Office of the President

Executive Order 1033

June 18, 2008
 
M E M O R A N D U M
 
TO:


 
CSU Presidents
 
FROM:


Charles B. Reed
Chancellor
 
SUBJECT:


General Education Breadth Requirements — Executive Order No. 1033


Attached is a copy of Executive Order No. 1033, relating to California State University General Education Breadth (CSU GE Breadth) requirements.


In response to CSU Trustee initiatives on facilitating graduation and improving intersegmental transfer, the Academic Senate CSU charged the Chancellor’s General Education Advisory Committee (GEAC) to study CSU general education policy, as it was previously outlined in Executive Order 595.


In a truly consultative and intersegmental process, GEAC members collected campus feedback that was informed by faculty, general education leadership, administrators of undergraduate education, directors of admissions and records, and articulation officers, among others.  GEAC members, including representatives from CSU and California Community College faculty and administration, have synthesized campus recommendations in this new executive order.  The structure and minimum curricular requirements remain unchanged, but the policy emphasis has moved from curricular content to what students learn through the breadth of their general education experiences.


Perhaps the most significant advancement is that this executive order identifies, for the first time, goals for CSU general-education student learning outcomes, in recognition of the CSU’s commitment to the quality of our educational programs. The executive order directs campuses to conduct assessments of general education learning outcomes through regular reviews of their general education courses and breadth programs.


Supporting efforts toward facilitating graduation, this revised policy emphasizes the system-level minima for required general education credits.  To improve intersegmental transfer, longstanding policy has been modified to allow the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum to satisfy CSU General Education Breadth requirements in ways that allow more efficient progress to the degree. 


Campuses are expected to coordinate their specific general education requirements with those set forth in this executive order and in Title 5.  In accordance with policy of the California State University, the campus president has the responsibility for implementing executive orders where applicable and for maintaining the campus repository and index for all executive orders.
If you have questions regarding this executive order, please call Dr. Christine Hanson, State University Dean, Academic Program Planning, at (562) 951‑4672.


CBR/cmh


Attachment


c:


 
Executive Staff, Office of the Chancellor
Executive Order 1033
 
THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Office of the Chancellor
401 Golden Shore
Long Beach, California 90802-4210
562.951.4790
 


Executive Order:


 
1033
 
Effective Date:


June 18, 2008


Supersedes:


Executive Order No. 595
 
Title:


CSU General Education Breadth Requirements


This executive order is issued pursuant to Title 5, California Code of Regulations, Sections 40402.1, 40403, 40405, 40405.1, 40405.2, 40405.4, and 40508, and Sections 1 and 2 of Chapter III of the Standing Orders of the Board of Trustees of the California State University.


 This executive order is intended to establish a common understanding of the minimum requirements for CSU General Education Breadth and to provide for the certification of coursework completed by transfer students at regionally accredited institutions.  Reciprocity among the CSU campuses for full and subject-area completion of lower-division General Education Breadth Requirements is also addressed in this executive order.


 This document also addresses:


�         Applicability of the policy (Article 1, page 1),


�         Pathways to fulfillment of general education requirements (Article 2, page 2),


�         Premises of CSU General Education Breadth (Article 3, page 4),


�         Distribution of General Education Breadth units (Article 4, page 6),


�         Transfer and articulation (Article 5, page 9),


�         Implementation and governance (Article 6, page 16).


  Article 1.   Applicability  


1.1        Prior to Completion of CSU Lower-Division General Education Requirements


The requirements, policies, and procedures adopted pursuant to this executive order shall apply to students enrolling in fall 2008 and subsequent terms who have not previously been enrolled continuously at a campus of the CSU or the California Community Colleges and who have not satisfied lower-division general education requirements according to the provisions of Title 5 Sections 40405.2 or 40405.3. 


  1.2        Subsequent to Completion of Entire CSU General Education Requirements


Subsequent to initial completion of all CSU general education requirements (at the lower and upper divisions), a student may not be required to satisfy further exclusively general education requirements associated with an additional major program or baccalaureate degree.  


