Bachelor of Arts in History
A list of faculty advisors is available at the department office, Science Building, Room 276.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Students will be able to express knowledge about a geographic and chronological diversity of human experiences, identities, and relationships, both between people and between humans and the natural world, to understand the world beyond themselves. (Knowing)
- Students will be able to approach complex issues in the past from multiple perspectives, understanding causal relationships in a way that allows them to recognize alternate and resonant ways of being in the world across time and space. (Understanding)
- Students will be able to critically assess how power has operated in the past, developing a keen sense of empathy and appreciation for the humanity of others afforded by a perspective informed by social justice and attention to diversity and inclusivity. (Ethics)
- Students will be able to conduct their own research using primary sources to make compelling arguments about the past, situating their conclusions within the debates among historians. (Research Skills)
- Students will be able to organize evidence, communicate complex information, tell engaging stories, and persuade their audience using both written and oral forms of communication. (Communication Skills)
History (B.A.) — 39 units
History majors cannot choose CR/NC grading in more than two history courses for their major, nor elect CR/NC grading in HIST 300GW or HIST 696.
Lower-Division Requirements (12 units)
Select three:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 114 | World History to 1500 | 3 |
| HIST 115 | World History Since 1500 | 3 |
| HIST 120 | History of the U.S. through Reconstruction | 3 |
| HIST 121 | History of the U.S. since Reconstruction | 3 |
Select one course not already taken to satisfy the requirement above:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 101 | Critical Thinking in History | 3 |
| HIST 102 | Introduction to Oral History | 3 |
| HIST 103 | The History of Me | 3 |
| HIST 110 | History of Western Civilization I | 3 |
| HIST 111 | History of Western Civilization II | 3 |
| HIST/I R/LCA/MATH/PHIL/PLSI 112 | Quantitative Reasoning for Civic Engagement | 3 |
| HIST 114 | World History to 1500 | 3 |
| HIST 115 | World History Since 1500 | 3 |
| HIST 120 | History of the U.S. through Reconstruction | 3 |
| HIST 121 | History of the U.S. since Reconstruction | 3 |
Upper-Division Core (6 units)
Students must complete HIST 300GW before enrolling in HIST 696, which should preferably be taken in the final year of study.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 300GW | Seminar in Historical Analysis - GWAR | 3 |
| HIST 696 | Proseminar in History | 3 |
Upper-Division Electives (21 units)
Breadth Requirements (9-12 units)
Students must complete the following four Breadth requirements within their upper-division course of study. Courses used to satisfy one geographic requirement (B, C, or D) may not be used to satisfy another geographic requirement. The course used to satisfy the Early Period of History - Before 1750 requirement (A) may also satisfy one of the geographic requirements (B, C, and D).
A. One Upper-Division Course in Early Periods of History - Before 1750
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 307 | Monsters & Monstrosity: Historicizing Fear | 3 |
| HIST 310 | Ancient Near East: Cities and Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia | 3 |
| HIST 320 | Archaic and Classical Greece | 3 |
| HIST 321 | Hellenistic Greece | 3 |
| HIST 322 | The Roman Republic | 3 |
| HIST 323 | Imperial Rome | 3 |
| HIST 326/MGS 510/CLAS 510 | The Byzantine Empire | 3 |
| HIST 327 | The Medieval Mediterranean | 3 |
| HIST 328 | Pagans and Christians in a Changing Roman World | 3 |
| HIST 329 | Early Christian Church 313-787 | 3 |
| HIST 330/HUM 403 | Vikings, Caliphs, & Carolingians: Europe in the Early Middle Ages | 3 |
| HIST 331/HUM 404 | The High Middle Ages | 3 |
