General Education Patterns

  • Cal-GETC is designed for all new students starting at a California Community College in Fall 2025.
  • It serves as the unified general education pathway for California Community College (CCC) students to complete lower-division general education requirements for transfer to both the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) systems.
  • Students planning to transfer from Pierce College to a public California university should consult with a Counselor to develop a suitable transfer plan.

  • IGETC is for students transferring to a California State University (CSU),  the University of California (UC), or are undecided about their transfer goals.
  • Students must have catalog rights prior to Fall 2025 to use IGETC.
  • All lower division general education units required by the CSU and UC must be competed with a grade of 鈥淐鈥 or better in each course.
  • IGETC may not be advisable for some majors at certain CSU and UC campuses.
  • Students planning to transfer from Pierce College to a public California university should consult with a Counselor to develop a suitable transfer plan.

  • CSU General Education Breadth Certification is for students transferring to the California State University (CSU) system.
  • Students must have catalog rights prior to Fall 2025 to use CSU GE.
  • Students who complete this certification will complete the maximum lower-division general education units allowed by the 23 CSU campuses. 
  • Students planning to transfer from Pierce College to a public California university should consult with a Counselor to develop a suitable transfer plan.

  • Students must 21 units of General Education to be awarded Associate of Arts or Associate of Science at  Pierce College.
  • A course  may not be counted more than once for general education even if it satisfies more than one general education area.
  • A course may satisfy both a general education requirement and a major requirement.