Jun 20, 2025  
University Catalog 2025-2026 
    
University Catalog 2025-2026

General Education Lower Division Courses

Location(s): Chino Site - CIM, DTLA Campus, Lancaster Site, Main Campus


Students following the Fall 2020 or earlier GE Catalog should refer to the 2020-2021 Catalog
Students following the Fall 2021 to Summer 2025 GE Catalog, please refer to the 2024-2025 Catalog.
The current GE Catalog reflects updates effective Fall 2025.
  • General Education (GE) requirements must add up to at least 43-semester units - 32 Lower Division and 9 Upper Division units.
  • An Introduction to Higher Education course  (IHE) is required of all first-time freshmen.
  • A minimum C- grade in Subject Areas 1A, 1B, 1C, and  Subject Area 2 classes is required. This does not apply to meet the prerequisite for courses that require these courses to be completed with a grade of C or better.   
  • Civic Learning/Community Engagement Requirement  (cl)  - a total of 6 semester units, 3-semester units will be fulfilled by completing the IHE course. One (cl) course must be completed at the upper-division general education level. These courses are designated as (cl) before the course listing.
  • Diversity Requirement  (d) or (re) - a total of 6-semester units; students must complete one race/ethnicity (re) course and one diversity (d) course or another race/ethnicity (re) course. These courses are designated as (re) or (d) before the course listing.
  • Writing Intensive Requirement  (wi) - a total of 6-semester units; students must complete two writing-intensive (wi) courses, with at least one in their major. These courses are designated as (wi) before the course listing.
  • For all students following the Fall 2021 or later Catalog, 3 units of Ethnic Studies is required and can only be satisfied with approved Subject Area 6 courses (no substitutions).

 

 Lower Division GE Subject Areas

  • Subject Area 1   English Communication
   Area 1A   LD - English Composition
   Area 1B   LD - Critical Thinking
   Area 1C   LD - Oral Communication
  • Subject Area 2   Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
   Area 2   LD - Mathematical Concepts & Quantitative Reasoning
  • Subject Area 3   Arts and Humanities
   Area 3A   LD - Arts
   Area 3B   LD - Humanities
  • Subject Area 4   Social and Behavioral Sciences
   Area 4   LD - Social & Behavioral Sciences
   Area 4   LD - American Institutions: US Constitution & State/Local Government
  • Subject Area 5   Physical and Biological Sciences
   Area 5A   LD - Physical Science
   Area 5B   LD - Biological Science
   Area 5C   LD - Laboratory
  • Subject Area 6   Ethnic Studies
Area 6   LD/UD - Ethnic Studies

 


 

Subject Area 1: English Communication


Take one course in each subarea: 1A, 1B, 1C.​

Subject Area 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning


Subject Area 3: Arts and Humanities


Take one course in each subarea: 3A, 3B.

Area 3A - Arts


Area 3B - Humanities


Subject Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences


Take one course in each subarea:  (1) Area 4 - Social & Behavioral Sciences;  (2) American Institutions - U.S. Constitutional and State/Local Government.

Area 4 - Social and Behavioral Sciences


Take one course from each subarea.

Area 4 - U.S. Constitution and State/Local Government


Subject Area 5: Physical and Biological Sciences


Take one course in each subarea for a total of 7 units. Area 5C maybe embedded in 5A or 5B.

Subject Area 6: Ethnic Studies


The following courses satisfy Subject Area 6, even if they are upper division.  Note that all of the following courses satisfy Subject Area 6 - Ethnic Studies, and many of these courses are approved to satisfy a different GE Area. Such courses cannot be used to meet Subject Area 6 and another GE requirement, but can meet either Subject Area 6  or another GE requirement.  The first set of courses listed will satisfy Subject Area 6 by default.  Please see an advisor if you need the course to satisfy a different area of GE.  The second list of courses satisfy Subject Area 6 but not automatically as they satisfy another area of GE by default.  Again, please see an advisor if you prefer to use the course to satisfy Subject Area 6.  Only courses listed in these two lists can satisfy Subject Area 6 as there are no substitutions or waivers.