TRANSFERRING GUIDANCE

General Education Patterns – IGETC and CSU GE

General education (GE) is the cornerstone of degree attainment and supports student learning in the discipline-specific coursework required to earn a degree in a field of study.

For community college students planning to transfer to California public higher education institutions, two GE options exist:

The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
CSU GE Breadth pattern of courses

IGETC satisfies the lower division GE for either a UC or CSU, whereas the CSU GE Breadth pattern only satisfies lower division GE at CSU. The CSU GE has additional requirements that transfer specialists can describe. Curriculum committees should be interested in both GE packages because the articulation is approved by area and courses must meet specific criteria to be certified in a particular area.

IGETC is designed for students who intend to transfer to California State University (CSU) or the University of California (UC), or who are unsure if they will transfer to a CSU or UC campus. Students who complete this pattern of courses with a grade of “C” or better in each course, will complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) and satisfy all lower division general education units required by the CSU and UC. However, this certification may not be advisable for some majors at certain CSU and UC campuses. Courses on the IGETC list are approved for a specific academic year only. A course cannot be certified unless it was on the IGETC list when it was taken by the student. It is important to check the ASSIST website regularly for any changes to the approved General Education pattern as course additions occur throughout the year. ASSIST should not take the place of a counselor. It is intended to help students and counselors work together to establish an appropriate path toward transferring from a public California community college to a public California university.

CSU General Education Breadth Certification is designed specifically for students intending to transfer to the California State University System. Students who complete this certification will complete the maximum lower-division general education units allowed by the 23 California State University (CSU) campuses. Courses on this list are approved for a specific academic year. A course cannot be certified unless it was on the CSU/GE list when it was taken by the student. It is important to check the ASSIST website regularly to see if there are any changes since General Education courses may be added to the approved GE list during the year. ASSIST does not take the place of a counselor. It is intended to help students and counselors work together to establish an appropriate path toward transferring from a public California community college to a public California university.