Baccalaureate Degrees
CSULB offers 85 baccalaureate majors (see a list of degree programs and admission requirements at the beginning of this Catalog). Baccalaureate degrees are constructed of three interrelated areas: (1) the breadth component, called the General Education (GE) Program, which is the basis for the baccalaureate degree with courses that offer training in general skills, methodologies, and habits of thought; (2) the depth component, or major, which establishes an understanding of the breadth of a body of knowledge, competence in the fundamental skills and methodologies of the discipline, and understanding and skill at an appropriate depth in one or more facets of the discipline; and (3) the elective component that provides the possibility for personal exploration, enhancement, and development to complement the rest of the degree program (and might include a minor and/or a certificate program).
Requirements for the Baccalaureate Degree
1. Completion of a minimum of 120 units for the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science. Completion of the minimum number of units which could range from 120 to 132 required by the major program for the Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachelor of Music degrees. See the description of the requirements for each major for the specific number of units required. There are restrictions (below) on how many units in certain categories may be counted toward the minimum unit requirement.
2. Completion of at least 40 upper-division units (courses numbered 300-499). No course taken at any community college may count toward fulfillment of these 40 units.
3. Completion of at least 30 units in residence at CSULB of which at least 24 must be upper-division and at least 12 must be in the major. Units earned in Extended Education or Open University cannot be counted toward fulfillment of the residence requirement.
4. Completion of the General Education program, described below, including at least 9 units in upper-division capstone courses completed at CSULB.
5. Completion of the specific course and unit requirements for the academic major, as shown in the alphabetic listing for the major department. If the requirements are changed during students' continuous attendance at CSULB, they have the right to meet either the requirements in effect when they entered the major or the requirements in effect at the time they graduate. All upper-division courses required for a major must be completed within the ten-year period preceding award of the baccalaureate degree. Courses completed prior to this ten-year period can be revalidated by such demonstrations of competence or knowledge of the subject as may be prescribed by the department offering the course.
6. Satisfactory fulfillment of the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) (See a description of the requirement at the end of this section.)
7.The grade point average standards of Section 40402 of Title 5 of the California Administrative Code requires undergraduate students, at graduation, to have completed the following with a grade point average of at least 2.0:
- a. All units applicable toward a degree, including those accepted by transfer from another institution,
- b. All units in the major, and
- c. All units attempted at the campus granting the degree.
8. Formal approval by the faculty of the university.
