For most students who transfer to the CSU, completing general education classes should be a priority along with premajor coursework.

The CSU provides California Community College transfers with two systemwide options for fulfilling CSU lower-division general education requirements: CSU General Education (GE) Breadth and the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum. You can explore the two programs and then you can discuss with your college counselor which program is best for you.

Most CSU campuses require students to complete a minimum of 30 semester or 45 quarter units of the General Education Breath Requirement or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum. Within either pattern, the highest-priority classes are the three courses in the English language - oral communications, English composition and critical thinking - along with a general education course in mathematics.

Completion of general education courses prior to transfer is usually the most efficient path. You can complete a maximum of 39 semester units of CSU GE Breadth before transferring to a CSU.

If you are pursuing a high-unit major such as engineering, some math-based fields, science, or other technical majors, you will need to work closely with a counselor and your advisor to plan which classes you should take for upper-division transfer. CSU campuses do allow high-unit majors to take fewer general education courses before transfer. Just remember, ultimately you will need to meet the general education requirements in order to graduate from CSU. So if you enroll at CSU with few general education units, completion of your baccalaureate program may take longer than expected. Good planning with your counselor and advisor is essential if you enroll in a high-unit major.