Graduation Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees, Blended Programs, and Academic Certificate Programs
Cal State San Marcos will make every effort to preserve the following graduation requirements for students subject to this catalog.
Degree Characteristics
California State University San Marcos offers two baccalaureate, or bachelor’s, degrees:
The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree is designed to provide a balanced liberal arts education and general knowledge in a recognized discipline, interdisciplinary field, or in areas of professional study.
The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree is designed to provide a balanced liberal arts education and a scientific, technical, or professional entry level of competence.
Degree Requirements
To earn a bachelor’s degree, a student must:
Unit Requirement
Every baccalaureate degree (i.e., Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science) requires completion of a minimum of 120 semester units. Some choices of majors will require more than 120 semester units; the descriptions of each major specify how many units are required. Regardless of the major requirements, a student must complete at least forty (40) units of upper-division coursework to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.
No more than seventy (70) units may be transferred from a community college.
Major Requirements
 Every baccalaureate degree must include an approved major; see Degrees and Program Requirements for a list of majors and whether they lead to a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree. A major for a Bachelor of Arts degree must include at least twenty-four (24) units exclusive of units used to meet the General Education requirement and a major for a Bachelor of Science degree must include at least thirty-six (36) units exclusive of units used to meet the General Education requirement. For a Bachelor of Arts degree, at least twelve (12) units required in the major shall be upper-division courses, and for a Bachelor of Science degree, at least eighteen (18) units required for the major shall be upper-division. Most majors require more than these minima. Please refer to the descriptions of the majors in this catalog for specific major requirements.
Multiple Majors
It is possible for a student to complete more than one major within one degree (for example, a B.A.). Each major after the first major must consist of at least 24 semester units that are not counted toward any other major’s requirements. To be recognized as graduating with multiple majors, a student must declare the additional major(s) with the appropriate discipline or program no later than the beginning of the student’s final year of study. The completion of additional majors within one degree will be noted at the time of graduation by appropriate entries on the student’s transcript and on the diploma. Majors appear on the diploma in the order in which the student has designated them to be the first major, second major, etc.
It is also possible for a student to complete a major (or majors) in one degree concurrently with additional majors from a different degree (for example, a major in a B.S. concurrently with another major from a B.A.). Each major after the first major must consist of at least 24 semester units that are not counted toward any other major’s requirements. By declaring which major is the first major, second major, etc., the student also declares the order in which the degrees, and the majors leading to these degrees, appear on the diploma and transcript. Students must make this declaration no later than the beginning of the student’s final year of study.
Graduation Requirements for Second Bachelor’s Degree
Students who hold a bachelor’s degree from regionally accredited institutions of higher education; or students who have completed equivalent academic preparation, as determined by the appropriate campus authority, are exempt from all general education requirements (including U.S. History, Constitution and American Ideals requirement). In order to receive a second bachelor’s degree, students must complete the following:
- A minimum of thirty (30) units in residence at CSU San Marcos beyond the first bachelor’s degree.
- The major requirements for the second degree. Units from the first degree may be counted, but a minimum of twenty-four (24) upper-division units in residence in the major for the second bachelor’s degree must be earned subsequent to earning the first bachelor’s degree.
- All other CSU San Marcos graduation requirements other than general education and U.S. History, Constitution and American Ideals requirement in effect at the time of catalog selection. Exception: Second bachelor’s candidates returning for a degree in Nursing are exempt from any other CSU San Marcos requirements that are not specifically required for the Nursing major.
Second bachelor’s degree candidates are required to achieve a 2.0 grade point average each semester to maintain good academic standing.
Blended Programs
Students are allowed to apply up to twelve (12) units of applicable graduate coursework, with the exact number being dictated by the program, to their undergraduate degree requirements. Graduate courses used to replace undergraduate requirements must cover the content of the undergraduate course they replace. As an example, if the graduate degree requires 30 units and the program allows the maximum twelve (12) graduate units to be applied to the undergraduate requirements, the student can complete both undergraduate and graduate degrees with 138 units.
- No required graduate course in the master’s program can be replaced by an undergraduate course.
While a student may earn a grade sufficient to satisfy undergraduate requirements, a higher grade may be required to satisfy graduate degree requirements. In the event a student chooses not to continue in the blended program, any grade sufficient to satisfy undergraduate requirements will be recognized.
