Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is a series of courses prospective transfer students attending California community colleges may complete to satisfy the lower division breadth/general education requirements at both the University of California and the California State University. It was developed to simplify the transfer process for students.
The University of California has developed an agreement with each California community college that specifies which of its courses may be applied to each category of IGETC.
If you choose to follow IGETC, you must complete it before you transfer to UC; otherwise you will be required to satisfy the specific lower division general education requirements of the college or school at the UC campus you attend. All IGETC coursework does not have to be completed at the same college. Courses taken at more than one California community college may be used to fulfill IGETC. However, application of courses to IGETC subject areas may vary from college to college.
IGETC is most helpful to students who want to keep their options open — those who know they want to transfer but have not yet decided upon a particular institution, campus, or major. Certain students, however, will not be well served by following IGETC. If you intend to transfer into a major that requires extensive lower division preparation, such as engineering or the physical and natural sciences, you should concentrate on completing the many prerequisites for the major that the college screens for to determine eligibility for admission. See IGETC Considerations section below. Your counselor or a UC admissions representative can give you additional information about IGETC and advise you on which path is best for you.
IGETC is not an admissions requirement. Completing it is not required, nor does it guarantee admission to the campus or program of choice. However, completing the lower division breadth/general education requirements — through IGETC or the campus-specific requirements (depending upon the program) — may improve a transfer applicant's chances for admission to a competitive campus and/or program.
| IGETC Subject and Unit Requirement | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject Area | Required Courses | Units Required | |
1 |
English Communication
One course in English composition and one course in critical thinking/English composition. Students transferring to CSU also must take a course in oral communication. |
2 courses Students intending to transfer to CSU are required to take an additional course in oral communication and do not need to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. |
6 semester/ 8-10 quarter |
| 2 | Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning | 1 course |
3 semester/ 4-5 quarter |
| 3 |
Arts and Humanities
Three courses with at least one from the arts and one from the humanities. |
3 courses |
9 semester/ 12-15 quarter |
| 4 |
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Three courses from at least two disciplines, or an interdisciplinary sequence. |
3 courses |
9 semester/ 12-15 quarter |
| 5 |
Physical and Biological Sciences
One physical science course and one biological science or course, at least one of which includes a laboratory. |
2 courses |
7-9 semester/ 9-12 quarter units |
| 6 |
Language Other than English
Proficiency equivalent to two years of high school courses in the same language. Not required of students transferring to CSU. |
Proficiency | Proficiency |
| Total: | 11 courses |
34 semester/ 45 quarter |
|
GPA Requirement
IGETC courses must be completed with a grade of C or better. A grade of Credit or Pass may be used if the community college's policy states it is equivalent to a grade of C or better.
Use of AP Exams
An acceptable score on an Advanced Placement (AP) test can be applied to IGETC, as long as the community college faculty recognizes the AP exam as equivalent to its IGETC-approved courses. However, there is no equivalent AP exam for the critical thinking/English composition course requirement under the English Communication subject area.
Applying Courses
Courses may be used only once to satisfy one IGETC subject area, even if they are listed in the course agreement under more than one subject area. Courses may be used to satisfy both IGETC and major requirements.
Certification
Certification of IGETC completion is the responsibility of the last California community college a student attends prior to transfer (with the exception of summer session). Only California community colleges may certify completion of IGETC.
IGETC Considerations
Students with a substantial amount of coursework from institutions outside the United States should consult with a counselor to determine whether they should complete IGETC or the lower division breadth/general education requirements at the campus they plan to attend.
UC Berkeley — IGETC is acceptable for all majors in the College of Letters and Science, and it is highly recommended. The Haas School of Business and the Colleges of Engineering, Environmental Design, and Chemistry have extensive, prescribed major prerequisites. In general, IGETC is not appropriate. Although IGETC satisfies breadth requirements for most majors in the College of Natural Resources, specific lower division major requirements must still be satisfied; check with the college or visit the
ASSIST website for more information. UC Davis — Anyone preparing for a bachelor of science is advised not to pursue IGETC, and instead to concentrate on major-specific preparatory work.
UC Irvine — All schools accept IGETC. However, selection by the campus is based on demonstrated academic achievement and preparation for the intended major.
UCLA — The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science does not accept IGETC.
UC Merced — The Schools of Engineering and Natural Sciences do not recommend IGETC.
UC Riverside — The Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering and the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences do not accept IGETC, although any courses taken to satisfy IGETC may be applied toward the college's breadth pattern. UCR's College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences accepts IGETC.
UC San Diego — IGETC is accepted at John Muir, Earl Warren, Thurgood Marshall and Sixth Colleges only. Students completing IGETC are welcomed at Eleanor Roosevelt and Revelle Colleges; however, they must also fulfill the specific general education requirements of those colleges. At UCSD, all majors are available to students in each college, so students who choose IGETC will not be restricted in their choice of major as a result.
UC Santa Barbara — Transfer students in the College of Letters and Science and the College of Creative Studies may use IGETC to substitute for general education requirements. In addition to general education, all students in the College of Engineering are required to complete a depth requirement. Students who wish to satisfy the depth requirement prior to transfer must complete a yearlong sequence in the history of world civilization, history of Western civilization, history of the United States, history of Western philosophy, or history of Western art. Students may want to choose courses for IGETC that will concurrently satisfy the depth requirement. Students may also complete the depth requirement with upper division coursework after transferring. Note that students planning to transfer into a major in engineering, computer science, or the biological or physical sciences must be careful to complete lower division major prerequisites to ensure competitiveness and make normal, timely progress through their majors.
UC Santa Cruz — Transfer students intending to pursue any major in the physical and biological sciences or the Jack Baskin School of Engineering should not follow IGETC because it will not provide them with enough lower division preparation for their majors.
