General Education

Mission
Chico State’s GE program prepares students for lifelong learning, civic engagement, and personal and professional success.

Strategy
Students build skills in critical thinking, communication, and inquiry across disciplines, engaging with diverse perspectives through study, reflection, and application.

Core Values

• Intellectual curiosity: Asking questions and making meaningful connections
• Civic engagement: Participating in community and public life
• Sustainability: Balancing environmental, social, and economic systems
• Diversity: Understanding complex human differences
• Creativity: Exploring ideas and innovation
• Global engagement: Interacting effectively across cultures

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

• Oral communication: Speaking publicly in formal and informal contexts
• Written communication: Developing and communicating well-reasoned ideas in writing
• Critical thinking: Assessing the relevance and strength of claims
• Quantitative reasoning: Applying mathematical or statistical methods to solve problems
• Information literacy: Identifying, evaluating, and using information effectively and ethically

Assessment of Learning Outcomes occurs on a regular basis, using validated instruments, rubrics, and benchmarks, so that all PLOs are assessed within a five-year period.

GE is structured into 6 distinct areas of learning. Each student’s specific GE requirements will be determined by their catalog year and major, with some majors following modified GE requirements. To identify your specific GE requirements, refer to your appropriate catalog version, E-Advising Tools, and connect with Academic Advising.

Area 1: English Communication
In Area 1, students will develop proficiency in oral and written English communication, emphasizing rhetorical awareness, reasoning, organization, and accuracy, while strengthening their ability to research, evaluate, and effectively present information through active practice. They will also build critical thinking skills by applying logical reasoning, analyzing and evaluating arguments, distinguishing fact from opinion, and constructing well-supported conclusions using both inductive and deductive processes. Courses must be completed with a grade of C- or better.

• Area 1A: English Composition (Formerly A2)
• Area 1B: Critical Thinking (Formerly A3)
• Area 1C: Oral Communication (Formerly A1)

Area 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
In Area 2, students shall demonstrate the abilities to reason quantitatively, practice computational skills, and explain and apply mathematical or quantitative reasoning concepts to solve problems. Courses must be completed with a grade of C- or better.

Area 3: Arts and Humanities
In Area 3, students will explore the humanities and creative arts to develop intellectual, emotional, and aesthetic awareness, engaging both subjective and objective responses while deepening their understanding of the relationship between self, culture, and artistic expression. Coursework emphasizes critical and experiential engagement with imaginative works across cultures, focusing on cultural and interpretive understanding rather than solely on skills development.

• Area 3A: Arts
• Area 3B: Humanities

Area 4: American Institution: US Constitution, California State, and Local Government
At Chico State, the US Constitution requirement (US-2) and California State, and Local Government requirement (US-3) fulfills three units of Area 4.

Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences
In Area 4, students learn from courses in multiple disciplines that human social, political, and economic institutions and behavior are inextricably interwoven. Students will develop an understanding of problems and issues from the respective disciplinary perspectives and will examine issues in their contemporary as well as historical settings and in a variety of cultural contexts. At Chico State, the US Constitution requirement (US-2) and California State, and Local Government requirement (US-3) fulfills three units of Area 4.

Area 5: Physical and Biological Sciences
In Area 5, learning is focused on scientific theories, concepts, and data about the physical and biological aspects of the world. Students will achieve an understanding and appreciation of scientific principles and the scientific method, as well as the potential limits of scientific endeavors and the value systems and ethics associated with human inquiry.

• Area 5A: Physical Science
• Area 5B: Biological Science
• Area 5C: Laboratory

Area 6: Ethnic Studies – Race, identity, and social justice
In Area 6, students will analyze key concepts related to race, racism, and power while applying perspectives from Native American, African American, Asian American, and Latina/o/x communities to understand their histories, cultures, contributions, and social struggles with an emphasis on agency and affirmation. They will critically examine the intersections of race with other identities and systems of inequality and engage with movements for resistance, justice, and equity to connect these issues to contemporary social and political contexts.

Students are required to complete 9 units of Upper Division General Education coursework. These 9 units include one course from each of the following areas:

• Area 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning / Area 5: Physical and Biological Sciences
• Area 3: Arts and Humanities
• Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences

At Chico State, we structure our upper division GE into pathways. Each student will complete a single pathway, connecting courses around a theme and exploring that theme from three different disciplinary perspectives. The pathways are an opportunity to explore ideas beyond your major and shape your education around your interests.

Chico State’s ten pathways include:

• Agriculture, Food, and the Environment
• California Studies
• Equity, Ethics, and Policy
• Gender and Sexuality
• Global Studies
• Health and Wellness
• Innovation, Design, and the Arts
• Race, Ethnicity, and Sovereignty
• Science, Technology, and Society
• Sustainability and Resilience

Students also have the opportunity to earn a GE minor aligned with the pathways by taking six courses from different GE areas that explore a common theme.

Students are required to complete two courses that focus on cultural diversity to gain an understanding of relationships among cultures, experiences of marginalized communities, and social constructions of identity. These courses explore intercultural relationships and systems, as well as connections between culture, identity, and social categories.

U.S. Diversity (USD)
Students complete at least one course that develops a greater understanding of the history and experiences of diverse peoples and cultures within the U.S.

Global Cultures (GC)
Students complete at least one course that focuses on the exploration and understanding of cultures outside of the U.S. Any course that focuses on the study of an international language also meets this requirement.

W (Writing) courses integrate writing into course content and are required for graduation.

In W courses, students:

• Analyze and respond to ideas through writing
• Use and evaluate sources
• Apply discipline-specific writing conventions
• Revise based on feedback
• Write frequently in appropriate formats

Requirement
Students complete four W courses, including one in GE and one in their major that fulfills the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).

1. A GE English Composition (1A) course with a grade of C- or higher. (See above for placement and completion options.)
2. A lower- or upper-division Writing (W) course.
       a. This requirement is waived for transfer students
3. An upper-division Writing (W) course specified by the major. If the major does not specify a course for this requirement, it is to be completed within the Upper-Division General Education Pathway requirements.
4. A Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR), which integrates writing instruction with discipline-specific subject matter. The GWAR course is an upper-division W course specific to each major, requires GE Area 1A as a prerequisite, and must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.

General Education (GE) courses are organized into Areas (1-6), each focused on a different type of learning like communication, math/science, arts/humanities, and social sciences. Chico State provides a GE course list in the catalog and class schedule that shows exactly which classes meet each requirement.

Students complete 43 units of GE. These are split into:

• Lower-division GE (Areas 1-6): Usually taken in your first two years
• Upper-division GE (Areas 2/5, 3, 4): Taken after you reach junior standing, often with more advanced, interdisciplinary topics

Yes, sometimes. Some majors include courses that also fulfill GE requirements (this is called “double-counting”). If you’re a transfer student, many of your previous courses, especially if you completed an approved transfer pattern like IGETC, may already satisfy part or all of your GE.

Chico State offers Pathways, which are upper-division themed groupings of GE courses such as Sustainability and Resilience or Global Studies. Students choose a Pathway to connect their classes around a shared topic and make their GE experience more meaningful.