Second bachelor’s degree students are not eligible to participate in a blended program.
Student Status
Students are transitioned to graduate status upon completion of 120 total units (in undergraduate and graduate courses combined) applied to the program. Upon being transitioned to graduate status, students will begin being charged graduate tuition and fees.
It is recommended that students complete the maximum allowable double-counted units prior to transitioning to graduate status.
All courses taken while in undergraduate status will be subject to the Undergraduate Course Repeat and GPA Adjustment policy .
All courses taken while in graduate status will be subject to the Graduate and Post Baccalaureate Student Course Repeat policy .
Awarding of Degrees
The bachelor’s degree is awarded upon the completion of all undergraduate graduation requirements, even if this occurs after the student has transitioned to graduate status. The graduate degree is awarded upon completion of graduate graduation requirements.
Applying to Blended Programs
Students must apply to the blended program while in undergraduate status, and will be admitted as an undergraduate to the bachelor’s component of the blended program.
Students must complete, at a minimum, 60 units of undergraduate coursework prior to applying to a blended program.
Breadth Requirement
For majors in the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences (CHABSS), the Breadth Requirement will only be required for the first major, not the second major, as long as both majors are in CHABSS. All degrees in CHABSS contain a 3-unit Breadth Requirement with the exception of Liberal Studies and Music. If the first major is in another College, and the second major is in CHABSS, the Breadth Requirement will be required in the second major.
Minors
An undergraduate student may elect to complete one or more minors; this is not a degree requirement. The first minor that a student declares must contain at least six (6) units beyond those used for major requirements and other minors. After the first minor, each subsequent minor must contain twelve (12) units beyond those used for major requirements and other minors. Students may not declare or receive a minor in the same subject or title as the major. Minors are awarded as part of a baccalaureate degree. The completion of a minor will be noted on the student transcript, but not on the diploma.
Academic Certificates and Certificate Programs
Cal State San Marcos grants certificates to individuals who complete certificate programs that enhance major requirements or credential programs. A certificate is issued upon the successful completion of an academic certificate program. The university acknowledges the completion of a certificate by recording it on the student transcript, but not on the diploma.
Residence Requirements
A minimum of thirty (30) units must be completed in residence at Cal State San Marcos, of which twenty-four (24) units must be upper-division and twelve (12) of these must be in the major. Credit by examination and transfer credit do not fulfill the residency requirement.
Grade Point Average Requirements
The following three grade point averages, each 2.0 (C average) or higher, are required for graduation:
- A cumulative grade point average, which includes both transferred and Cal State San Marcos coursework;
- A Cal State San Marcos grade point average;
- A grade point average in the major, at Cal State San Marcos and in coursework accepted as transfer credit for the major from other institutions.
U.S. History, Constitution, and American Ideals Requirement (GV)
California law (Section 40404 of Title 5, Education, of the California Code of Regulations) establishes as a graduation requirement that students demonstrate competence in the fields of American history and government, the Constitution of the United States, and the processes of state and local government as established in California. This requirement is embedded in the General Education Subject Area 4 requirement (See GE - Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences ).
The American Institutions requirement consists of three areas:
US-1: Historical development of American institutions and ideals
US-2: United States Constitution and government
US-3: California state and local government
Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement - Undergraduate Level (GWARBL)
All CSU undergraduate students must demonstrate competency in writing skills as a requirement for graduation. At Cal State San Marcos, undergraduate students complete the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement: Baccalaureate Level (GWARBL) through their coursework, as all CSUSM undergraduate courses must meet the All-University Writing Requirement.
Graduation Writing Assessment and All-University Writing Requirements
With limited exceptions, every course carrying degree credit at CSUSM must have a writing component that can be achieved in a variety of ways depending on the course. The writing requirement for each individual student will vary by course units, as follows:
• 3 units and up = 2,500 words (approximately 10 pages)
• 2 units = 1,700 words
• 1 unit = 850 words
Thus, each student will write a minimum of 850 words for a one-unit course, a minimum of 1,700 words for a two-unit course, or a minimum of 2,500 words for courses of three units or more. All writing will be in English or a written language.