Article 2.   Fulfilling General Education Requirements in the CSU  


2.1       Pathways


Policies adopted by the Board of Trustees in July 1991 provide three pathways for undergraduate students to fulfill CSU general education requirements: 


                                                           1.        CSU General Education Breadth


      Fulfillment of CSU General Education Breadth Requirements (Title 5, Section 40405.1), including the completion of an upper-division requirement consisting of a minimum of nine semester units or twelve quarter units at the CSU campus granting the baccalaureate degree; or 


                                                             2.      Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)


      Completion of the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) (Title 5, Section 40405.2), as certified by a California community college, plus a minimum of nine upper-division semester units or twelve upper-division quarter units at the CSU campus granting the baccalaureate degree; or 


3.   University of California (UC) Campus  Lower-Division


      Completion of lower-division general education requirements of a University of California campus (Title 5, Section 40405.3), as certified by that campus, plus a minimum of nine upper-division semester units or twelve upper-division quarter units at the CSU campus granting the baccalaureate degree.  Implementation of this alternative is contingent on development of a formal agreement between the California State University and the University of California. 


2.2       Minimum Requirements  


2.2.1    General Education Requirements


            Every baccalaureate candidate who has not completed either the IGETC or UC-campus pathway specified in Article 2 shall complete the CSU General Education Breadth requirements described in Article 4, Subsections A through E, totaling a minimum of 48 semester units or 72 quarter units. 


2.2.2    Minimum Grades


            Each CSU campus shall establish the minimum grades for satisfactory completion of CSU General Education Breadth courses. 


2.2.3    Upper-Division Requirement


            At least nine of these semester units or twelve of these quarter units must be upper-division level, taken no sooner than the term in which upper-division status (completion of 60 semester units or 90 quarter units) is attained. 


2.2.4    Residency Requirement


            Campuses may require that at least nine of the 48 semester units or twelve of the 72 quarter units shall be earned at the campus granting the degree.  In all cases, students shall meet the residency requirements specified in Title 5 Section 40403.  


2.2.5    Exceptions


Exceptions to the foregoing requirements may be authorized only under the following circumstances:  


a.   In the case of an individual student, the campus may grant a partial waiver of one or more of the particular requirements of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 40405.1, to avoid demonstrable hardship, such as the need to extend the time required for completion of the degree in the case of a senior-level transfer student.  


b.   In the case of high-unit professional major degree programs, the chancellor may grant exceptions to one or more requirements for students completing the particular program.  Such exception must be approved at the campus level prior to initiating a request to the Chancellor’s Office.  A full academic justification shall be submitted to the executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer, Academic Affairs, who shall submit his or her recommendation and the campus recommendation (along with all relevant documents) to the chancellor.  


c.   Each campus is authorized to make reasonable adjustments in the number of units assigned to any of the five required distribution areas (A through E) if campus requirements and CSU GE-Breadth distribution requirements unduly exceed any of the minimum GE Breadth credit requirements.  However, in such cases, the total number of general education units required shall not be fewer than 48 semester units or 72 quarter units.  (No campus is required to adjust normal course credit configurations for the sole purpose of meeting the requirements specified herein.) 


2.2.6    Double Counting           


2.2.6.1       General Education, Major, and Other Requirements


                  Through a process of campus-wide curriculum review and approval, campuses may permit the “double counting” of courses for General Education Breadth with major requirements and prerequisites only after giving careful consideration to the impact of such actions on general education programs. 


2.2.6.2       General Education and US History, Constitution, and American Ideals Statutory Requirement


                  CSU campuses may permit up to six semester units or eight quarter units taken to meet the United States History, Constitution, and American Ideals Requirement (Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 40404) to be credited toward also satisfying General Education Breadth Requirements. 


Article 3.   Premises of CSU General Education Breadth  


3.1       Background     


CSU General Education Breadth requirements have been designed to complement the major program and electives completed by each baccalaureate candidate, to assure that graduates have made noteworthy progress toward becoming truly educated persons.   


These requirements are designed to provide the knowledge, skills, experiences, and perspectives that will enable CSU students to expand their capacities to take part in a wide range of human interests and activities; to confront personal, cultural, moral, and social problems that are an inevitable part of human life; and to cultivate both the requisite skills and enthusiasm for lifelong learning.  Faculty are encouraged to assist students in making connections among disciplines to achieve coherence in the undergraduate educational experience. 