| HIST/JS 332 | Ancient and Medieval Jews Among Pagans, Christians, and Muslims | 3 |
| HIST 333 | The Black Death | 3 |
| HIST 334 | The Renaissance | 3 |
| HIST 340 | Saints, Demons, and Popular Beliefs in Medieval Europe | 3 |
| HIST 357 | Race and Power in Colonial Latin America | 3 |
| HIST 360 | Ancient Chinese Civilization | 3 |
| HIST 361 | Imperial China | 3 |
| HIST 366/ANTH 609 | Approaches to the African Past | 3 |
| HIST 370/CLAS 582/HUM 582 | Tales from Ancient India: Hinduism and Buddhism | 3 |
| HIST 380 | Islamic World I: 500-1500 | 3 |
| HIST 420 | American Colonial History | 3 |
B. One Upper-Division Course That Focuses Primarily on U.S. History
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 303 | Introduction to Oral and Public History: The Bay Area | 3 |
| HIST 404 | A Cultural History of American Technology | 3 |
| HIST 416/JS 548 | The Jewish Sixties: A Journey Through The Social Protest Movements of the 1960s | 3 |
| HIST 418 | Society and Politics in American History | 3 |
| HIST 420 | American Colonial History | 3 |
| HIST/JS 421 | Food Fights: The Politics of American Jewish Consumption from 1654 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 422 | The American Revolution | 3 |
| HIST 424 | History of the United States: Civil War and Reconstruction | 3 |
| HIST 426 | History of the United States 1877-1916 | 3 |
| HIST 427 | History of the United States 1916-1945 | 3 |
| HIST 428 | U.S. History in the Civil Rights Era, 1945-1980 | 3 |
| HIST 429 | U.S. History: The Recent Past, 1980 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST/JS/HUM 441 | American Jews and Popular Culture | 3 |
| HIST/JS 449 | American Jewish History | 3 |
| HIST 450 | History of California | 3 |
| HIST 451 | Bay Area History and Society | 3 |
| HIST 455 | The Philippines and the United States | 3 |
| HIST 460 | The United States and the World Before 1913 | 3 |
| HIST 461 | The United States and the World after 1913 | 3 |
| HIST 464 | American Ethnic and Racial Relations to 1890 | 3 |
| HIST 465 | American Ethnic and Racial Relations II: 1890-Present | 3 |
| HIST 466/RRS 600 | History of People of Color in the U.S. | 3 |
| HIST 467 | Women in the U.S. to 1890 | 3 |
| HIST 468 | Women in the U.S.: 1890-Present | 3 |
| HIST 469 | American Childhoods: Past and Present | 3 |
| HIST 470 | The U.S. Constitution to 1896 | 3 |
| HIST 471 | The U.S. Constitution Since 1896 | 3 |
| HIST 472 | The Supreme Court and Social Change in U.S. History | 3 |
| HIST/RRS/LABR 473 | Slavery and Antislavery in the United States | 3 |
| HIST/ECON/LABR 474 | History of Labor in the United States | 3 |
| HIST 475 | History of Sexuality in the United States Before 1900 | 3 |
| HIST 478 | American Popular Culture History: Barnum to Reality TV | 3 |
| HIST 479 | The History of Baseball | 3 |
| HIST/HUM 480 | Thought and Culture in America to 1880 | 3 |
| HIST/HUM 481 | Thought and Culture in America: 1880 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST/RELS 482 | Religion in America | 3 |
| HIST 484 | Disability and Culture in the U.S. | 3 |
| HIST 485 | History of Sexuality in the United States Since 1900 | 3 |
| HIST 489/USP 400 | Dynamics of the American City | 3 |
| HIST 490 | Topics in American History | 3 |
C. One Upper-Division Course that Focuses Primarily on a Region Outside of the U.S. and includes Europe (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and/or the Middle East)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 310 | Ancient Near East: Cities and Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia | 3 |
| HIST 311 | Ancient Mediterranean World in Transition: c. 1600-700 BCE | 3 |
| HIST 313 | Comparative History of Love and Sexuality | 3 |
| HIST/HUM 315 | History of Science from the Scientific Revolution | 3 |
| HIST/JS 317 | The Holocaust and Genocide | 3 |
| HIST 320 | Archaic and Classical Greece | 3 |
| HIST 321 | Hellenistic Greece | 3 |
| HIST 322 | The Roman Republic | 3 |
| HIST 323 | Imperial Rome | 3 |
| HIST 326/MGS 510/CLAS 510 | The Byzantine Empire | 3 |
| HIST 327 | The Medieval Mediterranean | 3 |
