FAQs

Students can meet the 5C laboratory requirement either by 1) taking a lecture/lab combination course (4 or more units) in Areas 5A or 5C OR 2) taking a 5C one-unit stand-alone lab that has a 5A lecture course as a prereq/coreq. There are no one-unit stand-alone options in Area 5B. 

So if a student takes a 3-unit 5B course prior to meeting their lab requirement, they should take one of the following 5A courses that will also serve as a 5C lab prereq/coreq: 

❖ CHEM 102LEC 
❖ CHEM 110 
❖ ES101 
❖ PHYS 101 
❖ ASTR 100
 

It might be helpful to explain to students that they are still able to take additional lower division Area C (3A or 3B) courses in GE. Area E courses are also available as electives using the Course Attribute Filter “Open To All” in the searchable schedule. If they still request that their ARR reflect those requirements, they can send the request to [email protected]. 

Starting Fall 2025, changes to the GE program due to AB 928 will occur. Please see this FAQ from Academic Programs about the Fall 2025 GE program, explaining details related to the implementation of those changes changes at SSU.

Check out the FAQ: Course and Program Proposals for guidance on all course and program proposals/revisions.

We are using the current Area E courses as a pilot for the Open To All search feature. The viability of this feature will depend on making sure we have a good selection of courses and a decent number of seats available for students to select from. Otherwise it will just be a frustrating experience. If it goes well, we will work with faculty governance and departments to identify other courses that would be easily accessible for students as well.

Students were sent this email on March 3, 2025. We encourage all faculty and professional advisors to fall up with your advisees.

One unit stand-alone labs exist in Area 5A only: 

If a student has completed 5A and 5B AND the 5A course does not meet the prereq for any stand-alone 5C lab course option, students should have access to ES 102 with an automatic prereq waiver. If a student’s 5A course does meet prereq requirements then they should take the corresponding 5C lab course. If students are having trouble, please contact [email protected]. 

The student can take a GE course from any Area to reach 34 units.

The ARR automatically scavenged extra units from GE courses the students took like a 4-unit math course, FLC, or language. If the ARR shows all green circles for lower division GE, then they are done!

In the Fall 2025 searchable schedule but current and new GE names show up. This is because of PeopleSoft and how effective dates work. Only the “new” attributes will bring up the courses but they still meet old and new requirements. Once the Fall 2025 semester starts, only the new GE attributes will show up in the searchable schedule.

As of Fall 2021, there are four GE patterns you might consult when advising your students: 1 for students that started at SSU in between 2011-2018; 1 for students that started at SSU in between 2018-19; 1 for students that started at SSU in 2019-present; and 1 for first-time first-year students in Fall 2021. Therefore, your student’s graduation requirements will depend on when they started at SSU. The Academic Requirements Report (ARR) has the most accurate GE requirements for each student.

Students are still required to reach 120 units as a graduation requirement. They can explore any coursework they wish to meet to fill those “freed” units. Good options include using the Course Attribute “Open to All” in the searchable schedule, taking additional coursework in GE, or other courses of interest in the major or across campus for which prerequisites are met.

GE courses approved under the previous program lost their GE certification Summer 2021, and were sunset from the GE program in Summer 2022.

Per Title V, any student can opt to meet any three GE program options: 

• the GE program at the time they matriculate into SSU 

• the GE program available to them based on continuous enrollment 

• GE program requirements in place at the time of their graduation 

The waiver process supports student equity by granting all students the most flexible GE program without them, or their advisor, having to ask for it. This decision and process was determined through shared governance.

The California legislature passed a law (AB 928) mandating that CSUs and UCs have a common general education transfer pathway. An intersegmental group from across California high education developed the new pathway. The CSU Board of Trustees approved the pathway and the Chancellor’s Office revised EO 1100 to implement the pathway both for transfer students and first-time first-year students.