Lower Division General Education

For an overview of the SF State General Education program, visit our Introduction to General Education.

Please note that although General Education courses are available to students in any major, registration in some sections of specific courses may be restricted to students in the Metro Academies.

Some students come to SF State with high enough AP, CLEP and IB scores to receive college credit. Go to the following link to see what GE requirements are satisfied by these scores. Consult with your major department to see whether any of the credit can count toward your major.

AP – IB – CLEP Test Credit

Students Entering SF State Prior to Fall 2014

Continuing students who were enrolled at SF State prior to Fall 2014 follow the General Education program that was in effect when they came to SF State, with a few modifications. Please visit the Division of Undergraduate Education and Academic Planning for more information about your General Education requirements and approved courses. 

Freshman Students

Students who begin at SF State as first-time college students in Fall 2014 or later, must complete General Education as outlined below. 

Transfer Students

Transfer students who begin at SF State in Fall 2014 or later may complete the 39 units of lower division General Education (GE) requirements (Area A–E), as well as lower division requirements in a major, minor, or certificate program at another campus if those units have been approved through an articulation agreement or an approved evaluation process. Regardless of the number of units a student took to fulfill General Education requirements at other schools, to graduate they must complete a total of 39 units of lower division General Education plus nine units of upper division GE coursework. Any lower division GE coursework not taken in transfer must be taken at SF State from the list of courses below.

• Transfer students who have not completed the equivalent of Written English Communication II will have to do so at SF State. It is a prerequisite to the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) requirement. 
• Transfer students who have completed Area D but who have not completed the US History and Government requirements must do so at SF State (Refer to US History and Government Requirement).
• Transfer students who complete the US History and Government requirements without completing nine units in Area D must take additional Area D courses to total nine units.
• Transfer students must complete nine units of lower division Area C coursework with at least one Area C1 and one Area C2 course, but are not required to take an Area C3 course.
• Transfer students must complete SF State Studies requirements. Most, if not all, of these requirements will be completed while satisfying the Upper Division GE requirements. Students transferring with a verified ADT (AA-T or AS-T degree) who are pursuing a “similar” major do not have to complete the SF State Studies requirements. Click here for more information about procedures and guidelines regarding the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT).

Area A: English Language Communication and Critical Thinking — 12 units

Students taking courses in fulfillment of Areas A1, A2, and A4 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.

In critical thinking (Area 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 Area 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.

Requirements: Students must complete a minimum of twelve units in Area A, including a minimum of three units in each of the following four areas: Oral Communication, Written English Communication I, Critical Thinking, and Written English Communication II. Specific test and course prerequisites are printed in the Undergraduate Graduation Requirements section of the Bulletin. Beginning in Fall 2014, all Area A courses must be completed with a grade of CR or C– or better to fulfill the General Education requirement.

Note: Students transferring from a California community college often satisfy Written English Communication II while satisfying CSU GE Area A3 at their previous campus.  If so, no additional units in Area A are required. However, students still are required to have 39 units total of lower division GE. If units are still lacking, these units may be taken in Areas B, C, D, or E.

Area A1: Oral Communication (3 units required)

Area A2: Written English Communication I (3 units minimum required)

Area A3: Critical Thinking (3 units required)

Area A4: Written English Communication II (3 units required)

Abbreviations

AERM: American Ethnic and Racial Minorities
ES: Environmental Sustainability
GP: Global Perspectives
LLD: Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (Area E)
SJ: Social Justice

Area B: Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning — 9 units

In Areas 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.

In Area B4 courses, 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.

Requirements: All students must complete a minimum of nine units in Area B including a minimum of three units in each of the following three areas: Physical Science, Life Science, and Quantitative reasoning. Additionally, a course that satisfies the Laboratory Science requirement must also be taken.

Specific test and course prerequisites are printed in the Undergraduate Graduation Requirements section of the Bulletin.

Note: Some majors require advanced coursework in Areas B1, B2, and/or B3. For students pursuing these majors, some Area B requirements will be met in major or pre-major coursework. For more information, students should refer to the Bulletin description for their major.