| HIST 328 | Pagans and Christians in a Changing Roman World | 3 |
| HIST 329 | Early Christian Church 313-787 | 3 |
| HIST 330/HUM 303 | Vikings, Caliphs, & Carolingians: Europe in the Early Middle Ages | 3 |
| HIST 331/HUM 404 | The High Middle Ages | 3 |
| HIST/JS 332 | Ancient and Medieval Jews Among Pagans, Christians, and Muslims | 3 |
| HIST 333 | The Black Death | 3 |
| HIST 334 | The Renaissance | 3 |
| HIST 335/JS 633 | Jewish History II: 1650 to Present | 3 |
| HIST 339 | Pirates and Piracy | 3 |
| HIST 340 | Saints, Demons, and Popular Beliefs in Medieval Europe | 3 |
| HIST 342 | French Revolution and Napoleon | 3 |
| HIST 343 | Soviet Russia, the West, and the Cold War | 3 |
| HIST 344 | Society, Culture, and Politics in Nineteenth-Century Europe | 3 |
| HIST 345 | The Era of Globalization 1968-2008 | 3 |
| HIST/I R 346 | Europe since 1914 | 3 |
| HIST 347 | Women in Modern Europe | 3 |
| HIST/HUM 348 | Thought and Culture in Modern Europe | 3 |
| HIST 349 | Topics in European History | 3 |
| HIST/MGS 350 | Greece and the Balkans | 3 |
| HIST 353 | History of Mexico | 3 |
| HIST/WGS 355/LTNS 533 | History of Women in Latin America | 3 |
| HIST 357 | Race and Power in Colonial Latin America | 3 |
| HIST 358/ANTH 501/LTNS 501 | Latin America: The National Period | 3 |
| HIST 360 | Ancient Chinese Civilization | 3 |
| HIST 361 | Imperial China | 3 |
| HIST 362 | History of Modern China | 3 |
| HIST 363 | Taiwan: History, Memory, and Imagination | 3 |
| HIST 364 | Sex and Gender in East Asia | 3 |
| HIST 366/ANTH 609 | Approaches to the African Past | 3 |
| HIST 368 | Modern Africa | 3 |
| HIST 369 | Gender in African History | 3 |
| HIST 370/HUM 582/CLAS 582 | Tales from Ancient India: Hinduism and Buddhism | 3 |
| HIST 372 | India and the British Empire | 3 |
| HIST 373 | Contemporary India | 3 |
| HIST 374/HUM 586 | Bollywood and Beyond: Indian History Through Film | 3 |
| HIST 376 | History of Southeast Asia | 3 |
| HIST 380 | Islamic World I: 500-1500 | 3 |
| HIST 381 | Islamic World II: 1500 - Present | 3 |
| HIST 382 | History of Iran and Afghanistan 1500 - Present | 3 |
| HIST 385 | The Russian Revolution | 3 |
| HIST 390 | Era of the World Wars 1918 to 1945 | 3 |
| HIST 395 | International History 1814-1918 | 3 |
| HIST 398 | History of Modern European Imperialism | 3 |
| HIST 455 | The Philippines and the United States | 3 |
D. One Upper-Division Course That Focuses Primarily on a Region Outside of the U.S. and Europe (Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and/or the Middle East)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 310 | Ancient Near East: Cities and Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia | 3 |
| HIST 311 | Ancient Mediterranean World in Transition: c. 1600-700 BCE | 3 |
| HIST 353 | History of Mexico | 3 |
| HIST/WGS 355/LTNS 533 | History of Women in Latin America | 3 |
| HIST 357 | Race and Power in Colonial Latin America | 3 |
| HIST 358/ANTH 501/LTNS 501 | Latin America: The National Period | 3 |
| HIST 360 | Ancient Chinese Civilization | 3 |
| HIST 361 | Imperial China | 3 |
| HIST 362 | History of Modern China | 3 |
| HIST 363 | Taiwan: History, Memory, and Imagination | 3 |
| HIST 364 | Sex and Gender in East Asia | 3 |
| HIST 366/ANTH 609 | Approaches to the African Past | 3 |
| HIST 368 | Modern Africa | 3 |
| HIST 369 | Gender in African History | 3 |
| HIST 370/HUM 582/CLAS 582 | Tales from Ancient India: Hinduism and Buddhism | 3 |
| HIST 372 | India and the British Empire | 3 |
| HIST 373 | Contemporary India | 3 |
| HIST 374/HUM 586 | Bollywood and Beyond: Indian History Through Film | 3 |
| HIST 376 | History of Southeast Asia | 3 |
| HIST 380 | Islamic World I: 500-1500 | 3 |
| HIST 381 | Islamic World II: 1500 - Present | 3 |
| HIST 382 | History of Iran and Afghanistan 1500 - Present | 3 |
| HIST 395 | International History 1814-1918 | 3 |
| HIST 455 | The Philippines and the United States | 3 |
Electives (9-12 units)
Select enough courses from the list below to reach a total of 21 upper-division elective units in the major.