Courses approved for GE-Breadth should be responsive to the need for students to have developed knowledge of, or skills related to, quantitative reasoning, information literacy, intellectual inquiry, global awareness and understanding, human diversity, civic engagement, communication competence, ethical decision-making, environmental systems, technology, lifelong learning and self-development, and physical and emotional health throughout a lifetime. 


3.2       CSU Student Learning Outcomes


            Each CSU campus shall define its GE student learning outcomes, to fit within the framework of the four “Essential Learning Outcomes” drawn from the Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) campaign, an initiative of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.  


LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes Framework


�         Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World


�         Intellectual and Practical Skills


�         Personal and Social Responsibility


�         Integrative Learning 


Within the LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes framework, campuses may identify more specific outcomes, such as students’ ability to: 


�          think clearly and logically;


�          demonstrate information competency—finding and examining information critically;


�          carry out effective oral communication;


�          write effectively;


�          apply quantitative reasoning concepts and skills to solve problems;


�          make informed, ethical decisions;


�          understand and apply the scientific method;


�          apply learning from study abroad experiences to general education areas;


�          utilize technology in pursuit of intellectual growth and efficacious human interaction;


�          demonstrate understanding of human beings as physiological and psychological organisms;


�          demonstrate understanding of the physical world in which they live and the life forms with which they share the global environment;


�          demonstrate knowledge of cultural endeavors and legacies of world civilizations;


�          demonstrate understanding of how human societies have developed and now function;


�          apply socially responsive knowledge and skills to issues confronting local or global communities;


�          demonstrate life skills such as financial literacy;


�          understand and apply the principles, methodologies, value systems, ethics, and thought processes employed in human inquiry;


�          engage in lifelong learning and self-development; and


�          integrate and apply the insights gained from general education courses.  


3.3       Entry-Level Learning Skills  


3.3.1    Minimum Competency


Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 40402.1, provides that each student admitted to the California State University is expected to possess basic competence in the English language and mathematical computation to a degree that may reasonably be expected of entering college students. 


3.3.2    Remediation


Students admitted who cannot demonstrate such basic competence should be identified as quickly as possible and be required to take steps to overcome those deficiencies.  Any coursework completed primarily for this purpose shall not be applicable to the baccalaureate degree. 


  Article 4    Subject Area Distribution  


Instruction approved to fulfill the following subject-area distribution requirements should recognize the contributions to knowledge and civilization that have been made by members of diverse cultural groups and by women as well as men.   


Area A      English Language Communication and Critical Thinking


                        Minimum 9 semester units or 12 quarter units


-one course in each subarea


                  A1       Oral Communication                (3 semester units or 4 quarter units)


                  A2       Written Communication           (3 semester units or 4 quarter units)


                  A3       Critical Thinking                       (3 semester units or 4 quarter units)  


A minimum of nine semester units or twelve quarter units in communication in the English language, to include both oral communication (subarea A1) and written communication (subarea A2), and in critical thinking (Area A3), to include consideration of common fallacies in reasoning. 


Students taking courses in fulfillment of subareas A1 and A2 will develop knowledge and understanding of the form, content, context, and effectiveness of communication.  Students will develop proficiency in oral and written communication in English, examining communication from the rhetorical perspective and practicing reasoning and advocacy, organization, and accuracy.  Students will practice the discovery, critical evaluation, and reporting of information, as well as reading, writing, and listening effectively.  Coursework must include active participation and practice in both written communication and oral communication in English. 


In critical thinking (subarea A3) courses, students will understand logic and its relation to language; elementary inductive and deductive processes, including an understanding of the formal and informal fallacies of language and thought; and the ability to distinguish matters of fact from issues of judgment or opinion.  In A3 courses, students will develop the abilities  to analyze, criticize, and advocate ideas; to reason inductively and deductively; and to reach well-supported factual or judgmental conclusions.   


Area B      Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning
Minimum of 12 semester units or 18 quarter units


-one course each in subareas B1, B2, and B4, plus laboratory activity related to one of the completed science courses           


                    B1                   Physical Science             (3 semester units or 4 quarter units)


                    B2                   Life Science                    (3 semester units or 4 quarter units)


                    B3                   Laboratory Activity associated with a course taken


                    to satisfy either B1 or B2


                    B4                   Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning


                                                                                    (3 semester units or 4 quarter units) 


A minimum of twelve semester units or eighteen quarter units to include inquiry into the physical universe and its life forms, with some immediate participation in a related laboratory activity, and into mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning and their applications. 


