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MyRoadmaps Catalog

General Education Requirements



General Education Requirements Video

General Education Requirements


SJSU’s general education program establishes a strong foundation of versatile skills, fosters curiosity about the world, promotes ethical judgment, and prepares students to engage and contribute responsibly and cooperatively in a multicultural, information-rich society. General education classes integrate areas of study and encourage progressively more complex and creative analysis, expression, and problem solving. The program aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and values they need for a lifetime of intellectual and personal growth. Review the learning goals and outcomes, policies , academic advisement information , and previous requirements .

General Education Core - Lower Division Requirements

Area A. English Language Communication and Critical Thinking
1. Oral Communication | 2. Written Communication I |  3. Critical Thinking and Writing

Area B. Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning
1. Physical Science | 2. Life Science | 3. Laboratory  | 4. Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning

Area C. Arts and Humanities
1. Arts | 2. Humanities

Area D. Social Sciences

Area E. Human Understanding & Development

Area F. Ethnic Studies

 

SJSU Studies - Upper Division Requirements

Area R. Earth, Environment, and Sustainability

Area S. Self, Society & Equality in the U.S.

Area V. Cultures and Global Understanding

Click on the titles below for more information about:

General Education Requirements

General Education Core- Lower Division Requirements

Students must complete 39 units of Core GE courses. Courses that must be completed as a part of a sequence or are designed for specific majors only are identified in parentheses next to the course. Students may satisfy Intensive GE sequences in science, math, or music.

A. English Language Communication and Critical Thinking

9 units

Complete one course each in 1. Oral Communication, 2. Written Communication I, and 3. Critical Thinking and Writing.

Minimum Grade: A minimum grade of “C-” or better (per the CSU General Education Breadth Requirements).

1. Oral Communication

Oral Communication courses cultivate an understanding of the social, psychological, political and practical significance of communication, with special emphasis on the roles of public communication in a free society.

2. Written Communication I

Written Communication I courses cultivate an understanding of the writing process and the goals, dynamics, and genres of written communication, with special attention to the nature of writing at the university. First year students are expected to complete this requirement within their first two semesters at SJSU.

3. Critical Thinking and Writing

Critical Thinking and Writing courses develop students’ understanding of the relationship of language to logic, develop students’ abilities to research and analyze important topics, and to construct their own arguments on issues that generate meaningful public debate and deliberation.

B. Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning

9 units

Complete at least one course in 1. Physical Science, 2. Life Science, and 4. Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning. At least one lab course (L) must be completed.

Physical, Life, and Laboratory Science courses (B1-3) students develop students’ knowledge of scientific theories, concepts, and data about living and non-living systems, as well as the potential limits of scientific endeavors and the value systems and ethics associated with scientific inquiry.

1. Physical Science

Intensive Science: Students who have completed the Intensive Science courses with a “C- or better”, will be allowed to use these courses to fulfill the requirement in B1/B3 or B2/B3. Students may petition to have (1) grades below C- (very rarely approved), or (2) other Intensive Science courses not on the list approved as intensive science courses. Additionally, the following packages of courses, all completed with “C- or better”, will satisfy Areas B1, B2, and B3: Two courses from PHYS 50 , PHYS 51 , or PHYS 52 , and CHEM 1A ; or PHYS 2A  and PHYS 2B  and CHEM 1A ; or CHEM 1A  and CHEM 1B , plus a physics course. See details on the Office of Undergraduate Education’s Student Petitions website.

2. Life Science

Intensive Science: Students who have completed the Intensive Science courses with a “C- or better” will be allowed to use these courses to fulfill the requirement in B1/B3 or B2/B3. Students may petition to have (1) grades below C- (very rarely approved), or (2) other Intensive Science courses not on the list approved as intensive science courses. Additionally, the following packages of courses, all completed with “C- or better”, will satisfy Areas B1, B2, and B3: Two courses from PHYS 50 , PHYS 51 , or PHYS 52 , and CHEM 1A ; or PHYS 2A  and PHYS 2B  and CHEM 1A ; or CHEM 1A  and CHEM 1B , plus a physics course. See details on the Office of Undergraduate Education’s Student Petitions website.

3. Laboratory

The following courses meet the Lab requirement only.

4. Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning

Mathematics/quantitative reasoning courses develop students’ abilities to reason quantitatively, practice computational skills, and explain and apply mathematical and/or quantitative reasoning concepts to solve problems at the college level. First year students are expected to complete this requirement within their first two semesters at SJSU.

Minimum Grade: A minimum grade of “C-” or better (per the CSU General Education Breadth Requirements).

Intensive Math: Students who have completed an Intensive Math course with a “C- or better” will be allowed to use these courses to fulfill the requirement in B4: MATH 30 , MATH 30X , MATH 31 , MATH 31X , MATH 32 , MATH 32X , MATH 70 , MATH 70X , MATH 71 , or MATH 71X .

