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General Education

What is General Education?

General Education is the typically the first part of a degree, before you get into a focused area of study or major. General education is required curriculum that makes up the foundation of an undergraduate degree (associate and/or bachelors). Additionally, general education lays the foundation for your upper division major courses (junior & senior level courses). During your general education courses you will typically encounter courses in math, science, communication, writing, and other key disciplines to develop critical soft skills, such as analysis and creative problem-solving. All key areas to being successful in your upper division and major courses. There are several ways to fulfill general education requirements. Most frequently utilized methods in California are listed below. 


California State University (CSU) General Education Breadth

CSU GE requirements have been designed to complement the major program and electives completed by each baccalaureate candidate. These requirements are designed to provide the knowledge and perspectives that will enable CSU students to confront personal, cultural, moral and social issues that are an inevitable part of human life, and cultivate enthusiasm for lifelong learning.

IGETC

The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is a series of courses that California community college students can complete to satisfy freshman/sophomore level general education requirements before transferring to most colleges and majors at University of California (UC) campuses.

If you choose to follow IGETC, we recommend that you complete all the IGETC courses before you transfer. Otherwise you'll need to satisfy the specific freshman/sophomore level general education requirements of your UC college or school. However, not all UC's and/or majors require or recommend the completion of IGETC. Meet with your counselor for more information. 

 


Barstow Community College General Education Breadth

Completion of the general education requirements satisfy the local degree requirements and is designed for students who are planning to seek immediate employment after graduation. Students intending to transfer to a 4-year institution should follow either the CSU-GE Breadth or IGETC requirements. 


Private and Out-of-State Universities that accept CSUGE and IGETC

Keep in mind that just because a university accepts the CSUGE and/or IGETC it does not mean that there may not be additional requirements. Be sure to check each website of interest below for full details. List of AICCU Accepting Institutions

College or University Accepts CSUGE and IGETC
Alliant International University Yes
Arizona State University Yes
Azusa Pacific University Yes
Biola University Yes
Brandman University Yes
California Baptist University Yes
California College of the Arts Yes
California Institute of Integral Studies Yes
California Lutheran University Yes
Chapman University Yes
Concordia University Yes
Eastern Oregon University Yes
Fresno Pacific University Yes
Golden State University Yes
Hawaii Pacific University Yes
Holy Name University Yes
Hope International University Yes
La Sierra University Yes
Los Angeles Pacific University Yes
Menlo College  
Mills College IGETC Only
Mount Saint Mary's University Yes
National University  Yes
Northern Arizona University IGETC Only
Notre Dame de Namur University Yes
Oregon State University IGETC Only
Pacific Oaks College Yes
Pacific Union College Yes
Palo Alto University Yes
Pitzer College Yes
Portland State University IGETC Only
Scripps College IGETC Only
Seattle Pacific University IGETC Only
Southern Oregon University Yes
University of Arizona IGETC Only
University of La Verne Yes
University of Nevada, Las Vegas Yes
University of Nevada, Reno Yes
University of Northern Colorado IGETC Only
University of San Francisco Yes
University of the Pacific Yes
Washington State University Yes

Updated: 08.29.2023