In subareas B1-B3, students develop knowledge of scientific theories, concepts, and data about both living and non-living systems.  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.  The nature and extent of laboratory experience is to be determined by each campus through its established curricular procedures.  


Courses in subarea B4 shall have an explicit intermediate algebra prerequisite, and students shall develop skills and understanding beyond the level of intermediate algebra.  Students will not just practice computational skills, but will be able to explain and apply basic mathematical concepts and will be able to solve problems through quantitative reasoning.   


Area C     Arts and Humanities


Minimum of 12 semester units or 18 quarter units


-at least one course completed in each of these two subareas: 


                   C1       Arts:  Arts, Cinema, Dance, Music, Theater


                   C2       Humanities:  Literature, Philosophy, Languages Other than English  


A minimum of twelve semester units or eighteen quarter units among the arts, literature, philosophy and foreign languages.  Across the disciplines in their Area C coursework, students will cultivate intellect, imagination, sensibility and sensitivity.  Students will respond subjectively as well as objectively to aesthetic experiences and will develop an understanding of the integrity of both emotional and intellectual responses.  Students will cultivate and refine their affective, cognitive, and physical faculties through studying great works of the human imagination.  Activities may include participation in individual aesthetic, creative experiences; however Area C excludes courses that exclusively emphasize skills development.  


In their intellectual and subjective considerations, students will develop a better understanding of the interrelationship between the self and the creative arts and of the humanities in a variety of cultures. 


Students may take courses in languages other than English in partial fulfillment of this requirement if the courses do not focus solely on skills acquisition but also contain a substantial cultural component.  This  may include literature, among other content. Coursework taken in fulfillment of this requirement must include a reasonable distribution among the subareas specified, as opposed to restricting the entire number of units required to a single subarea.    


Area D      Social Sciences


Minimum of 12 semester units or 18 quarter units                  


A minimum of twelve semester units or eighteen quarter units dealing with human social, political, and economic institutions and behavior and their historical background. 


Students learn from courses in multiple Area D disciplines that human social, political and economic institutions and behavior are inextricably interwoven.  Through fulfillment of the Area D requirement, 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.  Students will explore the principles, methodologies, value systems and ethics employed in social scientific inquiry. Courses that emphasize skills development and professional preparation are excluded from Area D.  Coursework taken in fulfillment of this requirement must include a reasonable distribution among the subareas specified, as opposed to restricting the entire number of units required to a single subarea.    


Area E      Lifelong Learning and Self-Development


                   Minimum of 3 semester units or 4 quarter units  


A minimum of three semester units or four quarter units in study designed to equip learners for lifelong understanding and development of themselves as integrated physiological, social, and psychological beings. 


Student learning in this area shall include selective consideration of content such as human behavior, sexuality, nutrition, physical and mental health, stress management, financial literacy, social relationships and relationships with the environment, as well as implications of death and dying and avenues for lifelong learning.  Physical activity may be included, provided that it is an integral part of the study elements described herein. 


Article 5.   Transfer and Articulation  


This article pertains to regionally accredited non-CSU institutions that certify transfer students’ fulfillment of CSU General education breadth requirements. 


5.1        Premises of General Education Breadth Transfer and Certification


a.   It is the joint responsibility of the public segments of higher education to ensure that students are able to transfer without unreasonable loss of credit or time. 


b.  The faculty of an institution granting the baccalaureate degree have primary responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the degree program and determining when requirements have been met. 


c.   There shall ordinarily be a high degree of reciprocity among regionally accredited institutions unless there are specific indications that such reciprocity is not appropriate. 


5.2        Conditions for Participation in CSU General Education Breadth Certification


Any institution that is accredited by a recognized regional accrediting association and that offers the BA or BS degree or the first two years of such degree programs may participate in General Education Breadth certification if it agrees to the following provisions: 


a.   The participating institution shall designate a liaison representative who shall participate in various orientation activities and provide other institutional staff with pertinent information. 


b.  The participating institution shall identify for certification purposes those courses or examinations that fulfill the objectives set forth in Article 3 of this executive order and such additional objectives as may be promulgated by the chancellor of the California State University. 


