CSU-GE Breadth requirements are courses in the arts and sciences that provides a broad educational experience. Courses are usually introductory in nature and provide students with fundamental skills and knowledge in English, arts, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, physical and biological sciences.

The CSU-GE pattern is one way for students who transfer to the CSU to complete the CSU lower division general education requirements at LTCC prior to transfer. Completing the entire CSU-GE pattern is not a requirement for transfer. There is an upper division GE requirement of 9 units which must be completed after transfer at the CSU from which the bachelor's degree is granted. It is not possible to complete all GE credits needed to graduate from a CSU at the community college.

IGETC or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum is a general education program which community college students can use to satisfy lower division general education requirements at any CSU or UC campus.

Completion of IGETC is one option for students to use when preparing for transfer. It is not the only option and for some majors, such as engineering and science, may not be recommended. Completing IGETC is not a requirement for transfer to either the CSU or the UC. If you have questions about which GE pattern to complete, talk to a counselor.

Certification of CSU GE or IGETC is an important step in the transfer process. The certification of GE is the official notice verifying that a transfer student has completed courses satisfying lower division general education requirements.

To be certified, all courses on IGETC must be completed with a grade of C or better.

The CSU-GE pattern can be certified by completing a specific subject area (Area A, Area B, etc.) or by completing the entire unit pattern.

An associate degree is a "two-year" degree granted by a community college to students who complete a specified program of study, usually totaling 90 units.

A bachelor's degree or baccalaureate is a "four-year" degree granted upon completion of at least 120 semester units or 180 quarter units. Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science Degrees are offered by the California State Universities, the University of California, UNR and many private four-year colleges and universities.

Lower division courses are offered for freshman and sophomore level credit. All courses offered at a community college are lower division courses. Upper division courses are offered for junior and senior level credit. These courses are not offered by community colleges.

Articulation is the process of evaluating courses to determine whether coursework completed at one college will meet the requirements for admission, transfer credit, general education, or major preparation at another college.

To have your transcripts sent to another college, contact the Enrollment Services office located within the One-Stop and fill out the Transcript Request Form (PDF). You can also access your transcripts via your Passport portal.

A major is a program of study which leads to a degree. It is the primary area of study in which the greatest depth of knowledge will be developed.

A minor is a secondary field of study, not as comprehensive as the major. Minors are not available at community colleges.

Preparation for a major is an important step. Information as to which classes are required for a specific major can be obtained from the college catalog and from articulation agreements. For public institutions in California, articulation agreements between schools are stored on the web at ASSIST.org. Please see a counselor for further information.

An impacted major is one that is very popular and more applications for admission are received during the priority filing period than the campus can accommodate.

If you are applying to a major that is impacted, the GPA for admission will be higher and you will need to complete lower division courses for the major prior to transfer.

There are many resources available in Student Services to assist you. You will want to plan to visit the college you are interested in and also research the transfer requirements in the college catalog and on the World Wide Web. See a counselor for assistance in identifying transfer requirements for a particular major and university.

The California State University (CSU) is the system of higher education in California that grants the most bachelor degrees. CSU majors are commonly more vocationally specific than UC majors. It is sometimes called the "teacher training" institution. The CSU also grants master degrees.

The University of California (UC) is the research system of public higher education in California. The UC grants professional and doctorate degrees, as well as bachelor and master degrees.

The CSU has a more practical, career-oriented approach to education in contrast to the more theoretical approach offered by the UC.

Each college has an academic year with terms marking the beginning and end of classes. A quarter is one type of term within an academic year. Each quarter is 10-12 weeks in length, and there are usually three quarters (fall, winter and spring) per academic year. A semester is the other type of term within an academic year. Each semester is 15-18 weeks in length, and there are two semesters (fall and spring) in an academic year. In addition, most colleges offer an additional term during the summer. Lake Tahoe Community College is on the quarter system and offers a condensed 6 week summer session.

There is a period of time when applications are first accepted for a specific term at the CSU and UC. Please refer to the Dates and Deadlines section for the priority filing dates.