General Education Requirements

General Education for Undergraduate Students

At CSULB, General Education is an important part of the undergraduate educational experience. A well-planned General Education program of study will provide students with the skills they will need to excel in whatever disciplines they choose to pursue.

College students all across the United States complete a GE program toward becoming a well-educated person. General Education is the key to a most successful future. A well-planned GE program of study provides students with the skills they will need to excel in whatever discipline(s) they choose to pursue. Employers are hiring and promoting people who have more than just knowledge in a discipline; they are looking for people who can do things like write and speak clearly, solve problems, work well in diverse teams, and make ethical decisions. These are some of the essential skills of GE. As a successful student, one of your responsibilities is to seek out information to work with advisors to plan to take a set of GE courses that best suits your current interests and future directions.

This site offers much of the information needed to build your best GE Program. The links below provide further information on the importance of General Education, as well as information on requirements and approved courses.

  • 2021 General Education
    Students who began continuous enrollment in Fall 2021 or later at CSULB, a California Community College, or other California State University must follow this pattern.
     
  • 2019 General Education Designation Changes
    In 2018, CSULB aligned our GE requirements with Executive Order 1100 from the CSU Chancellor’s Office.  Students who began continuous enrollment in Fall 2018 or later at a California Community College or other California State University must follow this pattern.
     
  • 2018 General Education 
    Students who first enrolled at CSULB in Fall 2018 or Spring 2019 must follow this pattern.
     
  • 2012 General Education 
    Students who began continuous enrollment in Fall 2012 or later at a California Community College or other California State University must follow this pattern.
     
  • 2008 General Education  
    Students who began continuous enrollment between 2008 and Spring 2011 can follow this pattern or may elect the 2012 pattern.
     
  • 1999 General Education
    Students who began continuous enrollment between 1999 and Spring 2008 at a California Community College or other California State University can follow this pattern or may elect the 2012 pattern.
     
  • University Center for Undergraduate Advising 
    Students enrolled prior to 1999 or with questions related to the appropriate General Education pattern should contact the University Center for Undergraduate Advising.

 

Why do Students Have to Take GE Courses?

Students may enter college with a specific major in mind, but no matter what they will call themselves professionally, EVERYONE needs some of the same skills to be a well-educated person. EMPLOYERS will expect you to solve problems and make good decisions using complex information, to act ethically, to contribute to a team of diverse people, and to communicate your ideas effectively in writing and in speech. You are also becoming a citizen of our diverse democracy and of the world. Fellow citizens in each COMMUNITY for which you are a member will expect you to contribute productively to society and to make responsible decisions.

Leading experts in higher education as well as many large companies who seek to employ the best college graduates have worked together to define the most desirable skills. These skills are the outcome statements below. Notice that ‘knowledge’ is only one aspect of the most desirable skills.

See the GE Learning Outcomes available from the CSULB Academic Senate for information on Student Learning Outcomes.

Only courses on the General Education Master Course List at the time the student takes the course shall count for General Education.

Major courses and campus-wide required courses that are approved for GE credit shall also fulfill (double count for) for GE requirement for students entering in Fall 2018. Students who entered prior to Fall 2018 must take a minimum of thirty-five (35) units outside the student's major. Courses in the major department include all courses housed in the department offering the major, regardless of prefix. (For example, courses in French and Italian are in the same department.)

A cross-categorized course may be counted (at the student's option) in any one of the approved categories A- E, but not in more than one. Where appropriate exams exist, Foundation and Explorations requirements may be met by external examinations, such as Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams.  Students are also required to take a Writing Intensive course

Students are expected to complete the Upper Division General Education requirement at CSULB. An exception will be made for students who transfer from another CSU campus after completing some of the upper-division GE requirement at that campus. To be accepted toward this requirement at CSULB, the transfer course must be approved for upper division general education credit at the campus offering the course. Other courses may be used, on an individual basis, to meet the requirement if they are approved for General Education at the campus offering the course and if the purpose of the course meets the criteria for a CSULB Upper Divison General Education course.

Students who transfer from baccalaureate institutions other than the CSU after completing upper-division General Education courses may petition to have one or more such courses accepted toward the requirement. Such petitions will be evaluated on the basis of the criteria above.

Electing a Different General Education Pattern
A new General Education pattern is effective Fall 2018. Students who enter Fall 2018 or later must follow this pattern unless they hold catalog rights to a prior General Education pattern. Students who are under a prior General Education pattern may elect to complete the new pattern. Students should see an advisor in the University Center for Undergraduate Advising or their respective department/program area prior to making this decision. The advisor can file an Advisor Request electronically to formally request the change with Enrollment Services.

Monitoring Progress
Students should regularly run their Academic Requirements Report on MyCSULB to monitor their completion of all degree requirements including General Education. The report is updated with the latest enrollment changes including grades, transfer credit evaluations, and advisor approved adjustments every time it is generated. For assistance in understanding the report see "Using Academics - Progress to Degree."

