General Education Plan J - Approved 12/17/2024

GE Catalog Years 2025-Present

The vision of General Education (GE) is to ensure that all CSUN students have a broad background in disciplines at the University level in order to appreciate the breadth of human knowledge and the responsibilities of concerned and engaged citizens of the world. Students must become lifelong learners and leave the University with a set of skills that includes the ability to read critically, to write and communicate orally with clarity and persuasiveness, to evaluate and draw appropriate inferences from limited information, and to access the wealth of technical, scientific and cultural information that is increasingly available in the global community. Students must gain an understanding of the major contributions made by individuals from diverse backgrounds in the sciences, business and economics, the arts, literatures, politics and technologies. It is through the GE Program that CSUN ensures that all students gain a sincere appreciation of how the diverse cultures housed in the United States, and specifically Southern California, lead to creative thinking and expression during a time in human history when cultural diversity provides different perspectives and insights from which to view human endeavors.

General Education Plan J Required Pattern of Courses

The required pattern of General Education consists of 43 units distributed among these areas:

Subject Area	Units
Area 1: English Communication
Area 1A: English Composition (Written Communication)	3 units

Area 1B: Critical Thinking	3 units
Area 1C: Oral Communication	3 units
Area 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
Area 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning, Lower Division	3 units
Area 2 or Area 5: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning or Physical Science or Biological Science, Upper Division	0-3 units*
Area 3: Arts and Humanities
Area 3A: Arts	3 units
Area 3B: Humanities	3 units
Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences
Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences	6 units
Area 4A/B: Constitution of the United States and California State and Local Government (American Institutions)	3 units
Area 5: Physical and Biological Sciences
Area 5A: Physical Science	3 units
Area 5B: Biological Science	3 units
Area 5C: Science Laboratory Activity	1 unit

Area 2 or Area 5: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning or Physical Science or Biological Science, Upper Division	0-3 units*
CSUN Section F: Comparative Cultural Studies/Gender, Race, Class, and Ethnicity Studies, and Foreign Languages	6 units
Total General Education Units Required	43 units

*One 3-unit upper division course from either Area 2 or Area 5.

Ethnic Studies (ES) Requirement

Students are required to take 3 units of coursework designated as meeting the Ethnic Studies (ES) General Education requirement in order to graduate from CSUN (or any California State University).

Upon completion of an ES designated course, students will have met the CSU GE Area 6 requirement and the course will be designated as such on their official transcript.

Information Competence (IC) Requirement

Students are required to take Information Competence (IC)-designated courses. Students will progressively acquire information competence skills by developing an understanding of information retrieval tools and practices, as well as improving their ability to evaluate and synthesize information ethically.

Students must take two IC-designated courses, one course in the Basic Skills area and one course in the Subject Explorations area. IC-designated courses in American Institutions or Lifelong Learning may also meet this requirement.

Basic Skills (12 units: 9 units, Area 1 and 3 units, Area 2)

Basic Skills coursework provides students with the knowledge and abilities that they will find useful and necessary for other GE and University courses and in their pursuits after graduation. These fundamental courses in Area 1A: English Composition (Written Communication), Area 1B: Critical Thinking, Area 1C: Oral Communication, and Area 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning will teach students how to read to understand and write about complex topics, how to distinguish correct from faulty reasoning, how to study and appreciate mathematical ideas and quantitative reasoning, and how to make public presentations of their own thoughts and research. Students must complete this area within their first 60 units. One course in this area must include the Information Competence (IC) designation. Students must earn a “C-” or better grade in all four courses in order to satisfy the GE Basic Skills requirement. See the Basic Skills Policy for more information.

Subject Explorations (31 units)

Subject Explorations coursework provides courses in Arts and Humanities; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Physical and Biological Sciences; and Comparative Cultural Studies/Gender, Race, Class, and Ethnicity Studies, and Foreign Languages.

Arts and Humanities (6 units, Area 3)

Arts and Humanities coursework helps students to appreciate the rich history and diversity of human knowledge, discourse and achievements of their own and other cultures as they are expressed in the arts, literatures, religions and philosophy.

Coursework in this area must include one course in each subarea–3A, the arts and 3B, the humanities. One Area 3 course may count toward the upper division GE requirement.