1.   The courses and examinations identified should be planned and organized to enable students to acquire abilities, knowledge, understanding, and appreciation as interrelated elements, not as isolated fragments. 


2.   Interdisciplinary courses or integrated sets of courses that meet multiple objectives of the CSU General Education Breadth requirements may be appropriate components of general education. 


3.   Credit units of an interdisciplinary course or integrated set of courses may be distributed among different areas of general education, as appropriate. 


c.   The CSU Office of the Chancellor, Division of Academic Affairs, shall maintain a list of participating institutions’ courses and examinations that have been identified and accepted for certification purposes. 


1.   Each entry in the list shall include specification of the area or areas and objectives to which the course or examination relates and the number of units associated with each area or objective.  (See Attachment A.) 


2.   The list shall be updated annually.  Each participating institution shall transmit annually to the CSU Office of the Chancellor, Division of Academic Affairs, any proposed changes to its portion of the list.  If a course is to be added or if the specification of areas and objectives for a course is to be modified, the participating institution shall include in its submission the approved course outline.  If a course is part of an integrated set of courses, the submission shall identify the set and describe how the course complements the others in the set. 


3.   A copy of the list shall be made available in printed or electronic form to any CSU campus or participating institution.  Participating institutions are free to share their course outlines and communications from the CSU about those course outlines with other participating institutions. 


4.   The participating institution shall be responsible for reviewing periodically its portion of the list to assure that entries continue to be appropriate and to reflect current knowledge in the field.  It is also responsible for re-approving entries that are found to have remained appropriate and for directing to the subcommittee of the Chancellor’s General Education Advisory Committee any questions such updating of the courses may have raised as to their congruence with CSU General Education Breadth areas and objectives. 


5.   The participating institution shall report certification for individual students in a format to be specified. 


5.3.      Certification Requirements  


5.3.1    Definition


General education “certification” shall indicate that a participating institution has verified that a transfer student has met CSU lower-division requirements.  CSU campuses shall accept participating institutions’ full certification or subject-area certification, as defined below.  


5.3.2    Full Certification  


5.3.2.1  Fulfillment of Lower-Division Requirements


Students admitted to a CSU campus with full certification shall not be held to any additional lower-division general education requirements. 


       5.3.2.2 Additional Lower-Division Graduation Requirements


Full certification does not exempt students from unmet lower-division graduation requirements that may exist outside of the general education program of the campus awarding the degree. 


5.3.2.3  Qualification for Full Certification


To qualify for full certification, a student must satisfactorily complete no fewer than 39 lower-division semester units or 58 lower-division quarter units of instruction appropriate to meet the objectives of Articles 3 (Premises) and 4 (Distribution Areas).  Community college certification does not guarantee that all CSU campus admission requirements have been met.  The units must be distributed as follows below (except as specified in Subsection 5.3.4 below): 


a.      In Area A, no fewer than 9 semester units (12-15 quarter units), including instruction in oral communication, written communication, and critical thinking.


b.      In Area B, no fewer than 9 semester units (12-15 quarter units), including instruction in physical science and life science, at least one part of which must include a laboratory component, and mathematics/quantitative reasoning.


c.      In Area C, no fewer than 9 semester units (12-15 quarter units), with at least one course in the arts and one in the humanities (see Attachment A).


d.     In Area D, no fewer than 9 semester units (12-15 quarter units), with courses taken in at least two disciplines (see Attachment A).


e.      Area E, no fewer than 3 semester units (4-5 quarter units). 


5.3.3          Subject-Area (Partial) Certification  


            5.3.3.1       Fulfillment of Lower-Division Requirements by Area


Students admitted to a CSU campus with subject-area certification may not be held to any additional lower-division general education coursework in the subject areas certified.   


5.3.3.2        Certification Limits on Credits that Exceed Minimum Subject-Area Requirements


For subject-area certification, campuses are not required to certify credits that exceed the minimum number of units required for the five Subject Areas—A through E. 


            5.3.3.3       Additional Lower-Division Graduation Requirements


Subject-area certification does not exempt students from completing unmet lower-division graduation requirements that may exist outside of the general education requirements at the campus awarding the degree. 