Three upper-division units (normally one course) outside the major (with a non-HIST prefix) may be counted upon advisement.
Students may take additional electives if they choose.
Elective Options
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 303 | Introduction to Oral and Public History: The Bay Area | 3 |
| HIST 304 | Teaching History with Comics | 3 |
| HIST 305 | Digital History Methods and Practice | 3 |
| HIST 307 | Monsters & Monstrosity: Historicizing Fear | 3 |
| HIST 308/PLSI 451 | Engaging Democracy: Participating in Historical Debates | 3 |
| HIST 310 | Ancient Near East: Cities and Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia | 3 |
| HIST 311 | Ancient Mediterranean World in Transition: c. 1600-700 BCE | 3 |
| HIST 313 | Comparative History of Love and Sexuality | 3 |
| HIST 315 | History of Science from the Scientific Revolution | 3 |
| HIST 317 | The Holocaust and Genocide | 3 |
| HIST 318 | The Holocaust and Law: Complicity, Dissent, and Correction | 3 |
| HIST 320 | Archaic and Classical Greece | 3 |
| HIST 321 | Hellenistic Greece | 3 |
| HIST 322 | The Roman Republic | 3 |
| HIST 323 | Imperial Rome | 3 |
| HIST 326 | The Byzantine Empire | 3 |
| HIST 327 | The Medieval Mediterranean | 3 |
| HIST 328 | Pagans and Christians in a Changing Roman World | 3 |
| HIST 329 | Early Christian Church 313-787 | 3 |
| HIST 330 | Vikings, Caliphs, & Carolingians: Europe in the Early Middle Ages | 3 |
| HIST 331 | The High Middle Ages | 3 |
| HIST 332 | Ancient and Medieval Jews Among Pagans, Christians, and Muslims | 3 |
| HIST 333 | The Black Death | 3 |
| HIST 334 | The Renaissance | 3 |
| HIST 335 | Jewish History II: 1650 to Present | 3 |
| HIST 339 | Pirates and Piracy | 3 |
| HIST 340 | Saints, Demons, and Popular Beliefs in Medieval Europe | 3 |
| HIST 342 | French Revolution and Napoleon | 3 |
| HIST 343 | Soviet Russia, the West, and the Cold War | 3 |
| HIST 344 | Society, Culture, and Politics in Nineteenth-Century Europe | 3 |
| HIST 345 | The Era of Globalization 1968-2008 | 3 |
| HIST 346 | Europe since 1914 | 3 |
| HIST 347 | Women in Modern Europe | 3 |
| HIST 348 | Thought and Culture in Modern Europe | 3 |
| HIST 349 | Topics in European History | 3 |
| HIST 350 | Greece and the Balkans | 3 |
| HIST 353 | History of Mexico | 3 |
| HIST 355 | History of Women in Latin America | 3 |
| HIST 357 | Race and Power in Colonial Latin America | 3 |
| HIST 358 | Latin America: The National Period | 3 |
| HIST 360 | Ancient Chinese Civilization | 3 |
| HIST 361 | Imperial China | 3 |
| HIST 362 | History of Modern China | 3 |
| HIST 363 | Taiwan: History, Memory, and Imagination | 3 |
| HIST 364 | Sex and Gender in East Asia | 3 |
| HIST 366 | Approaches to the African Past | 3 |
| HIST 368 | Modern Africa | 3 |
| HIST 369 | Gender in African History | 3 |
| HIST 370 | Tales from Ancient India: Hinduism and Buddhism | 3 |
| HIST 372 | India and the British Empire | 3 |
| HIST 373 | Contemporary India | 3 |
| HIST 374 | Bollywood and Beyond: Indian History Through Film | 3 |
| HIST 376 | History of Southeast Asia | 3 |
| HIST 380 | Islamic World I: 500-1500 | 3 |
| HIST 381 | Islamic World II: 1500 - Present | 3 |
| HIST 382 | History of Iran and Afghanistan 1500 - Present | 3 |
| HIST 385 | The Russian Revolution | 3 |
| HIST 390 | Era of the World Wars 1918 to 1945 | 3 |
