California State University General Education Requirements (CSU GE)
2024 - 2025
Students who plan to transfer to a CSU campus may complete their lower division General Education requirements for graduation at COD. Students may follow the CSU GE-Breadth Certification pattern listed below, which is accepted by all CSU campuses in most majors to fulfill these requirements. This course pattern may also satisfy COD's General Education requirements.
To be fully certified, students must complete a minimum of 9 units each in Areas A, B, C, 6 units in D, 3 units in Area E and F. At least 30 of these units must be completed with a grade of "C" or better, including the 9 units in Area A: Communication in the English Language; and 3 units in Area B-4: Mathematics.
GE-Breadth Certification is not automatic and must be requested by the student at the same time transcripts are requested to be sent to the CSU following the posting of final grades.
Note: A single course, even though listed in more than one area, can only be used to satisfy one General Education requirement.
A. English Language Communication & Critical Thinking
Nine (9) units minimum; select 1 course from each of the 3 groups. (C or better required in all courses.)
A-1. Oral Communication
| Course Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 001 | Introduction to Public Speaking | 3 |
| COMM 005 | Survey of Human Communication | 3 |
| COMM 009 | Intro to Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| COMM 013 | Small Group Communication | 3 |
| COMM 017 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| COMM 021 | Introduction to Persuasion | 3 |
A-2. Written Communication
| Course Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 001A | English Composition | 4 |
| ENG 001X | 5 |
A-3. Critical Thinking
| Course Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 025 | Argumentation and Debate | 3 |
| ENG 002 | Argumentative Writing and Critical,Thinking through Literature | 4 |
| PHIL 010 | General Logic | 3 |
| SOC 004 | Sociological Analysis& Critical Thinking | 3 |
B. Scientific Inquiry & Quantitative Reasoning
Nine (9) units minimum; select one course from each group. One course must include laboratory.
B-1. Physical Science
| Course Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| A 001 | Descriptive Astronomy | 3 |
| A 002 | Descriptive Astronomy | 4 |
| A 003 | Planetary Astronomy | 4 |
| CH 001A | General Chemistry I | 5 |
| CH 001B | General Chemistry II | 5 |
| CH 003 | Introductory General Chemistry | 4 |
| CH 005 | Bio-organic Chemistry | 4 |
| CH 007 | Fundamentals of Chemistry | 5 |
| CH 010A | Organic Chemistry I | 5 |
| CH 010B | Organic Chemistry II | 5 |
| G 001 | Physical Geology | 4 |
| G 002 | Historical Geology with Laboratory | 4 |
| G 005 | Environmental Geology | 4 |
| G 010 | The Earth Sciences | 4 |
| G 022 | Introduction to Environmental Sciences | 3 |
| GEOG 001 | Physical Geography | 3 |
| PH 001 | Introductory Physics | 4 |
| PH 002A | College Physics I | 4 |
| PH 002B | College Physics II | 4 |
| PH 003A | Engineering Physics | 4 |
| PH 003B | Engineering Physics | 4 |
| PH 003C | Engineering Physics | 4 |
| PH 017 | Introduction to Meteorology | 3 |
| PH 020A | Physics for Life Sciences Majors I | 4 |
| PH 020B | 4 |
B-2. Life Science
| Course Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| AGEH 001 | Horticulture | 3 |
| AGPS 002 | Entomology - General & Applied | 4 |
| AGPS 005 | Plant Science | 3 |
| ANTH 001 | Human Evolution: Introduction to,Biological Anthropology | 3 |