5.3.3.4       Qualification for Subject-Area Certification


To qualify for subject-area certification, a student must satisfactorily complete instruction appropriate to meet the objectives of one or more subsections of Article 4 (Subject-Area Distribution).  Except as specified in Subsection 5.3.4, the units must be distributed as follows: 


a.       For Area A, no fewer than 9 semester units (12-15 quarter units), including instruction in oral communication, written communication, and critical thinking.  A single course may not be certified as meeting more than one subarea for any given student. 


b.      For Area B, no fewer than 9 semester units (12-15 quarter units), including instruction in mathematics/quantitative reasoning and physical science and life science, at least one part of which must include a laboratory component.  A single course may not be certified as meeting more than one subarea for any given student, except for laboratory components incorporated into a physical or life science course. 


c.       For Area C, no fewer than 9 semester units (12-15 quarter units), with at least one course in the arts and one in the humanities (see Attachment A). 


d.      For Area D, no fewer than 9 semester units (12-15 quarter units), with courses taken in at least two disciplines (see Attachment A). 


e.       For Area E, no fewer than 3 semester units (4-5 quarter units). 


5.3.4    Exceptions to Certification Requirements


At the discretion of the campus, exceptions to the requirements for full certification and subject-area certification (as specified above) may be made for programs in which instruction is integrated into a set of courses or into interdisciplinary courses designed to meet multiple objectives.  Interdisciplinary courses in this case would be expected to be offered at an appropriately greater number of units. 


5.4       Certification of Courses and Examinations  


5.4.1    Qualification for Certification


            A participating institution may certify completion of courses or examinations taken at other eligible institutions, provided that all such courses and examinations would be identified for certification purposes by the institution offering them.  


5.4.2    If so identified, those courses and examinations shall contribute to qualification of a student for either full certification or subject-area certification, as appropriate. 


5.4.3    California Community Colleges may include non-CSU upper-division courses in certification of lower-division CSU General Education Breadth or Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum.    


5.5       Limitations of Certification  


5.5.1    Restriction to General Education Requirements


      Neither full certification nor subject-area certification exempts students from unmet lower-division graduation requirements that may exist outside of the general education program of the campus awarding the degree. 


5.5.2    Maximum Number of Credits Allowed


5.5.2.1       Limit on Certification on Total General Education Units


            A participating institution shall not certify a student for more than 39 semester units or the quarter equivalent.  If more than one participating institution certifies a student, the CSU campus granting the degree is not required to accept certification for more than 39 semester units or the quarter equivalent.  


5.5.2.2       Limit on Certification of Units in Areas B through D


A participating institution shall not certify a student for more than 30 semester units (45 quarter units) total in subject areas B through D combined.  If more than one participating institution certifies a student, the CSU campus granting the degree is not required to accept certification for more than 30 semester units (45 quarter units) total in subject areas B through D combined. 


5.5.2.3       Limit on Requirements After Transfer


                  Upon transfer, no student shall be required to complete more units in General Education Breadth than the difference between the number certified in accordance with this executive order and the total units in General Education Breadth required by the campus granting the degree. 


5.5.2.4       Restrictions on Certification of Upper-Division Courses


            Baccalaureate-granting institutions certifying a student for units earned in upper-division courses or examinations may provide certification only for those units that were completed during or after the term in which the student achieved upper-division status (i.e., earned a total of at least 60 semester units or 90 quarter units). 


5.6       General Education Reciprocity Among CSU Campuses  


      5.6.1    Full Lower-Division Reciprocity


a.   Full lower-division reciprocity is the process through which all lower-division general education requirements that one CSU campus has designated as having been satisfactorily and entirely completed shall be accepted as fulfilling all lower-division general education requirements of the CSU campus granting the baccalaureate degree—without regard to differences that may exist between the GE requirements of  two campuses.       


b.   A course or examination is to be regarded as satisfactorily completed if the student’s performance meets the minimum standards for full acceptance toward satisfying a requirement as set by the campus at which the course or examination was taken. 


c.   For the purposes of this section, completion of lower-division general education requirements is equivalent to qualification for full certification, as defined in Article 5 above.   