| HIST 395 | International History 1814-1918 | 3 |
| HIST 398 | History of Modern European Imperialism | 3 |
| HIST 404 | A Cultural History of American Technology | 3 |
| HIST 405 | Maritime History | 3 |
| HIST 416 | The Jewish Sixties: A Journey Through The Social Protest Movements of the 1960s | 3 |
| HIST 418 | Society and Politics in American History | 3 |
| HIST 420 | American Colonial History | 3 |
| HIST 421 | Food Fights: The Politics of American Jewish Consumption from 1654 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 422 | The American Revolution | 3 |
| HIST 424 | History of the United States: Civil War and Reconstruction | 3 |
| HIST 426 | History of the United States 1877-1916 | 3 |
| HIST 427 | History of the United States 1916-1945 | 3 |
| HIST 428 | U.S. History in the Civil Rights Era, 1945-1980 | 3 |
| HIST 429 | U.S. History: The Recent Past, 1980 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 430 | Rising Powers | 4 |
| HIST 441 | American Jews and Popular Culture | 3 |
| HIST 449 | American Jewish History | 3 |
| HIST 450 | History of California | 3 |
| HIST 451 | Bay Area History and Society | 3 |
| HIST 455 | The Philippines and the United States | 3 |
| HIST 460 | The United States and the World Before 1913 | 3 |
| HIST 461 | The United States and the World after 1913 | 3 |
| HIST 464 | American Ethnic and Racial Relations to 1890 | 3 |
| HIST 465 | American Ethnic and Racial Relations II: 1890-Present | 3 |
| HIST 466 | History of People of Color in the U.S. | 3 |
| HIST 467 | Women in the U.S. to 1890 | 3 |
| HIST 468 | Women in the U.S.: 1890-Present | 3 |
| HIST 469 | American Childhoods: Past and Present | 3 |
| HIST 470 | The U.S. Constitution to 1896 | 3 |
| HIST 471 | The U.S. Constitution Since 1896 | 3 |
| HIST 472 | The Supreme Court and Social Change in U.S. History | 3 |
| HIST 473 | Slavery and Antislavery in the United States | 3 |
| HIST 474 | History of Labor in the United States | 3 |
| HIST 475 | History of Sexuality in the United States Before 1900 | 3 |
| HIST 478 | American Popular Culture History: Barnum to Reality TV | 3 |
| HIST 479 | The History of Baseball | 3 |
| HIST 480 | Thought and Culture in America to 1880 | 3 |
| HIST 481 | Thought and Culture in America: 1880 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 482 | Religion in America | 3 |
| HIST 483 | Horror Land: Monsters, Haunts, and Horror in American History | 3 |
| HIST 484 | Disability and Culture in the U.S. | 3 |
| HIST 485 | History of Sexuality in the United States Since 1900 | 3 |
| HIST 489 | Dynamics of the American City | 3 |
| HIST 490 | Topics in American History | 3 |
| HIST 514 | Political Violence and Terrorism in German History, Film, and Visual Media | 3 |
| HIST 680 | Archives or Historical Agency Internship | 1-6 |
| HIST 690 | Editing and Publishing the History Journal | 1-4 |
| HIST 698 | Directed Reading in History | 3 |
| HIST 699 | Independent Study | 1-4 |
Complementary Studies
All candidates for the Bachelor of Arts in History are required to complete 12 units of Complementary Studies. These are courses with a prefix other than HIST and not cross-listed with HIST that support the study of History. These units can be earned in residence at San Francisco State, in a Study Abroad Program, or transferred.