Social and Behavioral Sciences (9 units, Area 4)

Social and Behavioral Sciences coursework will give students an understanding of the behavior of humans as we relate to one another, to ourselves and to our environments, as we create the structures and values that govern our lives in the present and through time. These courses will give students an appreciation of the areas of learning concerned with human thought and an understanding of the nature, scope and limits of social-scientific study.

Students are required to take 6 units in Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences and 3 units in Area 4A/B: Constitution of the United States and California State and Local Government (American Institutions).

One Area 4 course may count toward the upper division GE requirement.

Physical and Biological Sciences (7 units, Area 5)

Physical and Biological Sciences coursework provides students with a fundamental knowledge in the sciences, an understanding of how scientific knowledge moves forward using the scientific method, and an understanding of the role of science in a world that is increasingly reliant on scientific and technological advances.

Students must also take one upper division Area 2 or Area 5 course.

Comparative Cultural Studies/Gender, Race, Class, and Ethnicity Studies, and Foreign Languages (6 units, CSUN Section F)

Comparative Cultural Studies coursework provides students with an introduction to the cultures and languages of other nations and peoples, the contributions and perspectives of cultures other than their own, and how gender is viewed in these cultures. Courses in this section will be referred to in this Catalog with the abbreviated phrase Comparative Cultural Studies.

Up to 6 units of CSUN Section F may be used to fulfill the upper division GE requirement.

General Education Student Learning Outcomes

Undergraduate Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes

The following student learning goals and student learning outcomes reflect the mission of the University to “help students develop academic competencies, professional skills, critical and creative abilities, and ethical values of learned persons who live in a democratic society, an interdependent world and a technological age.” Through its rich

and diverse offering of degree programs and its General Education program, CSUN ensures that all graduates attain these goals and maintain academic integrity. Consistent with its role as a learning-centered University, the campus also recognizes that these learning goals are promoted and enhanced in many formal and informal campus activities and environments outside the classroom.

One of the important purposes of the General Education program is to ensure that every CSUN undergraduate engages in each of these fundamental learning goals. Although many courses integrate more than one goal and set of student learning outcomes into their curricula, placement of a course into a specific area of the General Education program signifies that the course will emphasize the learning goals and student learning outcomes of that area. All General Education courses should meet the student learning goals of the GE area they are in. General Education courses in Basic Skills and those designated as satisfying the Information Competency (IC) and Writing Intensive (WI) goals should meet all of the student learning outcomes of the area/designation. General Education courses in Areas 3-5 should meet at least two of the student learning outcomes of their GE area. Courses in the U.S. Constitution and Local Government must meet the Title 5 requirements as prescribed by California law. Courses meeting the Ethnic Studies (ES) requirement (CSU GE Area 6) must meet three of the student learning competencies for the statewide ethnic studies requirement as prescribed by Title 5.

All CSUN students are responsible for pursuing the following learning goals in the General Education program at CSUN. These goals are grouped into four categories: basic skills, subject explorations, United States Constitution and Local Government, and special designations. Each graduate from CSUN is expected to master the student learning outcomes that are identified for each goal.

Basic Skills

The first four goals involve basic skills that provide students with the knowledge and abilities they will find useful and necessary in other GE and University courses and in their pursuits after graduation. The fundamental areas of basic skills are:

English Composition (Written Communication)
Critical Thinking
Oral Communication
Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning

Students will learn how to read to understand complex topics and write about them, how to distinguish correct from faulty reasoning, how to study and appreciate mathematical ideas and quantitative reasoning, and how to make public presentations of their own thoughts and research.

Subject Explorations

The General Education Subject Exploration categories are meant to promote a broad- based interdisciplinary education. The next five goals provide students with a broad background in disciplines at the University in order that they appreciate the breadth of human knowledge and the responsibilities of concerned citizens of the world. Students acquire the knowledge and skills to become lifelong learners and gain an appreciation of different perspectives and insights from which to view human endeavors.

Special Designations

Courses with the special designation of IC (Information Competence) provide students with basic skills in using information retrieval tools and practices that enhance their ability to evaluate and synthesize information competently and ethically. Courses with the special designation of WI (Writing Intensive) provide students with continued practice in expressing themselves through writing in various forms within different disciplinary contexts. Students must take at least two courses that have an IC designation: one course in the General Education Basic Skills area and one course in

any General Education Subject Explorations area or from IC-designated courses approved for the American Institutions or Lifelong Learning graduation requirements. Students must select nine units that have a WI designation from upper division courses in any General Education Subject Explorations area or upper division courses approved for the American Institutions or Lifelong Learning campus requirements.

