government
POLI 103American Government and Politics3
POLI 103HAmerican Government and Politics - Honors3
US 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

UC Transfer Unit Limitations

  • No credit for BIOL 104 if taken after BIOL 105 or BIOL 124
  • No credit for BIOL 105, BIOL 105H if taken after BIOL 124
  • BUS 160 and BUS 161 combined: maximum credit, 1 course
  • No credit for CHEM 110 if taken after CHEM 103 or CHEM 111
  • COUN 160, COUN 161, COUN 200, COUN 206 and COUN 210 combined: maximum credit, 3 units
  • ESCI 119 and ESCI 120 combined: maximum credit, 1 course
  • ECON 100, ECON 101 and ECON 102 combined: maximum credit, 2 courses
  • ENGL 101 and ESL 101 combined: maximum credit, 1 course
  • ENGL 101E: maximum credit, 4 units
  • SPAN 201 and SPAN 210 combined: maximum credit, 1 course
  • Any or all of these PE Activity courses combined: maximum credit, 4 units
  • Refer to UCTCA for PE Theory course unit limitations
  • MATH 180 and MATH 190 combined: maximum credit, 1 course
  • MATH 165, MATH 165H and PSY 103 combined: maximum credit, 1 course
  • MATH 170 and MATH 175 combined: maximum credit, 5 semester/7.5 quarter units
  • No credit for PHYS 110 if taken after PHYS 111 or PHYS 201
  • PHYS 111, PHYS 111C, PHYS 112 and PHYS 201, PHYS 202, PHYS 203 combined: maximum credit, 1 series
  • PHYS 111C must have a prerequisite or co-requisite of PHYS 111 to be transferable
  • PSY 103, MATH 165 and MATH 165H combined: maximum credit, 1 course