CSU GE-B Requirements

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY

GENERAL EDUCATION-BREADTH (CSU GE-B)

 

The CSU General Education-Breadth program (CSU GE-B) is a 39 semester/58.5 quarter-unit general education program that allows California Community College students to fulfill lower-division GE requirements for any CSU campus with specified courses in the areas of:

  • Area A — English Language Communication and Critical Thinking (9.0 Units)
  • Area B — Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning (9.0 units)
  • Area C — Arts and Humanities (9.0 units)
  • Area D — Social Sciences (6.0 units)
  • Area E — Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (3.0 units)
  • Area F — Ethnic Studies (3.0) **Effective Fall 2021**
At least 60 TRANSFERABLE UNITS of Major and General Education courses are required for transfer.

Some majors include courses that meet both GE and major requirements. This is referred to as “double-counting.” It’s recommended that students work with their academic advisor or transfer counselors to identify which courses can satisfy both GE and lower-division major course requirements.

Potential transfer students should:
  • meet with a counselor to create a COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATIONAL PLAN (CEP) that will assist in identifying appropriate major and GE requirements;
  • with a counselor’s assistance, determine eligibility for an Associate’s Degree and/or an Associate’s Degree for Transfer.

CSU General Education Certification

CSU General Education-Breadth certification verifies that a student has completed all lower division general education requirements for the CSU. Students should request CSU GE-B Certification when official transcripts are requested.  Certification is reported on your official transcript but does not replace an official transcript.  There are three types of certification for CSU:

FULL Certification   Granted when ALL GE areas have been completed.  Students with FULL certification will not have to complete additional lower division GE requirements after transfer to the CSU.  However, students will be responsible for additional upper division GE requirements (typically 9 semester/12 quarter units) as well as CSU graduation requirements after transfer.  Full certification is strongly recommended for most CSU transfers but REQUIRED for students pursuing an Associate Degree for Transfer.
PARTIAL Certification             Granted when one or more GE Areas have been completed. Students who do not complete CSU GE-B before transferring will be required to satisfy the remaining lower-division general education/ breadth requirements after transfer. PARTIAL certification may be the best option for students pursuing high-unit majors.
CSU GE-B FOR STEM Certification  Allowable for students pursing the Biology AS-T only.  Granted when all areas of GE have been complete except one course in Area C and one course in Area D.  Students who complete CSU GE-B for STEM will be required to satisfy the remaining lower-division general education/ breadth requirements after transfer.

 

Minimum Grades for Certification

Students must complete at least 10 general education courses (30 semester/45 quarter units) with an overall GPA of 2.0.  A grade of C or P or better must be earned in Area A and Area B4.  Grades of "P" are acceptable but there is no system-wide policy for maximum number of units allowed. Therefore, each campus has established its own policy on limitations of courses transferred with grades of “Credit/Pass”. The information is updated annually and is available at the CSU Campus Admission Specific Practices and Enrollment Resources (CASPER) website: https://www2.calstate.edu/attend/student-services/casper. 

Certificate of Achievement in Transfer Studies

Students who obtain FULL certification are eligible for a Certificate of Achievement in Transfer Studies - CSU GE-B.  Students may apply for this award when applying for their degree in the MC Portal.  See http://graduate.missioncollege.edu for additional graduation information.

Additional Notes:

  • At least nine semester units of upper-division coursework will be required after transfer.
  • Transfer students may earn general education or lower-division major credits by taking a CSU-accepted external examination such as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and College-Level Examination Program (CLEP). Each campus in the California State University system determines how it will apply credits earned by external examinations toward the degree major.  To determine how Mission College applies credit for external examinations, see Credit for External Coursework & Exams.
  • Requirements are subject to change. Visit the ASSIST website at WWW.ASSIST.ORG for a complete listing of CSU transferable courses as well as updated general education and major requirements.

For more information about CSU Transfer, visit https://www2.calstate.edu/apply/transfer/ 

 CSU GE-B SUMMARY • AREA A • AREA B • AREA C • AREA D • AREA E • *AREA F (Effective Fall 2021)

*Mission College will not be offering courses in Area F during the 2021-2022 academic year.  Students should consult with a counselor to discuss this requirement or seek options at other institutions.