Basic Skills

Area 1A: English Composition (Written Communication)

Goal: Students will analyze and reflect on complex topics and appropriately synthesize their own and others’ ideas in clearly written and well-organized edited American English.

Student Learning Outcomes

Each course meeting the Basic Skills English Composition (Written Communication) requirement must fulfill all of the following student learning outcomes.

Students will:

Analyze and compare perspective, meaning and style in different texts, including those that reflect multicultural images and voices.
Construct a theme or thesis and organize and develop a substantial, balanced and convincing defense of it in a voice, tone, language and format (e.g., essay autobiography, report, editorial, case study, inquiry and research) appropriate to the purpose of the writing.
Use logical support, including informed opinion and fact, as well as their interpretations, to develop ideas, avoiding fallacies, biased language and inappropriate tone.
Demonstrate satisfactory competence in the conventions of Edited American English and the elements of presentation (including layout, format and printing).
Select and incorporate ideas derived from a variety of sources, such as library electronic and print resources, books, journals, the Internet and interviews, and document them responsibly and correctly.
Apply a variety of strategies for planning, outlining, drafting, revising and editing written work.

Area 1B: Critical Thinking

Goal: Students will analyze information and ideas carefully and logically from multiple perspectives and develop reasoned solutions to problems.

Student Learning Outcomes

Each course meeting the Basic Skills Critical Thinking requirement must fulfill all of the following student learning outcomes.

Students will:

Explain and apply the basic concepts essential to a critical examination and evaluation of argumentative discourse.
Use investigative and analytical thinking skills to examine alternatives, explore complex questions and solve challenging problems.
Synthesize information in order to arrive at reasoned conclusions.
Evaluate the logic and validity of arguments, as well as the relevance of data and information.
Recognize and avoid common logical and rhetorical fallacies.

Area 1C: Oral Communication

Goal: Students will understand the basic concepts and practices associated with public speaking and will make public presentations of their own thoughts and research.

Student Learning Outcomes

Each course meeting the Basic Skills Oral Communication requirement must fulfill all of the following student learning outcomes.

Students will:

Apply critical thinking skills when listening, reading, thinking and speaking.
Create, organize and support ideas for various types of oral presentations.
Evaluate contexts, attitudes, values and responses of different audiences.
Identify, evaluate and apply different styles of presentation utilizing effective delivery techniques in public speaking.
Demonstrate acceptable ethical standards in research and presentation of
materials, including proper verbal citations.

Area 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning

Goal: Students will gain competence in mathematical reasoning necessary for informed judgment and decision making.

Student Learning Outcomes

Each course meeting the Basic Skills Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning requirement must fulfill all of the following student learning outcomes.

Students will:

Represent, understand, and explain mathematical information symbolically, graphically, numerically, and with spoken or signed language.
Develop mathematical models of real-world situations and explain the assumptions and limitations of those models.
Use models to make predictions, draw conclusions, check whether the results are reasonable and find optimal results using technology when necessary and appropriate.
Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of mathematical reasoning, including the ability to prove simple results and/or make statistical inferences.

Subject Explorations

Area 3: Arts and Humanities

Goal: Students will understand and engage with the diversity of human knowledge, discourse and achievements of their own and other cultures as they are expressed in the visual and performing arts, literatures, religions, histories, philosophies, and/or thought traditions.

Student Learning Outcomes

Area 3A: Arts

Each course meeting the Arts requirement must fulfill at least two of the following student learning outcomes.

Students will:

Acquire knowledge and apply skills in various visual/performing arts or creative writing.
Produce individual or collaborative artistic work.
Demonstrate knowledge of a wide variety of expressive forms in order to solve
artistic problems and communicate with diverse audiences.
Describe and explain historical/cultural contexts within which diverse artistic traditions were created or emerged.
Analyze, interpret, and reflect critically upon the visual/performing arts or creative
writing from a variety of diverse perspectives.

Area 3B: Humanities

Each course meeting the Humanities requirement must fulfill at least two of the following student learning outcomes.

Students will:

Explain and reflect critically upon the human search for meaning and values within and across the human experience, as expressed in the arts, literatures, religions, philosophies, and/or thought traditions.
Analyze, interpret and reflect critically upon creative expression, discourse, or thought traditions from diverse perspectives.
Demonstrate the ability to engage and reflect upon their intellectual and creative development within the humanities.
Describe and explain the historical and/or cultural context within which a body of work or thought tradition was created or emerged.
Critically analyze how the humanities as disciplines of memory and imagination reflect upon the current conditions of the human experience and help envision progression as a society.

Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences

Goal: Students will understand the complexities of social relations and human experiences and the ways in which they have changed over time, as well as the nature, scope and the systematic study of human behaviors and societies. Students will understand and reflect upon United States history, institutions and ideals; the Constitution of the United States; and the principles of state and local government as established in California.

Student Learning Outcomes

Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences

Each course meeting the Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement must fulfill at least two of the following student learning outcomes.

Students will:

Explain how social scientists conduct the systematic study of social relations, human experiences and patterns of change over time.
Analyze and explain the multiple perspectives found in the social sciences that underlie debates on important historical and contemporary issues.
Apply appropriate social scientific methods to collect data, analyze, evaluate, explain and/or solve problems in social relations and human behavior.
Demonstrate an understanding of how social problems impact individuals, communities and societies.

Area 4A/B: Constitution of the United States/State and Local Government (American Institutions)

Each course meeting the Constitution of the United States/State and Local Government (American Institutions) requirement must fulfill all of the following student learning outcomes.

Students will:

Describe and analyze the political philosophies of the framers of the Constitution and the nature and operation of United States political institutions and processes under that Constitution as amended and interpreted.
Explain and examine the rights and obligations of citizens in the political system established under the Constitution.
Describe and examine the Constitution of the state of California within the framework of evolution of federal-state relations and the nature and processes of state and local government under that Constitution.
Explain and analyze contemporary relationships of state and local government with the federal government, the resolution of conflicts and the establishment of cooperative processes under the constitutions of both the state and nation, and the political processes involved.

Area 5: Physical and Biological Sciences

Goal: Students will develop basic knowledge and learn key principles in the natural sciences, including an understanding of the methods of scientific inquiry as applied in the natural sciences through laboratory, activity and/or field-based study.

Student Learning Outcomes

Area 5A: Physical Science

Students will demonstrate an understanding of basic knowledge, principles, and/or laws in the physical sciences.

Plus, at least one of the following:

Explain how the scientific method can be used to obtain new data and advance knowledge.
Demonstrate an understanding of the logical foundations, limits, and/or potential contributions of scientific endeavors in human society and everyday life.
Demonstrate an understanding of the value systems and ethics associated with scientific inquiry.

Area 5B: Biological Science

1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of basic knowledge, principles, and/or laws in the life sciences.

Plus, at least one of the following:

Explain how the scientific method can be used to obtain new data and advance knowledge.
Demonstrate an understanding of the logical foundations, limits, and/or potential contributions of scientific endeavors in human society and everyday life.
Demonstrate an understanding of the value systems and ethics associated with scientific inquiry.

Area 5C: Science Laboratory Activity

In conjunction with a Physical Science course (Area 5A) or a Biological Science course (Area 5B), students will:

1. Practice skills and techniques used to obtain data and test hypotheses in the physical or life sciences.

Area 2 or Area 5: Upper Division Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning or Physical Science or Biological Science

Goal: Students will synthesize, analyze, evaluate, and communicate their knowledge of physical science, life science, or mathematical/quantitative reasoning through assignments and projects in the upper division.

Courses incorporate at least two of the student learning outcomes from one of the following areas: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning (Area 2) or Physical Science (Area 5A) or Biological Science (Area 5B).

Student Learning Outcomes

Area 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning

Each course meeting the upper division Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning requirement must fulfill at least two of the following student learning outcomes.

Students will:

Represent, understand, and explain mathematical information symbolically, graphically, numerically, and with spoken or signed language.
Develop mathematical models of real-world situations and explain the assumptions and limitations of those models.
Use models to make predictions, draw conclusions, check whether the results are reasonable and find optimal results using technology when necessary and appropriate.
Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of mathematical reasoning, including the ability to prove simple results and/or make statistical inferences.

Area 5A: Physical Science

1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of basic knowledge, principles, and/or laws in the physical sciences.

Plus, at least one of the following:

Explain how the scientific method can be used to obtain new data and advance knowledge.
Demonstrate an understanding of the logical foundations, limits, and/or potential contributions of scientific endeavors in human society and everyday life.
Demonstrate an understanding of the value systems and ethics associated with scientific inquiry.

Area 5B: Biological Science

1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of basic knowledge, principles, and/or laws in the life sciences.

