General Education and Graduation Requirements

General Education Requirements

Objectives

The General Education Program provides a vital element in fulfilling the mission of the University. Interdisciplinary courses facilitate learning within and across disciplines, enabling students to use information and approaches from a wide variety of disciplines. Language and multicultural courses provide the opportunity for students to experience cultures other than their own in meaningful and respectful ways. General Education requirements are designed to assure that all graduates of the University, whatever their major, have acquired essential skills, experiences, and a broad range of knowledge appropriate to educated people within society.

General Education courses are intended:

• to foster an ability to think clearly and logically,
• to prepare students to find and critically examine information,
• to communicate at an appropriate level in both oral and written forms,
• to acquaint students with the physical universe and its life forms and to impart an understanding of scientific methodology and of mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning,
• to cultivate through the study of philosophy, literature, languages, and the arts-intellect, imagination, sensibility, and sensitivity,
• to deal with human social, political, and economic institutions and their historical backgrounds, with human behavior and the principles of social interaction, and
• to integrate their knowledge by forming an interdisciplinary and insightful approach to learning.

Requirements

As a graduation requirement, all CSUCI students must complete 48 units of General Education distributed across categories A-E. Nine of the 48 units of General Education are required to be resident upper division, interdisciplinary courses numbered in the 330-349 or 430-449 ranges.

Transfer students who enter CSUCI as GE certified will need to complete 9 units of upper division, interdisciplinary general education coursework to meet the 48 unit requirement.

In planning to fulfill the General Education requirements, students are encouraged to consult an academic advisor and the General Education Informational Brochure.

Category A: Communication in the English Language and Critical Thinking (9 units)
Category B: Mathematics, Sciences, and Technology (12 units)
Category C: Art, Literature, Languages and Cultures (12 units)
Category D: Social Perspectives (12 units)
Category E: Human Psychological and Physiological Perspectives (3 units)

Upper Division Interdisciplinary General Education Courses

Nine of the 48 units of General Education have been designated as upper division, interdisciplinary courses. These courses integrate significant content, ideas, and ways of knowing from more than one discipline. Each of these courses will involve the student in collaborative work, critical thinking, and integration of ideas. By taking nine units of these courses in categories A-E, students will extend their experience across the curriculum and gain more breadth of educational experience. In addition, they will begin to make connections between their majors and a variety of other fields and ways of knowing, increasing both their knowledge and their ability to communicate with people across the disciplinary spectrum.

• The nine units of resident upper division General Education required of all students must be selected from the listing of upper division interdisciplinary courses. Courses may be cross-listed in two or more disciplines. A minimum of three semester units must come from a discipline outside the student’s major and not cross-listed with the student’s major discipline.
• All upper division, interdisciplinary courses will include substantive written work consisting of in-class writing as well as outside-class writing of revised prose.
• Courses numbered 330-349 do not have prerequisites.
• Courses numbered 430-449 may have prerequisites.
• Students must have junior standing or permission from the instructor to enroll in these courses.

Major Specific Courses

Some majors require specific GE courses. Students should consult the catalog for their majors’ requirements or contact their advisors.

Cross Listed Courses

Many upper division General Education courses are cross-listed. Students may only receive credit once for each cross-listed course. For example: ENGL 431 is cross-listed with ART 431. The student may choose to receive course units for either of the two courses but not both.

Double Counting

A course may meet the content requirements for two or more program areas (majors, minors, and other sub-programs) with permission of the program; however, the units for the course are counted only once toward the total units for graduation. Double counting between a program and General Education requirements is allowed; however, only six of the nine units of upper division, interdisciplinary General Education courses may be double counted between a major and General Education.

Courses in More Than One Category

A course may be found in more than one GE category. The student may choose which category requirements the course will fill, but a single course cannot fulfill requirements for two categories or sub-categories.