Finding Courses
Students can find courses that meet General Education requirements by the following:

  • Review the list of General Education Approved Courses

  • Browse the Schedule of Classes. This list is updated nightly and includes courses sorted by General Education requirement.

  • Search for Classes on MyCSULB. The 'Catalog search' will display current information including course descriptions, pre-requisites and the GE requirements the course is certified to meet.   The Additional Search Criteria allows you to search for GE classes being offered  in a GE category.  The 'Class Search' will also display current enrollment status information. Here is a sample catalog result from MyCSULB:

For More Assistance
The University Center for Undergraduate Advising and other special program and advising centers are great resource for students who need assistance navigating the General Education requirements.

Beginning Fall 2008, the General Education course list is maintained on the CSU web site and contains all currently certified courses. The list below reflects courses offered Fall 2008 or after which are not currently active reflecting the period when they were eligible for GE credit.

Previous Courses No Longer Certified
Subject/
Number
Title  GE
Category
GE
Designation
Begin Term End Term
A/ST 300I TRADITIONAL ASIA C3, D2 Capstone/
Interdisciplinary,
Global
Fall 1988 Winter 2011
A/ST 301I MODERN ASIA D2 Capstone /
Interdisciplinary;
Global
Fall 1988 Winter 2011
A/ST 334 EAST ASIAN LIT AND CULTURES C2a Explorations Fall 1988 Winter 2011
AFRS 205 INTRO TO AFRICAN AMER LIT C2a Explorations Fall 2001 Winter 2015
AFRS 304 THE AFRICAN
COLONIAL EXPERIENCE
D2   Spring 1993 Winter 2014
ARAB 250 ARABIC FOR ARABIC SPEAKERS C2 Explorations Spring 2007 Winter 2015
ASAM 221 CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN
ASIAN AMERICA
D2 Explorations Fall 2003 Fall 2014
BIOL
111 / 111L
INTRODUCTION TO EVOLUTION/
DIVERSITY
B1a Explorations Fall 2008 Summer 2010
BIOL 211A BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES I B1a Explorations Fall 1995 Summer 2009
BIOL 211C BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
LABORATORY
B1a Explorations Spring 1999 Summer 2009
BIOL 3091 HUMAN BODY AND MIND E   Fall 2000 Summer 2009
C/LA 314I INTRO TO CONTEMPORARY EUROPE D2 Capstone/
Interdisciplinary
Fall 1993 Summer 2009
C/LA 315I CONTEMPORARY
EUROPEAN SOCIETY
D2 Capstone/
Interdisciplinary
Fall 1993 Summer 2009
CHIN 111 ACCELERATED CHINESE
HERITAGE STUDENTS I
C2C   Fall
2005
Winter 2015
CHIN 211 ACCELERATED CHINESE
HERITAGE STUDENTS II
C2C   Fall
2005
Winter 2015
CLSC 3301 PIRATES, MERCHANTS,
AND MARINES
D2 Capstone/
Interdisciplinary
Spring
2007
Summer 2009
COMM 171 VOICE & APPLIED SPEAKING A2 Foundation Fall 1992 Summer 2012
CWL 336 SOUTHEAST ASIAN LIT
AND CULTURES
C2a Explorations Fall 2004 Summer 2009
ED P 373 NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION:
Interaction of Mind and Body
C1,D2, E Capstone/
Interdisciplinary
Fall 1997 Winter 2016
EDSE 490 THE POLITICS OF DISASTER:
HURRICANE KATRINA &
ITS AFTERMATH
D2 Human Diversity;
Capstone/Service
Learning
Spring 2010 Spring 2010
ES P 300I ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
& POLICY
D2 Capstone/
Interdisciplinary, 
Global Issues
Spring 2005 Winter 2012
ETEC 100 TECHNOLOGY AND LEARNING E   Fall 2006 Spring 2012
FIN 309 CONSUMER IN LEGAL &
ECON ENVIRON
D2, E   Spring 2009 Summer 2016
GEOG 322 GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTH AMERICA D2   Fall 2006 Winter 2014
HIST 346 THE EUROPEAN CINEMA OF
COMMUNISM, FASCISM,
AND RESISTANCE
C2A, D2 Global Issues,
Capstone/
Interdisciplinary
Spring 2004 Summer 2015
HIST 347 TRADITION & CRISIS:
JEWS OF EASTERN EUROPE