C. Arts and Humanities

9 units

Complete no fewer than 9 semester units, with at least one course in the Arts (C1) and one in the Humanities (C2).

In Arts and Humanities courses, students develop their understanding of the historical and cultural contexts in which works of art and humanistic inquiry are created and interpreted. Courses enable students to participate in social and cultural communities associated with artistic and humanistic endeavors, thus enriching their lives and promoting lifelong appreciation of the humanistic and creative arts.

Intensive Music: Students who have completed the Intensive Music courses MUSC 4A , MUSC 4B  and MUSC 12 , with a “C or better”, will be allowed to use these courses to fulfill the requirements of Area C. Students may petition to have (1) grades below C (very rarely approved), or (2) other Intensive Music courses not on the list approved as intensive music courses. See details on the Office of Undergraduate Education’s Student Petitions website.

1. Arts

2. Humanities

D. Social Sciences

6 units

Complete no fewer than 6 units in Area D. Courses in the Social Sciences (Area D and Area S) must be completed in at least two different disciplines (for example, ANTH and POLS). Students who take two lower-division Area D courses in the same discipline must take an Area S upper-division GE course  in a different discipline.

To earn American Institutions (US123)  credit, students may complete two D courses that incorporate the American Institutions content, as noted below. Some courses may require completion of a 2-semester sequence in order to receive American Institutions credit (AFAM 2A /AFAM 2B , (AAS 33A /AAS 33B , CCS 10A /CCS 10B ).

Social Science courses increase students’ understanding of human behavior and social interaction in the context of value systems, economic structures, political institutions, social groups, and natural environments.

E. Human Understanding & Development

3 units

Complete one course.

Human Understanding and Development courses prepare students for lifelong learning and enhance their understanding of the factors that contribute to overall well-being in college and across the human lifespan. Students also learn skills to employ available university resources to support academic and personal development.

F. Ethnic Studies

3 units

Complete one course. 

Ethnic Studies courses give students the knowledge and skills necessary for comprehending continued sovereignty movements, racial and ethnic dynamics, and settler colonial histories and social justice movements in the United States; and the socio-historical origins, processes, and consequences of racial construction, racialization, and racial oppression in the society in which they live. Students learn core interdisciplinary and comparative concepts and frameworks in ethnic studies with a focus on understanding race and ethnicity as they apply to the historically defined racialized core groups: Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Chicanx/Latinx Americans. Students gain the skills to better operate as responsible, informed, and constructive citizens in an evolving multiracial and multicultural democracy.

Minimum Grade: A minimum grade of “C-” or better (per the SJSU General Education Requirements).

SJSU Studies - Upper Division Requirements

Students complete 9 units of SJSU studies upper division general education courses (Areas R/S/V). In some cases, SJSU Studies areas are integrated in a single course or overlap with the major.

Grade Option: Areas R, S, and V must be taken for a letter grade.

Second baccalaureate students who earned their first bachelor degree from a regionally accredited institution in the U.S. are not required to take SJSU Studies unless specific courses are required by the major.

Transfer students who complete any portion of upper division GE at another CSU campus may request equivalency for coursework in SJSU Studies. Contact the Undergraduate Education Office for evaluation of coursework.

Areas R, S, and V

9 units

Complete one course from each area.

Minimum Prerequisites:

  1. Completion of core GE;
  2. Upper division standing; and,
  3. Pre/Corequisite: a 100W course is strongly recommended.

Year-Long Course Sequences: Students enroll in 6 units in the fall and 3 units in the spring. 

R. Earth, Environment, and Sustainability

In Earth, Environment and Sustainability courses, students apply knowledge of scientific theories and concepts as well as quantitative reasoning to explore the relationship between humans and the natural environment. Students achieve an understanding of the role that science plays in addressing complex issues, as well as the potential limits of scientific endeavors and the value systems and ethics associated with scientific inquiry.

S. Self, Society & Equality in the U.S.

Students in courses in Self, Society & Equality in the U.S. study the interrelationships of individuals, racial groups, and cultural groups to understand and appreciate issues of equality, structured inequality, and justice in the United States. By exploring different perspectives and helping students articulate and discuss their own values, Area S courses prepare students to live and work responsibly and cooperatively in a multicultural society.

Courses in the Social Sciences (Area D and Area S) must be completed in at least two different disciplines. Students who take two lower-division Area D courses in the same discipline must take an Area S upper-division GE course in a different discipline.

V. Cultures and Global Understanding

Courses in Cultures and Global Understanding examine multiple aspects of human expression in cultures and societies outside the United States, including how such cultures develop and influence one another as well as U.S. cultures and societies.