General Education Categories and Courses [top]

Category A: Communication in the English Language and Critical Thinking (9 units)

Courses in Category A approach communication as symbolic interaction, examining the formulation and complexities of those interactions. Students learn how to discover, evaluate, and report information, how to reason inductively and deductively, how to distinguish fact from judgment or opinion. Courses in Categories A1 and A2 emphasize the content and form of both oral and written English. They explore the psychological basis and the social significance of communication, as well as the ways language works in diverse situations. Through active participation in written and oral communication, students develop the skills necessary for effective speaking, comprehension, writing, and reasoning. Modes of argument, rhetorical perspectives, and the relationship of language to logic are stressed in all Category A courses.

Students must take a minimum of one course in each of the three subcategories.

A-1 Oral Communication
COMM 101 Public Speaking
COMM 210 Interpersonal Communications
COMM 220 Group Communication
COMM/EDUC 345 Media Literacy and Youth Culture
ENGL 106 Composition and Rhetoric II - Service Learning
ENGL 107 Advanced Composition and Rhetoric
ENGL 330 Writing in the Disciplines
ENGL/COMM 336 Multicultural Literature and Communication

A-2 English Writing
ART/LS/ENGL 230 The Art of Creating Journalism
ENGL 103 Stretch Composition II
ENGL 105 Composition and Rhetoric I
ENGL 106 Composition and Rhetoric II - Service Learning
ENGL 107 Advanced Composition and Rhetoric
ENGL 330 Writing in the Disciplines

A-3 Critical Thinking
MATH 230 Logic and Mathematical Reasoning
UNIV 110 Critical Thinking in an Interdisciplinary Context

Category B: Mathematics, Sciences, and Technology (12 units)

Courses in this area explore the scope and major concepts of mathematics and/or scientific disciplines. In the sciences, the intent is to present the principles and concepts which form the foundations of living or non-living systems. The focus of all courses in Category B is on the presentation and evaluation of evidence and argument, the appreciation of use/misuse of data, and the organization of information in quantitative, technological, or other formal systems. Students are introduced to the principles and practices that underscore mathematical and scientific inquiry (logic, precision, hypothesis generation and evaluation, experimentation, and objectivity) and gain an understanding of the process by which new knowledge is created, organized, accessed, and synthesized. Students improve their reasoning skills (critical thinking, problem-solving, decision making, analysis, and synthesis), and apply information and technology to the understanding of complex and diverse problems in mathematics and the sciences. They become aware of the influence and significance of mathematics and the sciences in world civilization.

Students must take a minimum of one course in each of the subcategories. At least one course must include a laboratory component.

B-1 Physical Sciences-Chemistry, Physics, Geology, and Earth Sciences

ART/PHYS 208 The Physics of Art and Visual Perception
CHEM 100 Chemistry and Society
CHEM 105 Introduction to Chemistry
CHEM 121 General Chemistry I
CHEM 122 General Chemistry II
CHEM/BUS/ECON 341 Drug Discovery and Development
CHEM 343 Forensic Science
CHEM/PHYS 344 Energy and Society
ENGL/PHYS 338 Science and Conscience
GEOL 121 Physical Geology
GEOL 122 Historical Geology
GEOL 321 Environmental Geology
PA/PHYS 436 Physics of the Performing Arts
PHSC 170 Foundations in Physical Science
PHYS 100 Introduction to Physics I
PHYS 101 Introduction to Physics II
PHYS/ASTR 105 Introduction to the Solar System
PHYS 107 The Stars and Beyond
PHYS 200 General Physics I
PHYS 201 General Physics II
PHYS/MATH/ COMP 345 Digital Image Processing
PHYS/BIOL/HLTH 434 Introduction to Biomedical Imaging
PHYS/COMP/MATH 445 Image Analysis and Pattern Recognition
PHYS/PAMU 335 The Physics of Music

