Academics

General Education (GE) Patterns

This pattern is for students who began college fall 2023 or later.  See a counselor for details.

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Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) 

The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is a general education program that community college transfer students may use to fulfill lower-division general education requirements in either the UC or the CSU system without the need, after transfer, to take additional lower-division general education courses. 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.

Some students may be better served by taking courses that fulfill the CSU General Education-Breadth requirements or the requirements of the UC campus or other college to which they plan to transfer. Students pursuing majors that require extensive lower-division major preparation may not find the IGETC option to be advantageous. Engineering, Architecture, and Liberal Studies are examples of those majors. UC San Diego Colleges of Roosevelt and Revelle, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and College of Environmental Design (Architecture and Landscape Architecture majors) will not accept the IGETC. Schools of Engineering do not generally recommend the IGETC. Before selecting any courses, please see a counselor for assistance in planning your program.

Courses completed at a California Community College will be applied to the subject area in which they were listed by the institution where the work was completed. Coursework from other United States regionally accredited institutions may be used on IGETC. Coursework must be evaluated by a counselor. All courses must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or higher. A “Credit” or “Pass” that is defined by institutional policy as being equivalent to a grade of C (2.0) or higher may be applied to meet IGETC requirements. Foreign coursework from non-US regionally accredited institutions may not be used. Course credit earned on the basis of acceptable scores on Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exams can be applied toward IGETC certification (see the charts at the end of this chapter for a list of acceptable AP/IB courses and scores.)

Important: All courses must be completed with grades of C (2.0) or higher. Courses used to meet IGETC requirements must have a minimum of 3 semester or 4 quarter units. (Exceptions may be made for English composition and math. See a counselor for details.)

For information regarding “IGETC Certification” see the Transfer section of the catalog. 

UC Berkeley only accepts full IGETC certification. 

Some private and out-of-state colleges and universities will accept the completed IGETC to meet their lower-division general education requirements.

The private and out-of-state colleges and universities below will accept the completed IGETC to meet their lower-division general education requirements.  

  • AICU
  • American University of Paris (France)
  • Arizona State University
  • Biola University
  • California College for the Arts
  • California Lutheran University
  • Chapman University
  • City University of London (England)
  • Cogswell Polytechnical College
  • Concordia University
  • Dominican College of San Rafael
  • Hawaii Pacific University
  • Holy Names College
  • JFK University
  • John Cabot University (Rome, Italy)
  • Menlo College
  • National University
  • Northern Arizona University
  • Notre Dame de Namur University (formerly College of Notre Dame)
  • Oregon State University
  • Saint Mary’s College of California
  • Scripps College
  • Southern University and A&M College (Baton Rouge, LA)
  • University of La Verne
  • University of Northern Colorado
  • University of San Francisco
  • University of the Pacific
  • University of the West
  • Vanguard University of Southern California
  • Woodbury University 

Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) Requirements

All courses must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or higher. Courses used to meet IGETC requirements must have a minimum of 3 semester or 4 quarter units. (Exceptions may be made for English composition and math. See a counselor for details.)

Applying Non-SMC Coursework to IGETC

A summary of requirements for IGETC certification of non-SMC courses:

  1. The institution is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges or an equivalent accrediting body.
  2. A course taken at a California Community College is applied to the subject area in which it is listed by the institution where the work was completed (check assist.org for college IGETC lists).
  3. Coursework from other U.S. regionally accredited institutions may be used on IGETC. Coursework may be evaluated by a counselor.
  4. The grade received in the course is C (2.0) or higher. A grade of C- (C minus) is not acceptable. A “Credit” or “Pass” that is defined by institutional policy as being equivalent to a grade of C (2.0) or higher may be applied to IGETC requirements.
  5. Foreign coursework from non-United States regionally accredited institutions cannot be used for IGETC.
  6. Each course is a minimum of 3 semester or 4 quarter units. (Exceptions may be made for English composition or math. See a counselor for details.)
  7. All courses that meet IGETC requirements are completed by the end of the semester that the student is petitioning for certification.

Transfer Admission Requirements for the University of California (UC)

The minimum requirements for UC transfer admission can be found at admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/transfer.
Students must:

  • Complete the following 7-course pattern by the end of the spring term prior to fall enrollment at UC:
    • Two transferable courses in English composition;
    • One transferable course in mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning;
    • Four transferable courses chosen from at least two of the following subject areas:
      • arts and humanities
      • social and behavioral sciences
      • physical and biological sciences
  • Complete at least 60 semester (90 quarter) units of UC-transferable credit. No more than 14 semester (21 quarter) units of the 60 semester (90 quarter) units may be taken on a Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit basis. Courses designated “UC” in the course description will transfer as baccalaureate credit for (at least) elective credit to the University of California. Students should refer to assist.org for further information.
  • Earn at least a 2.4 GPA in UC-transferable courses (2.8 if the student is a nonresident) and be in good standing at the last college or university attended. Note: Some majors require a higher GPA for admission selection and a higher grade point average is required to be a more academically attractive transfer applicant to most UC campuses.

All branches of the University of California allow up to 70 transferable semester units from a community college. Students who have already completed 70 or more transferable semester units at a community college may still complete courses for credit (e.g., to finish IGETC or major requirements) at a community college, but will not be able to transfer more than 70 semester units of credit to the University of California. Please note: All UC-transferable units will be included in the GPA calculation and analyzed for subject credit.

Students are advised to visit the SMC Transfer/Counseling Center and meet with a counselor for a realistic estimate of the current grade point average actually required for admission to selected major programs at various UC campuses. Students are also advised to verify the most appropriate lower-division general education pattern for their goal.

Applying Exam Credit to IGETC

See the “Credit by Exam” charts at the end of this chapter for a list of the AP and IB exams that may be used on the IGETC pattern.