General Education Advisement for Transfer Students New Student Orientation

1. General Education Advisement for Transfer StudentsNew Student Orientation Summer 2006 Academic Advisement Center UH 123 www.fullerton.edu/aac

2. Academic Advisement Center • Located in UH 123 • Web site: www.fullerton.edu/aac • Got questions? Email us at acadvise@fullerton.edu • We provide • Advisement for GE, University policies & procedures, academic probation • Referrals to other offices on campus • Assistance identifying community college classes that satisfy CSUF GE requirements.

3. Components of the CSUF Bachelor’s Degree Bachelor’s Degree Minimum 120 Units (Some degrees require more) General Education 51 units Major 36-70 units (Most are 36-51) Minor or elective units

4. Completing the General Education Program All students must complete at least 9 units of approved GE courses at CSUF. This is applies to you EVEN IF you… • Are GE certified. • Are IGETC certified. • Earned an AA degree. • Completed all sections of GE at a community college. • Attended another 4-year institution, including a different CSU campus.

5. GE Program Overview The GE Program is organized into 5 categories for a total of 51 units minimum: I. Core Competencies (9 units) II. Historical Foundations (12 units) III. Disciplinary Learning (27 units) IV. Lifelong Learning (3 units) V. Cultural Diversity (3 units*) *Not an additional 3 units as this category is simultaneously satisfied with a course from either III or IV.

6. What you will need for this presentation… • Your printed Titan Degree Audit (TDA) • Your yellow General Education checklist • Schedule of Classes • Pencil/Pen • Highlighter

7. GE Program requires 51 units, including: 9 units of upper division approved GE courses* 9 units of approved GE courses taken at CSUF* 9 units maximum from a single dept, excluding units associated with Category I, Core Competencies, requirements Each course counts in one category only, except those meeting Category V, Cultural Diversity 3 units in cultural diversity (* courses) *Usually the same 9 units General Education Program Requirements (pg. 35)

8. Little Known GE Rule—The 12, 12, 12 Requirement All students must accumulate • 12 units of GE Science and Math • 12 units of GE Arts and Humanities • 12 units of GE Social Science Transfer GE certification is based on • 9 units of GE Science and Math • 9 units of GE Arts and Humanities • 9 units of GE Social Science Students who transfer GE certified are still held to the 12:12:12 rule!

9. Common Transfer Scenarios • Student transfers GE certified with 10 units of GE science: • 3 units of GE math • 3 units of GE Life Science • 3 units of GE Earth or Physical Science • 1 unit GE science lab • This student must earn at least 2 more GE science or math units to meet the graduation requirement. • Solution: Take a 3-unit upper division GE science/math course from the approved list to complete the 12 units and earn upper division credit at the same time.

10. Another Common Scenario • Student transfers with 6 units of arts/humanities and, therefore, is not “protected” by GE certification. • Student is now held to the CSUF lower and upper division GE requirements in Arts/Humanities. • Student must take HIST 110A plus 3 more units of GE Arts/Humanities to accumulate the 12 units required.

11. GE Rules Continued… • Courses offered by the dept of the student’s major may NOT be used to fulfill GE categories III or IV or to fulfill upper division GE requirements. • Cross-listed GE courses: May be used by all majors for GE purposes except those in the home department; the home dept is underlined in the approved GE list in the class schedule (p. 36-40)

12. GE Academic Standards • Letter grade required for all GE courses • CR/NC allowed if it is the only grade option available. • Cal State Fullerton has implemented a +/- grading system. A grade of D- is not passing for any course (refer to pages 24 & 25 of the Schedule of Classes)

13. Graduation Requirements • Consult the Bachelor’s Degree Worksheet—p. 28 of the Spring Schedule • Complete your GE and Major requirements • Accumulate at least 120 units (or more, depending on your major) • At least 40 units of upper division (300-400) • At least 30 units in residence (24 upper div; 12 of the 24 in the major)

14. Graduation Requirements • Satisfy the Upper Division Writing Requirement (p.32) • Apply for a grad check two semesters before graduation • Finish with a 2.0 cumulative, CSUF, and major GPAs • Review the restrictions on the various kinds of units (e.g. CR/NC, etc)