B-2 Life Sciences-Biology

ANTH 345 Human Evolution and Diversity
BIOL 100 Exploring the Living World
BIOL 170 Foundations of Life Science
BIOL 200 Principles of Organismal and Population Biology
BIOL 201 Principles of Cell and Molecular Biology
BIOL/PSY 212 Neurobiology and Cognitive Science
BIOL 213 Sex, Germs and Diseases
BIOL 214 From Egg to Organism
BIOL 215 Animal Diversity
BIOL 217 Medical Microbiology
BIOL/BUS  331 Biotechnology in the Twenty-First Century
BIOL 332 Cancer and Society
BIOL 333 Emerging Public Health Issues
BIOL 334 Natural History of Ventura County
BIOL 335 Biosphere
BIOL 431 Bioinformatics
BIOL 432 Principles of Epidemiology and Environmental Health
BIOL 433 Ecology and the Environment
ESRM 100 Introduction to Environmental Science and Resource Mgmt

B-3 Mathematics - Mathematics and Applications

BIOL/MATH/PSY 202 Biostatistics
BIOL 203 Quantitative Methods for Biology
MATH 108 Mathematical Thinking
MATH 137 Strategies and Game Design
MATH 140 Calculus for Business Applications
MATH 150 Calculus I
MATH 201 Elementary Statistics
MATH 208 Modern Mathematics for Elementary Teaching I Numbers & Problem Solving
MATH 230 Logic and Mathematical Reasoning
MATH 329 Statistics for Business and Economics
MATH 330 Mathematics and Fine Arts
MATH 331 History of Mathematics
MATH 430 Research Design and Data Analysis
MATH 437 Mathematics for Game Development
MATH 448 Scientific Computing

B-4 Computers and Information Technology

BIOL 431 Bioinformatics
CHEM 305 Computer Applications in Chemistry
COMP 100 Computers: Their Impact and Use
COMP 101 Computer Literacy
COMP 102 Web Development
COMP 105 Computer Programming Introduction
COMP 150 Object-Oriented Programming
COMP 337 Survey of Computer Gaming
COMP 437 Foundations of Computer Game Development
COMP 447 Societal Issues in Computing
COMP/PSY 449 Human-Computer Interaction
MATH 448 Scientific Computing
PHYS/COMP/MATH 345 Digital Image Processing
PHYS/COMP/MATH 445 Image Analysis and Pattern Recognition
 

Category C: Art, Literature, Languages, and Cultures (12 units) [top]

The courses in this category enable students to develop a basic appreciation of the human imagination and understand the value of personal creativity in a complex, global society. Exposure to a diverse range of work in art, literature, languages, and cultures cultivates the student’s ability to express intellectual and emotional responses and make subjective and objective evaluations. Awareness of diverse cultural contributions, in both historical and contemporary work, stresses the interrelationship between individual aesthetics and collective human sensibility. Numerous teaching methodologies involve active participation in the creative experience, leading to personal inquiries into the cultural diversity prevalent in the visual, literary, audible, kinetic, and oral traditions of human expression.

Students must take one course in each subcategory.

C-1 Art

ART 100 Understanding Fine Arts Processes
ART 102 Multicultural Children’s Art
ART 110 Prehistoric Art to the Middle Ages
ART 111 Renaissance to Modern Art
ART 112 Art of the Eastern World
ART/PHYS 208 The Physics of Art and Visual Perception
ART 330 Critical Thinking in a Visual World
ART 331 Art and Mass Media
ART 332 Multicultural Art Movements
ART/BUS 334 The Business of Art
ART/ 336 Art and Music: Dissonance, Diversity PAMU and Continuity
ART 337 Art on Film and Film as Art
ART/PSY 338 Psychology of Art and Artists
ART 351 The Baroque Eye: Art, Culture, Money, and Power
ART 433 Women in the Arts
ART 435 Postmodern Visual Culture
ART/ENGL 431 European Renaissance Literature and Art
ART/ENGL/PAMU 432 Arts of the Harlem Renaissance
ART/BUS/EDUC 434 The Museum: Culture, Business and Education
ART 436 Modern Art
ART 451 Diversity in the Visual Arts
PA/HIST 338 Theatre in History
PAMU 100 Music Appreciation
PAMU 200 History of Rock
PAMU 307 University Chorus
PAMU 308 University Orchestra
PAMU 330 Jazz in America
PAMU 333 The Varieties of Musical Experience
PHYS/PAMU 335 The Physics of Music