| BI 004 | Elements of Biology | 4 |
| BI 005 | Molecular and Cell Biology | 5 |
| BI 006 | Biology of Organisms | 5 |
| BI 007 | Biology of Mammals | 3 |
| BI 011 | Biology of Viruses | 3 |
| BI 013 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| BI 014 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 5 |
| BI 015 | General Microbiology | 5 |
| NR 001 | Conservation of Natural Resources | 3 |
B-3. Laboratory Activity
| Course Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| A 002 | Descriptive Astronomy | 4 |
| A 003 | Planetary Astronomy | 4 |
| AGEH 001L | Horticulture Laboratory | 1 |
| AGPS 002 | Entomology - General & Applied | 4 |
| AGPS 005L | Plant Science Lab | 1 |
| ANTH 001L | Human Evolution: Introduction to,Biological Anthropology Lab | 1 |
| BI 004 | Elements of Biology | 4 |
| BI 005 | Molecular and Cell Biology | 5 |
| BI 006 | Biology of Organisms | 5 |
| BI 007L | Biology of Mammals Lab | 1 |
| BI 013 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| BI 014 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 5 |
| BI 015 | General Microbiology | 5 |
| CH 001A | General Chemistry I | 5 |
| CH 001B | General Chemistry II | 5 |
| CH 003 | Introductory General Chemistry | 4 |
| CH 005 | Bio-organic Chemistry | 4 |
| CH 007 | Fundamentals of Chemistry | 5 |
| CH 010A | Organic Chemistry I | 5 |
| CH 010B | Organic Chemistry II | 5 |
| G 001 | Physical Geology | 4 |
| G 002 | Historical Geology with Laboratory | 4 |
| G 005 | Environmental Geology | 4 |
| G 010 | The Earth Sciences | 4 |
| GEOG 001L | Physical Geography Lab | 1 |
| NR 001L | Conservation of Natural Resources Lab | 1 |
| PH 001 | Introductory Physics | 4 |
| PH 002A | College Physics I | 4 |
| PH 002B | College Physics II | 4 |
| PH 003A | Engineering Physics | 4 |
| PH 003B | Engineering Physics | 4 |
| PH 003C | Engineering Physics | 4 |
| PH 017L | Introduction to Meteorology Lab | 1 |
B-4. Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning
| Course Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BUMA 003 | Business Statistics | 3 |
| CIS 009 | Mathematical Modeling for Business | 3 |
| MATH 001A | Calculus | 4 |
| MATH 001B | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 002A | Multivariate Calculus | 4 |
| MATH 002B | Linear Algebra | 4 |
| MATH 002C | Ordinary Differential Equations | 4 |
| MATH 005 | Trigonometry | 5 |
| MATH 009 | Business Calculus | 4 |
| MATH 010 | College Algebra | 4 |
| MATH 011 | Math Concepts for Elementary School,Teachers - Number Systems | 4 |
| MATH 012 | Pre-calculus | 5 |
| MATH 013 | Liberal Arts Math | 4 |
| MATH 014 | Statistical Methods | 4 |
| MATH 015 | Discrete Mathematics for Computers | 4 |
| MATH 016 | Finite Mathematics | 3 |
| SOC 003 | Fundamentals of Statistics | 3 |
C. Arts & Humanities
Nine (9) units minimum; one course must in the ARTS and one in the HUMANITIES
C-1. Arts (Arts, Cinema, Dance, Music, Theatre)
| Course Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ARCH 014 | History of Architecture I | 3 |
| ART 003A | Basic Design & Color | 3 |
| ARTH 002A | History of Art I: Prehistoric to,Medieval | 3 |
| ARTH 002B | History of Art II: Renaissance to,Contemporary | 3 |
| ARTH 002C | History of Modern Art | 3 |
| ARTH 010 | Understanding Art | 3 |
| ARTH 012A | Arts of Asia | 3 |
| ARTH 012B | Arts of Africa, Oceania, & Indigenous,North America | 3 |
| ARTH 012C | Arts of Latin America | 3 |
| ARTH 033 | History of Photography | 3 |
