Jul 08, 2025  
University Catalog 2025-2026 
    
University Catalog 2025-2026

General Education Lower Division Courses


Students following the Fall 2020 or earlier GE Catalog should refer to the 2020-2021 Catalog
Students following the Fall 2021 to Summer 2025 GE Catalog, please refer to the 2024-2025 Catalog.
The current GE Catalog reflects updates effective Fall 2025.
  • General Education (GE) requirements must add up to at least 43-semester units - 32 Lower Division and 9 Upper Division units.
  • An Introduction to Higher Education course  (IHE) is required of all first-time freshmen.
  • A minimum C- grade in Subject Areas 1A, 1B, 1C, and  Subject Area 2 classes is required. This does not apply to meet the prerequisite for courses that require these courses to be completed with a grade of C or better.   
  • Civic Learning/Community Engagement Requirement  (cl)  - a total of 3 semester units 3-semester units must be completed at the upper-division general education level. These courses are designated as (cl) before the course listing.
  • Diversity Requirement  (d) or (re) - a total of 6-semester units; students must complete one race/ethnicity (re) course and one diversity (d) course or another race/ethnicity (re) course. These courses are designated as (re) or (d) before the course listing.
  • Writing Intensive Requirement  (wi) - a total of 6-semester units; students must complete two writing-intensive (wi) courses, with at least one in their major. These courses are designated as (wi) before the course listing.
  • For all students following the Fall 2021 or later Catalog, 3 units of Ethnic Studies is required and can only be satisfied with approved Subject Area 6 courses (no substitutions).

 

 Lower Division GE Subject Areas

  • Subject Area 1   English Communication
   Area 1A   LD - English Composition
   Area 1B   LD - Critical Thinking
   Area 1C   LD - Oral Communication
  • Subject Area 2   Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
   Area 2   LD - Mathematical Concepts & Quantitative Reasoning
  • Subject Area 3   Arts and Humanities
   Area 3A   LD - Arts
   Area 3B   LD - Humanities
  • Subject Area 4   Social and Behavioral Sciences
   Area 4   LD - Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • Subject Area 5   Physical and Biological Sciences
   Area 5A   LD - Physical Science
   Area 5B   LD - Biological Science
   Area 5C   LD - Laboratory
  • Subject Area 6   Ethnic Studies
Area 6   LD - Ethnic Studies

 


 

Subject Area 1: English Communication


Take one course in each subarea: 1A, 1B, 1C.​

Subject Area 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning


Subject Area 3: Arts and Humanities


Take one course in each subarea: 3A, 3B.

Area 3A - Arts


Area 3B - Humanities


Subject Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences


Take two courses.

Area 4 - Social and Behavioral Sciences


Subject Area 5: Physical and Biological Sciences


Take one course in each subarea for a total of 7 units. Area 5C maybe embedded in 5A or 5B.

Subject Area 6: Ethnic Studies


The following courses satisfy Subject Area 6, even if they are upper division.  Note that all of the following courses satisfy Subject Area 6 - Ethnic Studies, and many of these courses are approved to satisfy a different GE Area. Such courses cannot be used to meet Subject Area 6 and another GE requirement, but can meet either Subject Area 6  or another GE requirement. Only courses listed in the two lists below can satisfy Subject Area 6 as there are no substitutions or waivers.