C-2 Literature Courses

ART/ENGL/HIST 335 American Ethnic Images in Novels, Film, and Art
ART/ENGL 431 European Renaissance Literature and Art
ART/ENGL/PAMU 432 Arts of the Harlem Renaissance
ENGL 110 Themes in Multicultural Literature for Non-majors.
ENGL 120 American Literature I
ENGL 150 British and European Literature I
ENGL 210 Themes in World Literature
ENGL 220 American Literature II
ENGL 250 British and European Literature II
ENGL/ECON/HIST/POLS/SOC 331 Narratives of the Working Class
ENGL/PATH 332 Teaching Dramatic Literature
ENGL/PATH 333 Multicultural Drama in Performance/Production
ENGL/HIST 334 Narratives of Southern California
ENGL/ 336 Multicultural Literature and COMM Communication
ENGL 337 Literature of the Environment
ENGL/PHYS 338 Science and Conscience
ENGL/PSY 339 Psychology and Literature
ENGL/BUS/ECON  340 Business and Economics in American Literature
ENGL/GEND  433 Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Studies
ENGL/PATH 444 Original Practice in Renaissance Drama
ENGL 449 Perspectives on Multicultural Literature

C-3a Language

ASL 101 American Sign Language I
ASL 102 American Sign Language II
SPAN 101 Elementary Spanish I
SPAN 102 Elementary Spanish II
SPAN 201 Intermediate Spanish I
SPAN 202 Intermediate Spanish II
SPAN 211 Spanish for Heritage Speakers I
SPAN 212 Spanish for Heritage Speakers II

C-3b Multicultural

ANTH 102 Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 323 Native Americans of California to the 1850’s
ART/ENGL/HIST 335 American Ethnic Images in Novels, Film, and Art
ART 102 Multicultural Children’s Art
ART 112 Art of the Eastern World
ART 332 Multicultural Art Movements
ART/HIST 333 History of Southern California Chicano/a Art
ART 435 Postmodern Visual Culture
ART 451 Diversity in the Visual Arts
CHS 100 Chicanos in Contemporary Society
EDUC 451 The Chicano/Mexicano Child & Adolescent
EDUC 512 Equity, Diversity and Foundations of Schooling
ENGL 110 Themes in Multicultural Literature for Non-Majors
ENGL/PATH  333 Multicultural Drama in Performance/ Production
ENGL/HIST 430 Tradition and Transformation: Literature, History, and Cultural Change
ENGL 449 Perspectives on Multicultural Literature
PAMU 330 Jazz in America
POLS 306 The Politics of Race and Ethnicity
POLS/SOC 330 Political Sociology
PSY 344 Psychology and Traditional Asian Thought
SPAN 201 Intermediate Spanish I
SPAN 202 Intermediate Spanish II
SPAN 211 Spanish for Heritage Speakers I
SPAN 212 Spanish for Heritage Speakers II
UNIV 392 International Experience

Category D: Social Perspectives (12 units) [top]

The courses in this category enhance student knowledge of the complex cultural and institutional world in which people live. Each course examines relationships between various cultures and institutions that shape our social, economic, psychological, and political realities. Using the lenses of the social sciences, students gain insight and understanding of the social, political, historical, economic, educational or behavioral aspects of world cultures and systems, including the ways in which these interact and influence each other.