| DANC 010 | Introduction to Choreography | 2 |
| DANC 015 | History of Dance | 3 |
| FILM 001 | Introduction to Film | 3 |
| FILM 021 | Contemporary World Film | 3 |
| FILM 022 | American Film to the 1960s | 3 |
| FILM 023 | Contemporary American Film | 3 |
| MUS 005 | History of Rock 'n' Roll | 3 |
| MUS 006 | History of Film Music | 3 |
| MUS 007 | History of Musical Theatre 1 | 3 |
| MUS 010 | Introduction to Music | 3 |
| MUS 011 | The History of Jazz | 3 |
| MUS 012 | Fundamentals of Music | 3 |
| TA 001 | Introduction to Theatre | 3 |
| TA 002 | Acting I | 3 |
| TA 007 | History of Musical Theatre 1 | 3 |
C-2. Humanities (Literature, Philosophy, Languages Other than English)
| Course Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ASL 001 | Elementary American Sign Language I | 5 |
| ASL 002 | Elementary American Sign Language II | 5 |
| ASL 003 | Intermediate American Sign Language I | 4 |
| ASL 004 | Intermediate American Sign Language II | 4 |
| CDE 229 | Children's Literature 1 | 3 |
| ENG 002 | Argumentative Writing and Critical,Thinking through Literature | 4 |
| ENG 010A | 3 | |
| ENG 010B | American Literature II | 3 |
| ENG 011A | English Literature I | 3 |
| ENG 011B | English Literature II | 3 |
| ENG 012A | Global Literature 1 | 3 |
| ENG 012B | World Literature II | 3 |
| ENG 014 | Shakespeare | 3 |
| ENG 015 | The Short Story | 3 |
| ENG 017 | Literature by Women | 3 |
| ENG 018 | Poetry CSI | 3 |
| ENG 021 | Intro Latin American/Chicano Literature | 3 |
| ENG 022 | Intro to African American Literature | 3 |
| ENG 024 | Native American Literature | 3 |
| ENG 025 | Introduction to the Novel | 3 |
| ENG 026 | 3 | |
| ENG 035 | 3 | |
| ENG 036 | Children's Literature 1 | 3 |
| FR 001 | Elementary French I | 5 |
| FR 002 | Elementary French II | 5 |
| FR 003 | Intermediate French I | 4 |
| FR 004 | Intermediate French II | 4 |
| GER 001 | Elementary German I | 5 |
| GER 002 | Elementary German II | 5 |
| HIST 003 | History of World Civilization I (Fall 2012) | 3 |
| HIST 004 | History of World Civilization II (Fall 2012) | 3 |
| HIST 005 | History of Western Civilization I | 3 |
| HIST 006 | History of Western Civilization II | 3 |
| HIST 017 | US History through Reconstruction (Fall 2012) | 3 |
| HIST 018 | US History from Reconstruction to,Present (Fall 2012) | 3 |
| HIST 021 | California History | 3 |
| HIST 050 | American Popular Culture | 3 |
| JPN 001 | Elementary Japanese I | 5 |
| JPN 002 | Elementary Japanese II | 5 |
| PHIL 006 | Introduction to Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 007 | Ideas of the Great Philosophers | 3 |
| PHIL 012 | Religions of the World | 3 |
| PHIL 013 | Perspectives on Death & Dying | 3 |
| PHIL 014 | Introduction to Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 017 | Philosophy of Religion | 3 |
| PHIL 018 | Philosophy of Science | 3 |
| SPAN 001 | Elementary Spanish I | 5 |
| SPAN 002 | Elementary Spanish II | 5 |
| SPAN 003 | Intermediate Spanish I | 4 |
| SPAN 004 | Intermediate Spanish II | 4 |
| SPAN 020 | Latin American Culture and Civilization | 3 |
| SPAN 021 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers I | 5 |
| SPAN 022 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers II | 5 |
| SPAN 024 | Latin American Short Story | 4 |
D. Social Sciences
Six (6) units minimum, two different disciplines recommended.
Note: The "American Institutions" requirement may be satisfied by taking either HIST 017 or 018, plus PS 001. AP Government credit does not count toward this requirement.
