Local Degrees for Transfer and General Education Requirements

Fall
2014
Resolution Number
09.01
 
Assigned to
5C
Category
Curriculum
Status
In Progress
Status Report

6th Edition of the PCAH has been revised to allow any GE pattern.
2017 - 18: The co-chair will provide the ED with an explanation for the website.

Whereas, The mandate of using only the California State University (CSU) Breadth or Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) patterns for a local degree[1] that has the local program goal of transfer began with the 5th edition of Program and Course Approval Handbook (PCAH), with the result that a local degree with a program goal of transfer will not be approved by the Chancellor's Office if a college uses its local general education pattern;

Whereas, Title 5 §55063(b)(1) states that “Students receiving an associate degree shall complete a minimum of 18 semester or 27 quarter units of general education coursework which includes a minimum of three semester or four quarter units in each of the Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Humanities, Language and Rationality” and that “The remainder of the unit requirement is also to be selected from among these four divisions of learning or as determined by local option”;

Whereas, The 5th edition of the PCAH conflicts with Title 5 §55063(b)(1) by improperly mandating the use of only CSU Breadth or IGETC general education patterns for local degrees that have the program goal of transfer; and

Whereas, Limiting students to completing the CSU Breadth or IGETC patterns in order to receive a local degree erodes local control of degree creation and local degree requirements and may result in the student having to accumulate extra units or transfer without receiving a local degree that would otherwise be obtained, which may significantly limit the ability of students to transfer to institutions other than CSU or the University of California;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Colleges assert to the Chancellor’s Office that students should be able to choose the general education patterns that best serve their educational goals, regardless of the program goal associated with a local degree as reported to the Chancellor’s Office in the Curriculum Inventory; and

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Colleges work with the Chancellor’s Office to revise the Program and Course Approval Handbook in order to eliminate the mandate that only the CSU Breadth or IGETC patterns for a local degree that has the local program goal of transfer may be used and to ensure that Title 5 §55063(b)(1) is followed.

MSC

[1] Any associate degree that a college offers that is not an Associate Degree for Transfer (non-ADT)