Students must select a minimum of three courses (12 units), each course in a different social science discipline.
ANTH 102 Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 310 Civilization of an Ancient Landscape: World Archaeology
ANTH 323 Native Americans of California to the 1850’s
ANTH/ESRM 332 Human Ecology
ANTH 443 Medical Anthropology: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Health and Healing
ART 331 Art and Mass Media
ART/HIST 333 History of Southern California Chicano/a Art
ART/BUS 334 The Business of Art
ART/PAMU 336 Art and Music: Dissonance, Diversity and Continuity
ART 337 Art on Film and Film as Art
ART 433 Women in the Arts
ART/BUS/EDUC 434 The Museum: Culture, Business and Education
BIOL/BUS 331 Biotechnology in the 21st Century
BIOL 332 Cancer and Society
BIOL/BUS/ECON/EDUC 342 The Zoo: Conservation, Education and Recreation
BIOL 432 Principles of Epidemiology and Environmental Health
BUS/HIST/ECON 349 History of Business and Economics in North America
BUS 424 Business, Government and Society
CHEM/BUS/ECON 341 Drug Discovery and Development
CHS 100 Chicanos in Contemporary Society
COMM/EDUC 345 Media Literacy and Youth Culture
COMP 447 Societal Issues in Computing
ECON 110 Principles of Microeconomics
ECON 111 Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON 300 Fundamentals of Economics
ECON/ENGL/HIST/POLS/SOC 331 Narratives of the Working Class
ECON/FIN 343 Capital Theory
EDUC 101 Introduction to Elementary Schooling
EDUC 320 Education in Modern Society
EDUC 330 Introduction to Secondary Schooling
EDUC 451 The Chicano/Mexicano Child & Adolescent
ENGL/HIST 334 Narratives of Southern California
ENGL 337 Literature of the Environment
ENGL/PSY 339 Psychology and Literature
ENGL/BUS/ECON 340 Business and Economics in American Literature
ENGL/HIST  430 Tradition and Transformation: Literature, History, and Cultural Change
ENGL/GEND  433 Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Studies
ESRM 100 Introduction to Environmental Science and Resource Management
ESRM/SOC 440 Population Studies
HIST 211 World Civilizations: Origins to 1500
HIST 212 World Civilizations: Since 1500
HIST 280 The Historian’s Craft
HIST 365 Themes in World History
HIST 402 Southern California Chicano/a History and Culture
HIST 412 Law and Society
HIST 413 World Religions and Classical Philosophies
HIST/ANTH 442 The African Diaspora
MATH 331 History of Mathematics
MGT/BIOL 326 Scientific and Professional Ethics
PA/HIS 338 Theatre in History
POLS 102 Comparative Government
POLS 103 Introduction to International Politics
POLS/SOC 330 Political Sociology
POLS 328 United States Foreign Policy
POLS/BIOL 345 Science and Public Policy
PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology
PSY 213 Developmental Psychology
PSY 333 Measurement and Testing of Groups and Individuals
PSY 337 Psychological Ethics and Moral Philosophy
PSY/HIST 340 History and Psychology of Nazi Germany
PSY 432 Seminar in Leadership
PSY/HIST  436 Psychology and History of East Asian Warrior Cultures
PSY 441 The Psychology of Space
PSY 445 Adolescent Development
SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology
SOC 201 Social Problems in a Service Learning Context
SPED/PSY 345 Individuals with Disabilities in Society

Category E: Human Psychological and Physiological Perspectives (3 units) [top]

The courses in this category enhance students’ awareness and understanding of themselves as both psychological and physiological beings. These courses promote this awareness by focusing on issues such as human development, human sexuality, human behavior and psychology, health, nutrition, physical activity, and death and dying. The perspective is that humans, as physiological and psychological beings, must relate to others in a physical and social environment.

Students must complete at least one course to satisfy Category E. Courses that are primarily physical activity courses may satisfy no more than 1 unit of the 3-unit requirement.