5.6.2    Reciprocity as Fulfillment of Full Lower-Division General Education Requirements


Transfer students admitted with documentation of full lower-division general education program completion at another CSU campus shall not be held to any additional lower-division general education requirements by the campus awarding the degree. 


5.6.3    Reciprocity for Subject-Area General Education Requirements  


5.6.3.1       Definition


a.   Subject-area lower-division reciprocity is the process through which lower-division general education subject-area requirements designated by CSU campuses as having been satisfactorily completed shall be recognized as fulfilling the corresponding subject-area general education requirements of the CSU campus granting the baccalaureate degree—without regard to differences that may exist in the configuration of the two programs or in the content of the subject area.   


b.  Students seeking to transfer under the provisions of this section shall be responsible for requesting verification that lower-division general education program or subject-area requirements have been met.  Upon the request of a currently or formerly enrolled student, the CSU campus from which the student seeks to transfer shall determine the extent to which that student has satisfactorily completed the lower-division general education requirements in each subject area, and shall provide official documentation of such completion. 


c.   For the purposes of this section, completion of lower-division general education subject-area requirements is equivalent to qualification for subject-area certification, as defined above. 


d.  Transfer students admitted with documentation of completion of one or more general education subject areas at another CSU campus may not be held to any additional lower-division general education requirements in that subject area by the campus awarding the degree.    


5.6.4    Reciprocity Limitations


The provisions of Article 5.6 do not exempt students from unmet lower-division graduation requirements of the CSU campus awarding the degree or from lower-division courses required by individual baccalaureate majors at the CSU campus awarding the degree. 


Article 6    Implementation and Governance  


6.1.     General Education Advisory Committee


A systemwide Chancellor’s General Education Advisory Committee is hereby established.  While it is important that the membership of this committee be broadly based, it shall in largest part be drawn from the instructional faculty of the California State University. 


At minimum, the membership shall also include Chancellor’s Office staff, one California Community College instructional faculty member, one CSU campus academic affairs administrator, and one articulation officer from the CSU system and one from the California Community College system.  Each member of the committee shall have an equal vote. 


The chancellor or the executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer may from time to time request that the committee address and provide advice on other issues related to the development and well-being of California State University General Education Breadth policy and programs.


The responsibilities of this committee shall be as follows: 


a.   To review and propose any necessary revisions in the objectives, requirements, and implementation of CSU General Education Breadth policy to ensure high-quality general education. 


b.   To continue to study general education policies and practices inside and outside the system and, as appropriate, to stimulate intersegmental discussion of the development of general education curricula. 


c.   To review the implications of CSU General Education Breadth policy for students transferring to the CSU and for the institutions from which they transfer, and to propose any necessary adjustments to pertinent policies and practices so that students may be better served in their educational pursuits and achievement of the baccalaureate degree. 


d.   To report as appropriate to the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees.   


6.2        Campus Responsibility  


6.2.1   Development and Revision of Campus Requirements


Campus faculty have primary responsibility for developing and revising the institution’s particular general education program.  Within the CSU General Education Breadth distribution framework, each CSU campus is to establish its own requirements and exercise creativity in identifying courses, disciplines, and learning outcomes.  In undertaking this task, careful attention should be given to the following: 


a.    Assuring that General Education Breadth requirements are planned and organized so that their objectives are perceived by students as interrelated elements, not as isolated fragments.


b.    Considering the organization of approved courses so that students may choose from among a variety of “cores” or “themes,” each with an underlying unifying rationale.


c.    Periodically reviewing approved courses to ensure that they remain responsive to the essential learning outcomes framework identified in Section 3.2


d.    Using evidence of student attainment of learning outcomes to inform the ongoing design of General Education curriculum and instruction.


e.    Considering the possibility of incorporating integrative courses, especially at the upper-division level, that feature the interrelationships among disciplines and traditional general education categories.


f.    Providing for reasonable ordering of requirements so that, for example, courses focusing on learning skills will be completed relatively early and those emphasizing integrative experiences will be completed relatively later.


g.    Developing programs that are responsive to educational goals and student needs, rather than programs based on traditional titles of academic disciplines and organizational units.


h.    Considering possibilities for innovative teaching and learning, including activity as well as observation in all general education coursework. 