15. Upper Division Writing Requirement (p. 32) • There are two components of the Upper Division Writing Requirement: • Complete the designated upper division writing course(s) specified by your major • Pass the Junior Level Examination in Writing Proficiency (EWP) • When should you do this? • If possible, take the designated writing course in your junior year. • Take the EWP after successfully passing the writing course, ideally at least by the time you submit your grad check

16. Keeping Track of Your Progress Toward the Degree • Check your TITAN Degree Audit (TDA) before and after you register for classes. • The TDA is an automatic system that reads your community college transcripts and sorts the classes into the various GE categories and Major requirements.

17. Checking your progress • As you take courses at CSUF, those courses appear on your degree audit. • Utilizing this resource will help you stay on track and avoid surprises as you approach graduation.

18. TDA Review Process • Initially, the TDA is produced by the program reading your scanned transcripts…this is the preliminary TDA. • Some time in your first semester, you should receive a postcard indicating that your TDA has been reviewed and, if necessary, corrected.

19. TDA Limitations • The Titan Degree Audit system is a complex computerized program that lifts information from the transcripts you provide. • The system works best when the transcripts are limited to one or two local community colleges. • In most cases, the system does not read transcripts from other 4-year institutions or from community colleges outside of CA; community colleges that send us few transfer students may also fall in this category.

20. Examining Your TDA • We’ll look at a sample TDA • Follow along with your own TDA and your yellow GE checklist • On the yellow checklist, place a in the “MET” column if your TDA shows a “+” for that category • If your TDA shows a “-” for a category, place a in the “TAKE” column

21. Examining your TDA • Your yellow sheet may have courses highlighted with a box around them • These are courses that may “double count” for your major collateral/co-related courses AND General Education. • Ask an advisor for further information about these courses

30. Where do you go with questions about your TDA? • Advisors in the AAC are familiar with the TDA and can help you interpret it. • Sometimes the TDA program misreads a community college transcript…this can result in • The class being overlooked and not applied to the appropriate GE or Major requirement. • The class being sorted into the wrong GE category. • You can email an inquiry about your TDA by clicking on the email address found on the TITAN Online screen where you access the TDA.

31. Academic Probation • Students are on academic probation whenever either the CSUF or the cumulative GPA drops below 2.0. • Students who transfer with a GPA between 2.0 and 2.5 are at risk for academic probation because they have little margin for error.

32. Probation/Disqualification • Being on probation is a warning that your academic performance must improve or face disqualification from the University. • DQ when you have dropped below the following grade point average: • Sr. (90 units or more)1.95 gpa • Jr. (60-89 units) 1.85 gpa

33. Lenient drop policy allows you to drop a course until a week before final exams Allows you to count courses taught by your major department to double count for GE All advising done in one generalist counseling office Strict drop policy requires you to drop a course within the FIRST TWO WEEKS of the semester Does not allow courses taught by your major department for count for GE GE Advising done in the Academic Advisement Center, major advising done by a faculty member in the department Transitioning to Upper Division Studies Community College vs. Cal State Fullerton

34. Adding “closed” classes is done on paper with the instructor’s signature through Admissions & Records Instructor will drop you from a course if you do not attend Adding “closed” classes is done with electronic permits, and the student uses TITAN Online to add You are responsible for dropping classes on TITAN Online. Failure to do so could result in a “WU”, which is equivalent to an “F” in your GPA Transitioning to Upper Division Studies Community College vs. Cal State Fullerton

35. Transitioning to Upper Division Studies: Tips for Success • Upper Division courses, in general, require more self-discipline and initiative. • There may be fewer “student supports” such as study guides or review sessions. • In upper division courses, students engage in more integrative thinking and produce work that reflects their own synthesis of the materials learned in and out of class.

36. Preparing for Upper Division courses • If you are at risk for probation (2.0-2.5), we encourage you to take fewer units in the first semester. • Seek consultations with your instructors during office hours. Utilize all resources available!

37. Welcome to Cal State Fullerton