D2 Global Issues Spring 2006 Summer 2013
JAPN 370 JAPAN LITERATURE
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
C2a   Spring 2008 Winter 2014
JOUR 220 UNDERSTANDING NEWS MEDIA D2 Explorations Spring 2008 Winter 2012
JOUR 311 REPORTING AND
INFORMATION GATHERING
  Writing Intensive Fall 2004 Winter 2015
KIN 332 SOCIOCULTRAL DIMENSIONS OF
SPORT & HUMAN MOVEMENT
D2 Capstone/
Interdisciplinary
  Summer 2013
MATH 108 STATISTICS FOR EVERYDAY LIFE B2 Foundation Fall 2007 Winter 2010
MATH 117 PRECALCULUS MATHEMATHICS D2 Foundation Spring 1997 Winter 2014
MICR 101 INTRO TO HUMAN DISEASE B1ANL     Summer 2016
MICR 200 GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY
FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
B1a Explorations   Summer 2016
MICR 300I HUMAN IMMUNOLOGY
SELF DEFENSE
D2 Capstone/
Interdisciplinary
Fall 1989 Summer 2012
NRSG 481I PARENTING D2,E Capstone/
​Interdisciplinary
Spring 2004 Spring 2009
NSCI 309 WOMEN IN SCIENCE BIaNL,
B1bNL, D2
Capstone/
​Interdisciplinary
Spring 1998 Summer 2014
NSCI 375 Science and Society B1aNL,
B1bNL
Interdisciplinary Fall 1998 Winter 2016
PHIL 362I ETHICS AND
COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
C2b Explorations Spring 1997 Summer 2009
PHIL 452I LAW, PHILOSOPHY & HUMANITIES C2b Capstone/
​Interdisciplinary
Spring 1996 Fall 2009
POSC 210 ISSUES OF AMERICAN POLITICS D2   Fall 2001 Fall 2013
POSC 215 ISSUES OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS D2 GLOBAL Fall 2001 Fall 2013
POSC 220 ISSUES IN GLOBAL POLITICS D2 GLOBAL Spring 1988 Fall 2013
PROF 388I TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY E Capstone/
​Interdisciplinary
Spring 2006 Summer 2010
PROF 417I TECHNOLOGY, ETHICS & SOCIETY D2 Global;
Capstone/
Interdisciplinary
Spring 2006 Summer 2010
PROF 457I WORKING AROUND THE WORLD D2 Global; 
Capstone/
Interdisciplinary
Spring 2006 Summer 2010
PSY 370I ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY D2, E Explorations Fall 2006 Summer 2009
PSY 375I COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY D2 Capstone/
​Interdisciplinary
Fall 2003 Summer 2009
R/ST 338 MEDIEVAL THOUGHT IN JUDAISM,
CHRISTIANITY, AND ISLAM
C2b Capstone/
​Interdisciplinary
Fall 2005 Spring 2013
R/ST 339I THE QUR'AN C2b Explorations Fall 2007 Summer 2009
R/ST 485 CONTEMPORARY
RELIGIOUS THOUGHT
C2b Explorations Fall 1988 Fall 2013
RUSS 101A FUNDAMENTALS OF RUSSIAN C2c Explorations Spring 1988 Fall 2013
RUSS 101B FUNDAMENTALS OF RUSSIAN C2c Explorations Fall 1988 Fall 2013
RUSS 201A INTERMEDIATE RUSSIAN C2c Explorations Fall 1988 Fall 2013
RUSS 201B INTERMEDIATE RUSSIAN C2c Explorations Fall 1988 Fall 2013
U/ST 301 THE URBAN SCENE D2 Capstone/
​Interdisciplinary
Spring 2008 Winter 2014
W/ST 101 WOMEN & THEIR BODIES E Explorations Fall 1988 Summer 2009
W/ST 102 WOMEN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY D2 Explorations Fall 1988 Summer 2009
W/ST 307I US WOMEN & ECON-MONEY SEX PWR D2 Capstone/
​Interdisciplinary,
Human Diversity
Fall 1997 Summer 2009
W/ST 309I WOMEN IN SOCIETY D2 Capstone/
​Interdisciplinary
Spring 1999 Summer 2009
W/ST 318I U S WOMEN OF COLOR C2a, D2 Capstone/
Interdisciplinary,
Human Diversity
Spring 2004 Summer 2009
W/ST 319 ETHNIC EXPERIENCE IN US D2 Human Diversity Fall 1993 Summer 2009
W/ST 365I POP CULT:WOMEN, GEND,SEXUALITY C3, D2 Capstone/
Interdisciplinary,
Human Diversity
Spring 2004 Summer 2009
W/ST 382 WOMEN AND LITERATURE C2a Explorations Fall 1988 Summer 2009
W/ST 401I BODIES AND BORDERS D2 Capstone/
Interdisciplinary,
Global Issues
Fall 1999 Summer 2009
W/ST 424 WOMEN & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE D2 Global Issues Spring 2003 Summer 2009
WGSS 309 WOMEN IN SCIENCE B1aNL, B1aNL, D2 Capstone/
Interdisciplinary
Summer 1998 Winter 2014