What is General Education?
General Education is the typically the first part of a degree, before you get into a focused area of study or major. General education is required curriculum that makes up the foundation of an undergraduate degree (associate and/or bachelors). Additionally, general education lays the foundation for your upper division major courses (junior & senior level courses). During your general education courses you will typically encounter courses in math, science, communication, writing, and other key disciplines to develop critical soft skills, such as analysis and creative problem-solving. All key areas to being successful in your upper division and major courses. There are several ways to fulfill general education requirements. Most frequently utilized methods in California are listed below.
California State University (CSU) General Education Breadth
CSU GE requirements have been designed to complement the major program and electives completed by each baccalaureate candidate. These requirements are designed to provide the knowledge and perspectives that will enable CSU students to confront personal, cultural, moral and social issues that are an inevitable part of human life, and cultivate enthusiasm for lifelong learning.
IGETC
The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is a series of courses that California community college students can complete to satisfy freshman/sophomore level general education requirements before transferring to most colleges and majors at University of California (UC) campuses.
If you choose to follow IGETC, we recommend that you complete all the IGETC courses before you transfer. Otherwise you'll need to satisfy the specific freshman/sophomore level general education requirements of your UC college or school. However, not all UC's and/or majors require or recommend the completion of IGETC. Meet with your counselor for more information.
Barstow Community College General Education Breadth
Completion of the general education requirements satisfy the local degree requirements and is designed for students who are planning to seek immediate employment after graduation. Students intending to transfer to a 4-year institution should follow either the CSU-GE Breadth or IGETC requirements.
Private and Out-of-State Universities that accept CSUGE and IGETC
Keep in mind that just because a university accepts the CSUGE and/or IGETC it does not mean that there may not be additional requirements. Be sure to check each website of interest below for full details. List of AICCU Accepting Institutions.
Updated: 08.29.2023
