General Education Certification Process

General Education Certification (GEC)

General Education Certification is a legal agreement between the UC or CSU systems and the California Community Colleges that permits a student to transfer from a community college to a UC or CSU campus without the need to complete additional lower division general education courses to satisfy university GE requirements after transfer. Taft College will provide an IGETC or CSU GE-Breadth certification upon completion of GE coursework when requested by the student on the transcript form. This certification may include selected courses taken from other regionally accredited colleges, or credit earned through other means, such as Advanced Placement (AP) test credit. Students do not have “catalog rights” to a certification pattern. Certification is subject to the following conditions:

For full certification, no fewer than 39 units will be certified; for partial certification, no fewer than 24 units will be certified;

Only entire areas will be certified.

For assistance in determining the most appropriate general education program, consult a counselor.

C-ID - Course Identification Numbering System

The Course Identification Numbering System (C-ID) is a statewide numbering system independent from the course numbers assigned by local California community colleges. A C-ID number next to a course signals that participating California colleges and universities have determined that courses offered by other California community colleges are comparable in content and scope to courses offered on their own campuses, regardless of their unique titles or local course number.

Thus, if a schedule of classes or catalog lists a course bearing a C-ID number, for example Taft College COMM 1511 - Public Speaking can be assured acceptance as a course from another community college with the C-ID COMM 110 designation. The C-ID designation is used to identify comparable courses across the community college system.

However, students should always go to ASSIST to confirm how each college’s course will be accepted at a particular four-year college or university for transfer credit.

The C-ID numbering system is useful for students attending more than one community college and is applied to many of the transferable courses students need as preparation for transfer. Since these course requirements may change and because courses may be modified and qualified for or deleted from the C-ID database, students should always check with a counselor to determine how C-ID designated courses fit into their educational plans for transfer.

Students may consult the ASSIST or C-ID databases for specific information on C-ID course designations. Counselors can always help students interpret or explain this information.

California State University General Education Breadth

(CSU-GE Breadth Pattern)

The California State University General Education-Breadth (CSU GE) pattern is one option that allows California community college transfer students to fulfill the lower-division general education requirements of any California State University (CSU) campus. The curriculum consists of a 39-unit pattern with six areas of concentration described in the CSU GE pattern.

Certification of CSU GE-Breadth Requirements
Official notification from a California community college that a transfer student has completed courses fulfilling lower-division general education requirements occurs through a process of “certification.” Certification is a legal agreement between the CSU and California Community Colleges.

It is the policy of Taft College to provide certification of general education breadth requirements when such service is requested by the student or whenever a student requests that a transcript be sent to a CSU or UC if the student has completed all of 39 units for certification. Certification of general education courses is generally requested when the CSU GE-Breadth pattern has been completed.

Additional CSU GE-Breadth Information and Restrictions

Completion of the CSU GE-Breadth pattern is not an admission requirement nor does completion guarantee admission to any CSU campus or program.

Certification is based on approved courses listed in the Taft College CSU GE-Breadth pattern or from other regionally accredited institutions. Courses taken at other community colleges must fulfill the appropriate GE Breadth area as defined by that college.

Courses completed at a foreign college or university cannot be used to satisfy requirements for certification.

Catalog rights do not apply to the CSU GE-Breadth pattern

Prior to certification, students must complete a minimum of 24 units in residence at Taft College.

Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended must be on file before submitting an application for certification. The application is available in the Admission and Records office.

The CSU GE-Breadth pattern is accepted by some California private and independent colleges and universities in satisfying lower division general education requirements.

For additional information, consult a counselor.

IGETC - Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum

IGETC Pattern

The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is a general education pattern that will fulfill all lower division general education requirements at all California State University (CSU) campuses and most University of California (UC) campuses/ majors. It is also accepted by some private/independent or out-of-state universities. IGETC is usually recommended for students who intend to transfer to a UC campus, or who are not yet sure of their intended transfer university. Completion of the IGETC pattern is not an admission requirement for transfer to most UC or CSU campuses, nor is it the only way to fulfill the lower division GE requirements of a UC or CSU campus prior to transfer.

Students should consult with a counselor to determine which general education pattern is most appropriate for their individual educational goals.

Rules for using the IGETC pattern

Each course must have been IGETC approved at the time it was taken. See ASSIST for a list of certified courses and approval dates.

Courses may be approved for more than one IGETC area. However, each course may be used to certify only one of the areas it is approved for except for courses in languages other than English, which can be certified in both areas 3B and 6A.

Students should apply for IGETC certification at the last community college attended prior to transfer.

AP credit and coursework completed at accredited U.S. colleges and universities may be used to fulfill some IGETC requirements. All such credit must be evaluated through Admissions and Records. Foreign coursework is not acceptable.

All courses must be passed with a ‘C’ or higher. A ‘C-’ is not acceptable.

Students transferring to UC need not complete the Oral Communication requirement (Area 1C).

