In August 2017, the California State University (CSU) Chancellor's Office issued Executive Order 1100 Revised: General Education Breadth Requirements. This Executive Order (EO) supersedes EO 1100 first issued in February 2015. Its purpose is to clarify General Education (GE) requirements, ensure all students have equal opportunity for student success, and streamline graduation requirements across the CSU. This is effective beginning with 2018-2019 freshman and transfer admits who will have a 2018/19 GE catalog year, but some portions will impact continuing students who have an earlier GE catalog year to provide them the opportunity to benefit from the GE changes.

Unit Limitations

The maximum unit limitations within GE have been eliminated for students in all GE catalog years. The maximum 7 units from one department for GE Foundations and Explorations, maximum 10 units from one department for GE Foundations, American Institutions, and Explorations, and the maximum 12 units from one department for GE have all been eliminated. Also, the maximum 3 units between GEOG 101 and GEOG 103 in GE Natural Sciences: Physical Sciences and ANTH 101 in GE Natural Sciences: Life Sciences has been eliminated.

Foundations: Social and Behavioral Sciences

Students with a GE catalog year of 2018/19 and later will be required to complete 3 courses (from at least 2 different departments) in lower division Foundations: Social and Behavioral Sciences. Students with a GE catalog year of 2017/18 and earlier will continue to complete 2 courses (from at least 2 different departments) in Foundations: Social and Behavioral Sciences. Lower division American Institutions courses are now included in Foundations: Social and Behavioral Sciences for all students.

American Institutions

American Institutions courses are now included in lower division Foundations: Social and Behavioral Sciences and upper division Explorations: Social and Behavioral Sciences for all students. Students have a maximum of 2 American Institutions courses they can apply toward GE requirements, with 500-level American Institutions courses being excluded. The SDSU General Catalog has added the [AI] indicator next to the course in the Foundations and Explorations Social and Behavioral Sciences lists. Lastly, beginning with students with GE Catalog year of 2018/19, the GE American Institutions area has been eliminated.

Explorations: Social and Behavioral Sciences

All students, regardless of GE catalog year, can now double count an approved course in the major department and Explorations. Students with GE catalog year of 2018/19 and later, regardless of major, will be required to complete the 9 units of Explorations across the following subject area distribution: Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Humanities (with at least one course satisfying Cultural Diversity). Specialized GE patterns have been eliminated for students with GE catalog year of 2018/19 and later. The upper division American Institutions courses are now included on the list of approved courses for Explorations: Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Residence Requirements

Students with GE catalog year of 2018/19 and later will be required to complete 9 units of upper division GE from the CSU. Students with GE catalog year of 2017/18 and earlier are required to complete 9 units of GE (lower or upper division) from SDSU.

GE Changes

In 2019/20, there will be changes to lower division Foundations: Humanities (requiring students to complete 9 units instead of 12 units), and the addition of a new area, Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (requiring students to complete 3 units).

In 2021/22, there will be changes to lower division GE. Students will be required to complete 3 units in lower division to satisfy GE Ethnic Studies. Also, students will be required to complete a total of 6 units (instead of 9 units for previous GE catalog years) for Foundations: Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Resources

Refer to the current University Catalog for specific information on SDSU Graduation requirements and General Education Breadth requirements. Students should refer to their Degree Evaluation to see how this information is applicable. [April 2018]

In August 2017, the California State University (CSU) Chancellor's Office issued Executive Order 1110: Assessment of Academic Preparation and Placement in First-year General Education Written Communication and Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning Courses. Effective with fall 2018 freshmen, Executive Order (EO) 1110 implements new policies to assess and place freshman students into their writing and math courses.

To assess admitted students' academic preparation in English and math, Multiple Measures have been adopted to provide students with broader opportunities to demonstrate their academic readiness. The Multiple Measures will continue to utilize the existing skills assessments (e.g. scores on the SAT, ACT, and EAP), but will also be supplemented by using high school grade point averages (GPA). The overall high school GPA, GPA for high school writing courses, and GPA for high school math courses will now be included to provide information on students' academic readiness. The CSU's Entry Level Math (ELM) and English Placement Test (EPT) were last administered in August 2017 and no longer determine writing and math placement.

Students who meet academic readiness standards have satisfied the Freshmen Competency Requirements (Written Communication Assessment Requirement and Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning Assessment Requirement) and will complete a GE Composition and a GE Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning course. Math courses will be determined by students' academic goals. Students in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) major will enroll in specific math courses different from students in a non-STEM or Undeclared major.

Students who have not satisfied the Written Communication Assessment Requirement or Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning Assessment Requirement will need to complete baccalaureate level writing and/or math courses with academic support. Students who need academic support in writing will complete a two semester writing sequence. Students who need academic support in math will complete a math course concurrently with a one-unit corequisite course. The math courses will be specific based on students' academic goals, where students in a STEM major enroll in specific courses that are different from students in a non-STEM or Undeclared major. The following writing and math courses will no longer be offered: RWS 92, RWS 101, LING 94, GMS 90, and GMS 91.

STEM Majors

Summary of Writing and Math Courses with Academic Support

Writing (Written Communication Assessment Requirement)

• RWS 105A and RWS 105B
• LING 100A and LING 100B

Math (Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning Assessment Requirement)

STEM Majors:

• MATH 140 and MATH 140X

NON STEM Majors and UNDECLARED

• MATH 110 and MATH 110X
• MATH 210 and MATH 210X
• PSY 280 and PSY 280X
• STAT 119 and STAT 119X
• ECON 201/GEOG 104/LING 270/PHIL 120/POLS 201/SOC 201 and CAL 201X

Students will continue to be required to complete the writing and math courses in the first-year. The specific semester, fall or spring, in which a student is required to complete his/her math course is determined by the students' major, and is reflected on the MyMap: Major Academic Plan. Freshmen will receive information about their writing and math placement in their SDSU WebPortal and at New Student Orientation. Additional information is available in the current University Catalog.