The Dean of Graduate Studies may exempt certain graduate courses from this requirement.
General Education Requirement
The General Education requirement is composed of forty-three (43) units distributed in six (6) six areas of study. The required disciplinary and interdisciplinary courses reflect the values embodied in the University’s Mission Statement. The primary purpose of General Education courses will be to explore, to understand, and to respond to skill development, technological and ecological continuity and change, global issues and perspectives, multiculturalism, gender construction and difference, and human diversity, and ethical and moral questions affecting the present and shaping the future.
Within this framework, the objectives of the CSUSM General Education program are to:
- develop analytical skills and reasoning powers;
- develop and increase the ability to communicate ideas and to locate and share information;
- develop abilities to address complex issues and problems using disciplined analytic skills and creative techniques;
- develop a coherent and broad-based understanding of the fundamental principles governing the natural world;
- create, to use and to understand modem technology, and to adapt to the pace of technological change;
- apply scientific principles and modern technology to problems in everyday life;
- understand and to experience the different forms of creativity as they exist and have existed across cultures in varying genres and media;
- promote global citizenship through knowledge of the forces that shape and have shaped the individual and modem society;
- recognize and to explore the linkages among nations and among peoples of diverse cultures and cultural backgrounds and to understand differences between cultures while recognizing the common bonds that unite humanity;
- acknowledge the interdisciplinary and interdependent nature of successful dispute resolution associated with the complex problems confronting both our increasingly diverse society and the global community;
- understand ethical responsibility and accountability in regard to individual and collective action; and
- explore questions of justice and human rights as fundamental issues that link individuals to others in our society and across cultures.
Minimum Grade Requirement for Subject Area 1 (English Communication) and Subject Area 2 (Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning)
A grade of C- or higher is required in each CSUSM or transfer course in written communication in the English composition (1A), critical thinking (1B), oral communication in the English language (1C), and mathematics/quantitative reasoning (Area 2).
California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) Certification Requirements
Cal-GETC certification indicates that a California Community College (CCC) transfer student has met CSU lower-division General Education (GE) requirements. Students admitted to CSUSM with full GE certification shall not be held to any additional lower-division GE requirements. Full certification does not exempt students from unmet lower-division graduation requirements that may exist outside of the GE program of the campus awarding the degree.
Double Counting
Major courses and campus-wide required courses that are approved for GE credit shall also fulfill (double count for) the GE requirement.
LOWER-DIVISION GENERAL EDUCATION (LDGE)
GE - Area 1: English Communication
GE - Area 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
GE - Area 3: Arts and Humanities
GE - Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences
GE - Area 5: Physical and Biological Sciences
GE - Area 6: Ethnic Studies
Note: Courses with multiple GE certifications can be used to satisfy only one GE Area.
UPPER-DIVISION GENERAL EDUCATION (UDGE)
GE - Area UD25: Upper-Division Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning (UD2) / Physical and Biological Sciences (UD5)
GE - Area UD3: Upper-Division Arts and Humanities
GE - Area UD4: Upper-Division Social and Behavioral Sciences
The nine (9) UDGE units are designed to be completed after upper-division status is attained. Students enrolling in UDGE courses shall have completed required lower-division GE courses in English communication (Area 1A), critical thinking (Area 1B), oral communication (Area 1C), and mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning (Area 2).
The nine (9) semester units of UDGE shall be taken within the CSU.
Students whose majors lead to a baccalaureate degree must satisfy two Diversity and Equity requirements. Students must pass one (1) course certified to focus on Diversity and Equity in the United States, and one (1) course certified to focus on Diversity and Equity in Global contexts. The development of knowledge, disposition, and skills related to diversity and equity are the foundations of the requirements. The Diversity and Equity Requirements are consistent with the University’s Mission, Vision, and Values.
DIVERSITY and EQUITY in the U.S. CONTEXT (DEu)
DIVERSITY and EQUITY in the GLOBAL CONTEXT (DEg)
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Diversity and Equity courses can “double count” with other current General Education required courses (such as UD2/5, UD3, or UD4 courses) as well as major and/or minor course requirements or electives, and therefore should not involve students taking additional units to graduate.
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*Check the Class Schedule or Degree Planner for the most up-to-date list of courses satisfying this requirement.
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