6.2.2   GE Breadth Requirements and the Development of New Baccalaureate Degrees


The development of new baccalaureate programs shall include consideration of how the degree requirements will incorporate at least the minimum required general education distribution credits, the major program requirements, and other graduation requirements.  Justifications must be provided to the Office of the Chancellor for any program extending the baccalaureate credit requirement beyond 120 units (Title 5, Section 40508). 


6.2.3   Campus Standing General-Education Committee


The effectiveness of a General Education Breadth program is dependent upon the adequacy of curricular supervision, its internal integrity and its overall fiscal and academic support.  Toward this end, each campus shall have a broadly representative standing committee, a majority of which shall be instructional faculty, and which shall also include student membership, to provide for appropriate oversight and to make appropriate recommendations concerning the implementation, conduct and evaluation of these requirements. 


6.2.4   General-Education Academic Advising


           Each campus shall provide for systematic, readily available academic advising specifically oriented to general education as one means of achieving greater cohesiveness in student choices of course offerings to fulfill these requirements.  


6.2.5   General-Education Review and Assessment


Each campus shall provide for regular periodic reviews of general education program policies and practices in a manner comparable to those of major programs, including evaluation by an external reviewer.  The review should include an assessment of general education student learning outcomes (as designed by campuses in consonance with but not constrained by the objectives stated in Article 3.2 of this executive order).   


 


                                                                       


Charles B. Reed, Chancellor


 


Dated:  June 18, 2008


Executive Order No.1033
Attachment A
Requirements for Certification of CSU General Education Breadth


Area A                       English Language Communication and Critical Thinking


                                    References:  Article 4-A, Article 5.3.2.3-A, Article 5.3.3.4-A


                                    A minimum of 9 semester units or 12-15 quarter units


                                    -one course in each subarea


                                    Oral Communication…………………………………………………………………….. A1


                                    Written Communication…………………………………………………………………. A2


                                    Critical Thinking………………………………………………………………………… A3


________________________________________________________________________________________________


Area B                        Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning


                                    References:  Article 4-B, Article 5.3.2.3-B, Article 5.3.3.4-B


                                    A minimum of 9 semester units or 12-15 quarter units


-one course in subareas B1, B2, and B4, plus laboratory activity related to one of the completed science courses


                                    Physical Science…………………………………………………………………………  B1


                                    Life Science………………………………………………………………………………B2


                                    Laboratory Activity................................………………………………………………… B3
                                    associated with the course taken to satisfy either B1 or B2


                                    Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning……………………………………………………  B4


________________________________________________________________________________________________


Area C                        Arts and Humanities


                             References:  Sections Article 4-C, Article 5.3.2.3-C, Article 5.3.3.4-C


A minimum of 9 semester units or 12-15 quarter units


-at least one course in each subarea


                           Arts ( Art, Cinema, Dance, Music, Theater)……………………………………………..  C1


   Humanities  (Literature, Philosophy, Languages Other than English)………………………………………………………………………………….  C2


________________________________________________________________________________________________


Area D                        Social Sciences


                                    References:  Article 4-D Article 5.3.2.3-D Article 5.3.3.4-D


A minimum of 9 semester units or 12-15 quarter units


-courses to be taken in more than one subarea


                                    Anthropology and Archeology………………………………………………………….. D1


                                    Economics……………………………………………………………………………..........….. D2


                                    Ethnic Studies*…………………………………………………………………………........  D3


                                    Gender Studies*…………………………………………………………………......………. D4


                                    Geography…………………………………………………………………….........……….… D5


                                    History*…………………………………………………………………………...........…….… D6


                                    Interdisciplinary Social or Behavioral Science…………………………..……  D7


                                    Political Science, Government, and Legal Institutions…………………    D8


                                    Psychology……………………………………………………………………………….          D9


                                    Sociology and Criminology………………………………………………………… …    D0


* Ethnic Studies, Gender Studies, or history courses emphasizing artistic or humanistic perspectives may be categorized in Area C.


________________________________________________________________________________________________


Area E                        Lifelong Learning and Self-Development


                                    References:  Article 4-E Article 5.3.2.3-E Article 5.3.3.4-E


                                    3 Semester units or 4-5 quarter units required                      E