Students transferring to CSU need not complete the Languages other than English requirement.

Some UC campuses do not allow use of IGETC for students who were previously enrolled at a UC campus.

Some community college courses have limitations on the amount of credit awarded by the receiving university. See a counselor, the course description in the college catalog, or ASSIST for more information.

IGETC is NOT recommended for the following transfer destinations:

UC San Diego Revelle and Eleanor Roosevelt Colleges

UC Berkeley Colleges of Business, Chemistry, Environmental Design (Architecture), Engineering, Natural Resources, Optometry.

UC Davis College of Engineering

UC Irvine Schools of Engineering, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences
UC Los Angeles Schools of Engineering and Applied Science

UC Riverside Colleges of Engineering, Natural and Agricultural Sciences

UC Santa Barbara Colleges of Engineering, Creative Studies

Completion of the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) will permit a student to transfer from a California Community College (CCC) to a California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) campus generally without the need, after transfer, to take additional lower-division general education courses to satisfy all lower-division general education requirements. However, individual colleges or majors within a CSU or UC campus may not accept IGETC for meeting general education.

The IGETC pattern is most useful for students who want to keep their options open before making a final decision about transferring to a particular UC or CSU campus. Completion of IGETC does NOT guarantee admission, nor is it required for admission.

IGETC for STEM Pattern

IGETC for STEM is a separate IGETC track available for students planning to major in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM). As of March 2015, UC will accept IGETC for STEM only if:

A student is earning an associate degree for transfer (ADT) in Biology or Chemistry at a community college that offers IGETC for STEM as an option for those degrees AND

The UC major program or college the student is applying to accept partial IGETC certification

NOTE: A Course must have a minimum unit value of 3 semester or 4 quarter units to meet requirements of IGETC. A minimum “C” grade is required for each college course. A “C” is defined as a minimum 2.0 grade points on a 4.0 scale. A grade of credit or pass may be used if the college’s policy states that it is equivalent to a grade of “C” or better.

CERTIFICATION: Taft College can provide full certification (completion of requirements in all areas, partial certification (completing all but two courses) or IGETC for STEM (missing one course in Area 3*, Area 4*, and Area 6*). *These deferred lower-division courses must be replaced with calculus and/or science courses required by the major before transfer.

CAUTION: Partial certification that includes a deficiency in IGETC Areas 1 and/or 2 may indicate that a student does not meet minimum admission transfer requirements. Schedule an appointment with a counselor to discuss your transfer plan and to ensure you meet the transfer requirements.

Other Transfer General Education Options

Some transfer students are best served by following a general education pattern other than the IGETC or CSU GE patterns. These typically include students who fall into one of the following three categories:

Students entering high unit majors such as an engineering or science discipline. Major preparation for the engineering and science fields typically consists of a high number of units. Most universities prefer (and some require) that these preparation for major courses be completed prior to transfer. Therefore, it may be more beneficial for students entering these majors to complete relatively fewer GE courses and more major preparation courses at the community college, while still meeting the minimum admission requirements of the university. Students should review the catalog, other published advising materials of the university and major to which they intend to transfer, and ASSIST for students transferring to the UC or CSU system and a Taft College counselor for assistance in selecting appropriate courses.
Students transferring to a private/independent or out-of- state university. Some private/independent and out-of- state universities accept IGETC or CSU GE, but most do not. Instead, each university has its own unique GE pattern.
Taft College has established articulation agreements with some of these institutions. These agreements specify the courses students can complete at Taft College to fulfill the university’s GE requirements. For information on transferring to a private/independent or out-of- state university, visit the Transfer Center.
Students may choose to complete the GE requirements for one specific university, rather than the more universally applicable IGETC or CSU GE patterns, for several reasons:

Some universities and/or majors do not accept IGETC and instead suggest following the university’s own GE pattern.

Some students know that they will attend only one university (such as those with a guarantee of transfer admission) and so plan to complete the specific GE pattern for that institution only.

Some university-specific GE patterns require fewer total units than IGETC or CSU GE.

Each university’s unique GE pattern can be found in their university catalog. In addition, some UC and CSU campuses have posted general education patterns on the ASSIST website.

Guaranteed Admission Programs

Taft College offers a number of Guaranteed Admission Programs with several schools including: UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, as well as CSUB STEM majors. Visit the Taft College Transfer website or schedule a meeting with a counselor at 661-763-7748.

Plan early as some agreements must be signed at least a year in advance of the transfer semester/quarter. Interested students are strongly urged to meet with the Transfer counselor or attend a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) workshop for details on eligibility requirements as they change every year.

Pass Along Certification

Students who transfer credits from another California community college often want to “pass along” the general education certifications that they have earned. Any California community college may certify such coursework from another California community college, from a regionally accredited college or university, or from a CSU or UC campus. It is critically important that students transferring coursework from other colleges and universities have official transcripts sent to Taft College Admissions and Records Department to be evaluated.

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Transfer Planning Guide