- Up to all 12 units may be in a Foreign Language or through Study Abroad at either the lower- or upper-division;
- For units that are not in a Foreign Language or through Study Abroad, up to 3 units may be lower-division and the remainder must be upper-division;
- Within an established minor, students can satisfy Complementary Studies by completing 12 units from a single minor. If students earn their Complementary Studies as part of an established minor, a maximum of 6 units may be lower-division.
Students who have earned AA–T or AS–T degrees and are pursuing a similar B.A. degree at SF State are required to fulfill the Complementary Studies requirement as defined by the major department. Students should consult with a major advisor about how transfer units and/or SF State units can best be applied to this requirement in order to ensure degree completion within 60 units.
General Education Requirements
| Requirement | Course Level | Units | Area Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Communication | LD | 3 | A1 |
| Written English Communication | LD | 3 | A2 |
| Critical Thinking | LD | 3 | A3 |
| Physical Science | LD | 3 | B1 |
| Life Science | LD | 3 | B2 |
| Lab Science | LD | 1 | B3 |
| Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning | LD | 3 | B4 |
| Arts | LD | 3 | C1 |
| Humanities | LD | 3 | C2 |
| Arts or Humanities | LD | 3 | C1 or C2 |
| Social Sciences | LD | 3 | D1 |
| Social Sciences: US History | LD | 3 | D2 |
| Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (LLD) | LD | 3 | E |
| Ethnic Studies | LD | 3 | F |
| Physical and/or Life Science | UD | 3 | UD-B |
| Arts and/or Humanities | UD | 3 | UD-C |
| Social Sciences | UD | 3 | UD-D |
| SF State Studies | |||
| Courses certified as meeting the SF State Studies requirements may be upper or lower division in General Education (GE), a major or minor, or an elective. | |||
| American Ethnic and Racial Minorities | LD or UD | 3 | AERM |
| Environmental Sustainability | LD or UD | 3 | ES |
| Global Perspectives | LD or UD | 3 | GP |
| Social Justice | LD or UD | 3 | SJ |
Note: LD = Lower-Division; UD = Upper-Division.
First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)
The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.
SF State Scholars
The San Francisco State Scholars program provides undergraduate students with an accelerated pathway to a graduate degree. Students in this program pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree simultaneously. This program allows students to earn graduate credit while in their junior and/or senior year, reducing the number of semesters required for completion of a master’s degree.
San Francisco State Scholars Roadmap
Transfer Student Roadmap (2 Year)
For students with an AA-T in History.
HIST ADT Roadmap
This degree program is an approved pathway (“similar” major) for students earning the ADT in History
California legislation SB 1440 (2009) mandated the creation of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) to be awarded by the California Community Colleges. Two types of ADTs are awarded: Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T).
Note: no specific degree is required for admission as an upper-division student. However, the ADT includes specific guarantees related to admission and graduation and is designed to clarify the transfer process and strengthen lower-division preparation for the major.
An ADT totals 60 units and in most cases includes completion of all lower-division General Education requirements and at least 18 units in a specific major. (The Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science AS-T degrees defer 3 units in lower-division GE area C and 3 units in lower-division GE area D until after transfer.) Students pursuing an ADT are guaranteed admission to the CSU if minimum eligibility requirements are met, though not necessarily to the CSU campus of primary choice.
Upon verification that the ADT has been awarded prior to matriculation at SF State, students are guaranteed B.A. or B.S. completion in 60 units if pursuing a “similar” major after transfer. Determinations about “similar” majors at SF State are made by faculty in the discipline.
Degree completion in 60 units cannot be guaranteed when a student simultaneously pursues an additional major, a minor, certificate, or credential.
A sample advising roadmap for students who have earned an ADT and continue in a "similar" major at SF State is available on the Roadmaps tab on the degree requirements page for the major. The roadmap displays:
- How many lower-division units required for the major have been completed upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
- Which lower-division requirements are considered complete upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
- How to complete the remaining 60 units for the degree in four semesters.
Students who have earned an ADT should seek advising in the major department during the first semester of attendance.
General Advising Information for Transfer Students
- Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
- The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
- a course in U.S. History
- a course in U.S. & California Government
For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.
Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.
Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).
Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.
Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.
Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.
Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs
Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet A1, A2, A3, and B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.
Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.
Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.