Plus, at least one of the following:

Explain how the scientific method can be used to obtain new data and advance knowledge.
Demonstrate an understanding of the logical foundations, limits, and/or potential contributions of scientific endeavors in human society and everyday life.
Demonstrate an understanding of the value systems and ethics associated with scientific inquiry.

CSUN Section F: Comparative Cultural Studies/Gender, Race, Class, and Ethnicity Studies, and Foreign Languages

Goal: Students will understand the diversity and multiplicity of cultural forces that shape the world through the study of cultures, gender, sexuality, race, religion, class, ethnicities and languages with special focus on the contributions, differences and global perspectives of diverse cultures and societies.

Student Learning Outcomes

Each course meeting the Comparative Cultural Studies/Gender, Race, Class, and Ethnicity Studies, and Foreign Languages requirement must fulfill at least two of the following student learning outcomes.

Students will:

Describe and compare different cultures.
Explain how various cultures contribute to the development of our multicultural world.
Describe and explain how race, ethnicity, class, gender, religion, sexuality and
other markers of social identity impact life experiences and social relations.
Analyze and explain the deleterious impact and the privileges sustained by racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, classism, homophobia, religious intolerance or stereotyping on all sectors of society.
Demonstrate linguistic and cultural proficiency in a language other than English.

Designations

Information Competence (Campus Designation IC)

Goal: Students will progressively develop information competence skills throughout their undergraduate career by developing a basic understanding of information retrieval tools and practices, as well as improving their ability to evaluate and synthesize information ethically.

Student Learning Outcomes

Each course meeting the Information Competence (IC) requirement must fulfill all of the following student learning outcomes.

Students will:

Determine the nature and extent of information needed.
Demonstrate effective search strategies for finding information using a variety of sources and methods.
Locate, retrieve and evaluate a variety of relevant information, including print and electronic formats.
Organize and synthesize information in order to communicate effectively.
Explain the legal and ethical dimensions of the use of information.

Writing Intensive (Campus Designation WI)

Goal: Students will develop their abilities to express themselves and the knowledge they have obtained through practicing various forms of writing within different disciplinary contexts. Writing intensive courses will build upon the skills gained in the English Composition (Written Communication) area of Basic Skills. In each WI course, students will be required to complete substantive writing assignments.

Student Learning Outcomes

Each course meeting the Writing Intensive (WI) requirement must fulfill all of the following student learning outcomes.

Students will:

Develop and clearly define their ideas through writing.
Ethically integrate sources of various kinds into their writing.
Compose texts through drafting, revising and completing a finished product.
Express themselves through their writing by posing questions, making original claims and coherently structuring complex ideas.
Revise their writing for greater cogency and clarity.
Utilize adopted communication modes and documentation styles of specific disciplines (MLA, APA, Chicago, CBE, etc.) where appropriate.

Ethnic Studies Graduation Requirement (Campus Designation ES)

Each course meeting the Ethnic Studies (ES) requirement must fulfill a minimum of three out of the following five learning objectives as appropriate to their lower- or upper- division status.

These learning objectives must be used in addition to any learning objectives and criteria established and required by each campus’ Ethnic Studies department/unit/program (as traditionally defined) faculty for all courses meeting CSU GE Area 6.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will:

1. Analyze and articulate concepts such as race and racism, racialization, ethnicity, equity, ethnocentrism, eurocentrism, white supremacy, self-determination, liberation, decolonization, sovereignty, imperialism, settler colonialism and anti- racism as analyzed in any one or more of the following: Native American Studies, African American Studies, Asian American Studies, and Latina and Latino American Studies.
Apply theory and knowledge produced by Native American, African American, Asian American, and/or Latina and Latino American communities to describe the critical events, histories, cultures, intellectual traditions, contributions, lived- experiences and social struggles of those groups with a particular emphasis on agency and group-affirmation.
Critically analyze the intersection of race and racism as they relate to class, gender, sexuality, religion, spirituality, national origin, immigration status, ability, tribal citizenship, sovereignty, language and/or age in Native American, African American, Asian American, and/or Latina and Latino American communities.
Explain and critically review how struggle, resistance, racial and social justice, solidarity and liberation, as experienced, enacted and studied by Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and/or Latina and Latino Americans, are relevant to current and structural issues, such as communal, national, international and transnational politics as, for example, in immigration, reparations, settler-colonialism, multiculturalism and language policies.
Describe and actively engage with anti-racist and anti-colonial issues and the practices and movements in Native American, African American, Asian American, and/or Latina and Latino communities to build a just and equitable society.