| Course Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 002 | Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 003 | Archaeology, Introduction to Prehistory | 3 |
| ANTH 007 | Anthropology of Religion, Magic,,Witchcraft, and Healing | 3 |
| CDE 101 | Child Growth & Development | 3 |
| CDE 102 | Child, Family, & Community | 3 |
| CJ 001 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ 020 | Introduction to Social Justice Studies 1 | 3 |
| COMM 017 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| ECON 001 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 002 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 011 | International Economics | 3 |
| ECON 012 | Understanding Econ Principles & Applications | 3 |
| GEOG 002 | Cultural Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 007 | Regional Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 010 | Geography of California | 3 |
| GS 010 | Global Studies | 3 |
| GS 011 | Global Issues | 3 |
| HIST 003 | History of World Civilization I | 3 |
| HIST 004 | History of World Civilization II | 3 |
| HIST 005 | History of Western Civilization I | 3 |
| HIST 006 | History of Western Civilization II | 3 |
| HIST 017 | US History through Reconstruction | 3 |
| HIST 018 | US History from Reconstruction to,Present | 3 |
| HIST 021 | California History | 3 |
| HIST 023 | Latin American History | 3 |
| HIST 050 | American Popular Culture | 3 |
| MC 001 | Introduction to Mass Media | 3 |
| PHIL 003 | Introduction to Political Theory 1 | 3 |
| PS 001 | Introduction to Government | 3 |
| PS 002 | Introduction to Comparative Governments | 3 |
| PS 003 | Introduction to Political Theory 1 | 3 |
| PS 004 | Introduction to International Relations | 3 |
| PS 006 | Latinx Politics | 3 |
| PS 009 | Race and Ethnic Politics | 3 |
| PSY 001 | General Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 003 | Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 009 | Psychology of Prejudice and,Discrimination | 3 |
| PSY 010 | Psychological Aspects/Marriage & Family | 3 |
| PSY 012 | Human Sexuality | 3 |
| PSY 020 | Adolescent Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 023 | Psychology of Women and Gender | 3 |
| PSY 027 | Biological Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 029 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 030 | Social Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 033 | Personal & Social Adjustment | 3 |
| SJS 020 | Introduction to Social Justice Studies 1 | 3 |
| SJS 021 | Introduction to LGBTQIA Studies | 3 |
| SOC 001 | Introductory Sociology | 3 |
| SOC 002 | Social Problems | 3 |
| SOC 005 | Sociology of Gender and Sexuality | 3 |
| SOC 006 | Introduction to Criminology | 3 |
| SOC 009 | Sociology of Sport | 3 |
| SOC 014 | Introduction to Race & Ethnicity | 3 |
| SOC 015 | Mexican American Culture & Society | 3 |
| SPAN 020 | Latin American Culture and Civilization | 3 |
| SPAN 022 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers II | 5 |
E. Lifelong Understanding & Self-Development
Three (3) units minimum
| Course Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CDE 101 | Child Growth & Development (Fall 2011) | 3 |
| CDE 102 | Child, Family, & Community (Fall 2011) | 3 |
| COLL 001 | First Year Seminar | 3 |
| COUN 101 | Career/Life Planning & Personal,Exploration | 3 |
| EDUC 001 | Introduction to Elementary Classroom,Teaching | 3 |
| HS 013 | General Nutrition | 3 |
| HS 073 | Introduction to Public Health | 3 |
| HSAD 001 | Introduction to Alcohol & Drug Studies (Fall 2015) | 3 |
| KINE 006 | Women's Self Defense, Health & Fitness | 3 |
| KINE 008 | Introduction to Kinesiology | 3 |
| KINE 010 | Personal & Community Health | 3 |
| KINE 011 | Men's Self Defense, Health & Fitness | 3 |
| PHIL 013 | Perspectives on Death & Dying | 3 |
| PSY 003 | Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 007 | Positive Psychology (Fall 2014) | 3 |
| PSY 010 | Psychological Aspects/Marriage & Family | 3 |
| PSY 012 | Human Sexuality | 3 |
| PSY 020 | Adolescent Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 023 | Psychology of Women and Gender | 3 |
| PSY 033 | Personal & Social Adjustment | 3 |
F. Ethnic Studies
Three (3) units minimum
| Course Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ETHN 001 | Introduction to Ethnic Studies | 3 |
| ETHN 002 | Introduction to Chicanx & Latinx,Studies | 3 |
| ETHN 003 | Introduction to Black Studies | 3 |
| ETHN 004 | Introduction to Native American,Studies | 3 |
| ETHN 005 | Introduction to Asian American Studies | 3 |
Supplementary notes- See a counselor for more information:
- A single course, even though listed in more than one area, can only be used to satisfy one General Education requirement.
- See degree and graduation requirements, in addition to General Education requirements. Also, see COD's kinesiology requirement for an A.S. or A.A. degree, and English, reading and math minimum competencies.
Footnote
1. Indicates cross listed courses. Only one course can be taken: ENG 036 & CDE 229, MUS 007 & TA 007, SJS 020 & CJ 020, PS 003 & PHIL 003.