ART/PSY 338 Psychology of Art and Artists
BIOL/PSY 212 Neurobiology and Cognitive Science
BIOL 213 Sex, Germs and Diseases
BIOL 333 Emerging Public Health Issues
COMP/PSY 449 Human-Computer Interaction
HLTH 322 Health Issues in Education
PHED 102 Seminar in Traditional Martial Arts: Tai Ji
PHED 105 Zen of Surfing
PHED 110 Wellness
PHED 208 Introduction to Kinesiology
PHED 302 Motor Learning, Fitness and Development in Children
PHED 310 Adapted Physical Education
PHYS/BIOL/HLTH 434 Introduction to Biomedical Imaging
PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology
PSY 210 Learning, Cognition and Development
PSY 213 Developmental Psychology
PSY 220 Human Sexual Behavior
PSY/HIST 340 History and Psychology of Nazi Germany
PSY 344 Psychology and Traditional Asian Thought
PSY 346 Human Motivation
PSY 432 Seminar in Leadership
PSY/HIST 436 Psychology and History of East Asian Warrior Cultures
PSY 441 The Psychology of Space
PSY 445 Adolescent Development
SPED/PSY 345 Individuals with Disabilities in Society

Upper Division Interdisciplinary General Education Courses

Courses in the following list meet the upper division general education requirement and may also be counted toward the designated General Education category. If a course is designated in more than one GE category the student must choose which GE category the course is fulfilling.

ART/ENGL/HIST 335 American Ethnic Images in Novels, Film, and Art
ANTH/ESRM 332 Human Ecology
ANTH 345 Human Evolution and Diversity
ANTH 443 Medical Anthropology: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Health and Healing
ART 330 Critical Thinking in a Visual World
ART 331 Art and Mass Media
ART 332 Multicultural Art Movements
ART 337 Art on Film and Film as Art
ART 433 Women in the Arts
ART 435 Postmodern Visual Culture
ART/HIST 333 History of Southern California Chicano/a Art
ART/BUS 334 The Business of Art
ART/PAMU 336 Art and Music: Dissonance, Diversity and Continuity
ART/PSY 338 Psychology of Art and Artists
ART/ENGL 431 European Renaissance Literature and Art
ART/ENGL/PAMU 432 Arts of the Harlem Renaissance
ART/BUS/EDUC 434 The Museum: Culture, Business and Education
ART 436 Modern Art
BIOL/BUS 331 Biotechnology in the Twenty-First Century
BIOL 332 Cancer and Society
BIOL 333 Emerging Public Health Issues
BIOL 334 Natural History of Ventura County
BIOL 335 Biosphere
BIOL/BUS/ ECON/EDUC 342 The Zoo: Conservation, Education and Recreation
BIOL 431 Bioinformatics
BIOL 432 Principles of Epidemiology and Environmental Health
BIOL 433 Ecology and the Environment
BUS/HIST/ ECON 349 History of Business and Economics in North America
CHEM/BUS/ECON 341 Drug Discovery and Development
CHEM 343 Forensic Science
CHEM/PHYS 344 Energy and Society
COMM/EDUC 345 Media Literacy and Youth Culture
COMP 337 Survey of Computer Gaming
COMP 437 Foundation of Computer Game Development
COMP 447 Societal Issues in Computing
COMP/PSY 449 Human-Computer Interaction
ECON/FIN 343 Capital Theory
ECON/ENGL/HIST/POL/SOC 331 Narratives of the Working Class
EDUC 330 Introduction to Secondary Schooling
ENGL 330 Writing in the Disciplines
ENGL/PATH 332 Teaching Dramatic Literature
ENGL/PATH  333 Multicultural Drama in Performance/Production
ENGL/HIST 334 Narratives of Southern California
ENGL/COMM  336 Multicultural Literature and Communication
ENGL 337 Literature of the Environment
ENGL/PHYS 338 Science and Conscience
ENGL/PSY 339 Psychology and Literature
ENGL/BUS/ECON 340 Business and Economics in American Literature
ENGL/HIST 430 Tradition and Transformation: Literature, History, and Cultural Change
ENGL/GEND 433 Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Studies
ENGL/PATH 444 Original Practice in Renaissance Drama
ENGL 449 Perspectives on Multicultural Literature
ESRM/SOC 440 Population Studies
HIST/ANTH 442 The African Diaspora
MATH 330 Mathematics and Fine Arts
MATH 331 History of Mathematics
MATH 430 Research Design and Data Analysis
MATH 437 Mathematics for Game Development
MATH 448 Scientific Computing
PA/HIST 338 Theatre in History
PA/PHYS 436 Physics of Performing Arts
PAMU 330 Jazz in America
PAMU 333 The Varieties of Musical Experience
PHYS/PAMU 335 The Physics of Music
PHYS/MATH/COMP 345 Digital Image Processing
PHYS/BIOL/HLTH 434 Introduction to Biomedical Imaging
PHYS/COMP/MATH 445 Image Analysis and Pattern Recognition
POLS/SOC 330 Political Sociology
POLS/COMM 335 Politics and Film
POLS/ESRM 340 Politics and the Environment
POLS/BIOL 345 Science and Public Policy
POLS/COMM 430 Political Communication
PSY 333 Measurement and Testing of Groups and Individuals
PSY 337 Psychological Ethics and Moral Philosophy
PSY/HIST 340 History and Psychology of Nazi Germany
PSY 344 Psychology and Traditional Asian Thought
PSY 346 Human Motivation
PSY 432 Seminar in Leadership
PSY/HIST  436 Psychology and History of East Asian Warrior Cultures
PSY 441 The Psychology of Space
PSY 445 Adolescent Development
SPED/PSY 345 Individuals with Disabilities in Society