Area B1: Physical Science (3 units minimum required)

Area B2: Life Science (3 units required)

Area B3: Laboratory Science (0–1 units required)

Area B4: Quantitative Reasoning (3 units required)

Details on test and course prerequisites are listed in the Undergraduate Graduation Requirements section of the Bulletin.

Summary of Quantitative Reasoning Requirements

Students who register for a GE quantitative reasoning course at SF State must have:

1. a score of 50 or higher on the ELM examination; or
2. obtained an approved ELM exemption; or
3. after taking the ELM examination, passed Entry Level Math II (ESM 70/MATH 70) at SF State or an equivalent course elsewhere with a grade of C or better. Beginning in Fall 2014, Area B4 courses must be completed with a grade of CR or C– or better to fulfill the General Education requirement.

Abbreviations

AERM: American Ethnic and Racial Minorities
ES: Environmental Sustainability
GP: Global Perspectives
LLD: Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (Area E)
SJ: Social Justice

Area C: Arts and Humanities — 9 units

In their Area C coursework, 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. In Area C3, students will explore the humanities with a specific focus on literature.

Requirements: Students starting as freshmen at SF State must complete a minimum of nine units in Area C including a minimum of three units in the areas of Arts (C1) and Humanities: Literature (C3). They must select an additional three units in either Arts (C1) or Humanities (C2).

Students starting as transfers at SF State must complete a minimum of nine units in Area C including a minimum of three units in the areas of Arts (C1) and Humanities (C2). They must select an additional three units in Arts (C1), Humanities (C2), or Humanities: Literature (C3).

Area C1: Arts

Area C2: Humanities

Area C3: Humanities: Literature

Abbreviations

AERM: American Ethnic and Racial Minorities
ES: Environmental Sustainability
GP: Global Perspectives
LLD: Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (Area E)
SJ: Social Justice

Area D: Social Sciences — 9 units

Through fulfillment of the Area D requirement, students will develop an understanding of problems and issues from a social science perspective 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.

The CSU American Institutions/US History and Government requirement (Areas D2 and D3) may be met either by examination (AP, CLEP, or SF State competency exam) or by taking at least one course in both Areas D2 and D3.

In U.S. History courses (Area D2), students will learn about the relationships among regions within the area of study and with external regions and states and the role of major ethnic and social groups in such events and the contexts in which the events have occurred.

In U.S. and California Government courses (Area D3), students will learn about the political philosophies of the framers of the Constitution and the nature and operation of United States political institutions and processes. Students will also learn about California government, particularly the Constitution of the State of California within the framework of evolution of Federal-State relations and the nature and processes of State and local government under that Constitution.

Requirements: Students starting as freshmen at SF State must complete a minimum of nine units in Area D including a minimum of three units in each of the following areas: Social Sciences (D1), Social Sciences: US History (D2), and Social Sciences: US and California Government (D3).

Transfer students must complete a minimum of nine units in Area D. These students may transfer in with Area D satisfied without completing the US History and US and California Government requirements. Transfer students who have not met their US History and US and California Government requirements must still complete these requirements by taking courses from Area D2 and D3 (see below) or by selecting courses from the US History and Government Requirement.

Area D1: Social Sciences (3 units required)

Area D2: Social Sciences: U.S. History (3 units required)

Area D3: Social Sciences: U.S. and California Government (3 units required)

Abbreviations

AERM: American Ethnic and Racial Minorities
ES: Environmental Sustainability
GP: Global Perspectives
LLD: Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (Area E)
SJ: Social Justice

Area E: Lifelong Learning and Self-development (LLD)

Courses in Area E address topics 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.

Courses certified as meeting the Area E requirement are a minimum of three units and may be upper or lower division, in General Education, a major or minor, or an elective. SF State Studies requirements that are met in Area E courses are indicated after the course title.

Area E: Lifelong Learning and Self-development

Abbreviations

AERM: American Ethnic and Racial Minorities
ES: Environmental Sustainability
GP: Global Perspectives
LLD: Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (Area E)
SJ: Social Justice