General Education Rules

Upper Division General Education (UDGE) (9 Units)

General Education (GE) coursework at the 300-level or above must be selected from:

Area 2 Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning or Area 5 Physical and Biological Sciences (3 units)
Area 3 Arts and Humanities or CSUN Section F Comparative Cultural Studies/Gender, Race, Class, and Ethnicity Studies, and Foreign Languages (3 units)
Area 4 Social and Behavioral Sciences or CSUN Section F Comparative Cultural Studies/Gender, Race, Class, and Ethnicity Studies, and Foreign Languages (3 units)

Students must take 3 units in Area 2 or Area 5 and 6 units from Area 3, Area 4 and/or CSUN Section F with no more than 3 units each from Area 3 or Area 4. UDGE courses (300-level and above) are not to be taken sooner than the semester in which junior standing (60 units) is achieved. Students enrolling in upper-division GE courses shall have completed required lower-division GE courses in English Composition (Written Communication), Critical Thinking, Oral Communication, and Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning.

Writing Intensive (WI) Requirement

All upper division GE courses are designated Writing Intensive (WI). Therefore, the WI requirement will be satisfied by meeting the upper division General Education requirement. Courses meeting this designation must satisfy all of the Writing Intensive student learning outcomes. Only courses approved for upper division GE or as equivalent pattern modifications, or upper division courses approved for the American Institutions or Lifelong Learning campus requirements, may be designated as Writing Intensive.

General Education Residency Requirement

Students must complete a minimum of 9 units of General Education in residence at a California State University campus at the upper division level.

Grading Method Requirement

Students may not take courses on a Credit/No Credit basis to fulfill GE requirements. Refer to the Policies and Procedures section on Credit/No Credit for all restrictions on this basis of grading.

Additional General Education Rules

A student may count for GE credit any GE course that counts for major credit.
Changes or substitutions to GE that are specific to particular majors are listed in the General Education Pattern Modifications section or may be listed in the description of the major program. An academic advisor in the major should be consulted regarding these changes.
Courses taken to fulfill a particular GE requirement will continue to count for GE credit even after a student changes major. However, once a student changes the major, the student is responsible for fulfilling the GE requirements in the areas of GE that have not been completed.
Students must earn a “C-” or better grade in the four basic skills courses (English Composition (Written Communication), Critical Thinking, Oral Communication, and Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning).

Requirements for Transfer Students

Transfer students can meet CSUN GE requirements by completing a General Education Certification* plan at a California Community College and 9 units of upper division GE coursework at CSUN after transfer, or by completing the General Education program at CSUN, which includes the following areas of study in Basic Skills: English Composition (Written Communication); Critical Thinking; Oral Communication; and Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning; and Subject Explorations: Arts and Humanities; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Physical and Biological Sciences; and Comparative Cultural Studies/Gender, Race, Class, and Ethnicity Studies, and Foreign Languages.

Comparative Cultural Studies Requirement

Students starting at CSUN as upper division transfer students must also meet a 3 unit CSUN requirement in Comparative Cultural Studies/Gender, Race, Class, and Ethnicity Studies, and Foreign Languages. This requirement can be met through transfer credit evaluation or the completion of an appropriate CSUN upper division GE course designated as Comparative Cultural Studies. Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) students may be required to complete upper division CSUN Section F courses only if those courses are already specified in the 60 units of baccalaureate-completion requirements for the ADT-to-bachelor’s degree.

United States History, Constitution and American Ideals Requirement

All students must meet the CSU Graduation Requirements in United States History, Constitution and American Ideals (Title 5). Upper division transfer students may meet this requirement through transfer credit evaluation or the completion of appropriate CSUN upper division courses designated as United States History, Constitution and American Ideals. Students who need to complete Area 4A/B Constitution of the United States/State and Local Government may double count the course for the upper division Area 4. If needed, ADT students may also double count an American History, Institutions and Ideals course for the upper division Area 3.

Ethnic Studies Requirement

Students whose transfer record does not include an articulated Ethnic Studies (ES) General Education course (CSU GE Area 6) must take a course designated as meeting that requirement prior to graduation.

*Students who may be eligible for Cal-GETC certification are urged to consult with their community college counselor about this process, preferably in advance of their transfer.

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