Graduation Requirements [top]

Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

All baccalaureate degrees require completion of the requirements listed below. Degree requirements fall into three categories: general education requirements; major/minor requirements and other University requirements.

Total Units

A minimum of 120-125 units are required, depending on the major selected. No more than 70 units taken at a community college or another two-year college may be applied to this total, excluding military credit and credit by examination. A quarter unit is equivalent to two-thirds of a semester unit.

Upper Division Units

At least 40 of the total required units for graduation must be in courses numbered 300-499.

Major

Completion of a specific number and pattern of courses in one or more academic departments is defined as a major and is required for graduation.

General Education

All students must complete General Education requirements. General Education requirements can be found in the General Education section of the catalog. A minimum of nine upper division, interdisciplinary units must be completed in residence at CSU Channel Islands.

Residence

At least 30 of the total units must be taken at CSU Channel Islands excluding Open University and Extension units. At least 24 of these 30 units must be upper division coursework, and 12 of the 30 units must be in the major. At least 9 units of upper division interdisciplinary General Education courses (numbered in the 330-349 or 430-449 ranges) of the required 48 General Education units must be completed in residence at CSU Channel Islands.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

An overall GPA of 2.0 is required in:

1. Total courses attempted
2. CSU Channel Islands courses attempted; and
3. Courses in the major

Title V, Section 40404: Graduation Requirements in United States History, Constitution and American Ideals (American Institutions Requirement)

Students are required to demonstrate competencies in U.S. History, U.S. Constitution and California state and local government for graduation. Competencies can be met by enrollment in six units as follows:

1. POLS 150 American Political Institutions (3) Students who have AP credit for American Government or have taken American Government without coverage of California government may take the following: POLS 140 California Government (1)
2. Choose from one of the following:
   • HIST 270 The United States to 1877 (3)
   • HIST 271 The United States since 1877 (3)
   • HIST 272 Constitutional History of the U.S. (3)
   • HIST 275 The United States to 1900 (3)

Language and Multicultural Requirement

1. The language requirement can be met by satisfying General Education category C3a with a grade of C or better. Students who are G.E. certified in Section C must still meet the language requirement for graduation and may do so either by passing a C3a course with a grade of “C” or better or by demonstrating proficiency through examination. Students will also receive credit for having advanced proficiency in a language other than English. This proficiency can be demonstrated via an examination that assesses the student’s language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) on a variety of informal and formal topics. By passing this examination, students fulfill the graduation exit requirement for language. For purposes of the General Education requirement, however, students receive content credit but not unit credit.
2. The multicultural requirement can be met by satisfying General Education category C3b with a grade of C or better.
   (SP 03-27)

Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement

The Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement will be satisfied through the completion of 9 units of Upper-Division Interdisciplinary General Education courses, which are writing intensive. (SP 14-03)

Graduation [top]

Graduation Information and Application Process for the Bachelor’s Degree

To qualify for graduation students must complete all requirements for the Bachelor’s Degree by the official graduation date listed in the schedule of classes. Graduation is not automatic upon the completion of requirements. Students who intend to graduate must take the initiative and should follow the key steps listed below. While students are ultimately responsible for completing all degree requirements, assistance is available through faculty advisement, the Advising Center and Graduation Evaluations. It is important that students meet regularly with an advisor to avoid graduation problems and delays.

Application for Graduation

The application for Degree and Diploma and filing fee entitles students to an official graduation evaluation of progress toward meeting baccalaureate degree requirements. Students qualifying for graduation by the designated graduation date may participate in the annual commencement ceremony. Students may only participate in commencement if they have 10 or fewer units remaining at the time of the ceremony. The application for degree is available at the Advising Center in the Bell Tower building and at the Enrollment Center in the Sage Hall.

Key Steps to Graduation

1. Request a preliminary graduation evaluation from the Advising Center approximately two semesters prior to the anticipated graduation date. Students begin the process by meeting with a professional advisor in the Advising Center. The advisor will complete a preliminary check of all graduation requirements. Included in this check will be a major evaluation that may be signed by either a professional advisor or major program advisor.
2. After the initial check with the Advising Center advisor, complete the Application for Degree and Diploma, attach the preliminary graduation evaluation completed by the Advising Center advisor, along with any approved course substitutions.
3. Submit the completed preliminary evaluation, application for Bachelor’s Degree and any approved course substitutions to the Enrollment Center Cashier (Sage Hall) and pay the appropriate fees for graduation application. The graduation fee covers the cost of the graduation check, the diploma, and participation in the annual commencement ceremony. (The fee does not include cap and gown rental, which is handled separately by the Student Bookstore). The Cashier’s Office sends the Application for Degree and Diploma, preliminary graduation evaluation and certification of payment to Graduation Evaluations.
4. If the Application for Degree and Diploma is completed by the published deadline (see current semester schedule for filing dates and deadlines), a completed degree evaluation will be mailed before the end of the add/drop period in a student’s last semester. The graduation evaluation confirms remaining requirements for graduation and is a formal statement on the expected semester of graduation. The actual date of graduation will be the end of the semester in which all requirements have been met.
5. Participate in the commencement ceremony held at the end of the spring semester if eligible (participation is optional).
6. Students not completing the requirements by expected date of graduation must reapply for graduation and will be charged a $15 graduation refile fee.
7. After all degree requirements have been completed and Graduation Evaluators can verify their completion, a diploma is normally available within four months of final clearance. If proof of completion of degree is needed prior to receiving a diploma, verification of graduation or transcript may be requested from Records and Registration.

Commencement and Honors Convocation

Commencement and Honors Convocation are held each year in the spring, bringing together local community members to celebrate the accomplishment of our students.

University Honors

To receive honors at graduation at CSU Channel Islands, a student must:

1. Complete a minimum 30 units of courses taken at CSUCI for a letter grade.
2. Earn a grade point average of 3.50 or above in all work taken at CSUCI.
3. Earn the following cumulative grade point average in all undergraduate courses, including transfer work:

Summa Cum Laude - this honor is awarded to all students who earn a grade point average of 3.90 - 4.0.

Magna Cum Laude - this honor is awarded to all students who earn a grade point average of 3.75 - 3.89

Cum Laude - this honor is awarded to all students who earn a grade point average of 3.50 - 3.74.
(SP 03-24)

Participating in Commencement Ceremonies

Students may participate in commencement ceremonies if they have no more than 10 units pending toward completion of their degrees. (SP02-05)

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