California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) 2026-2027
The requirements listed below are for the 2026-2027 academic year and are based upon information available at the time of catalog publication.
Completion of the Cal-GETC will permit a student to transfer from Mt. SAC to a University of California (UC) or California State University (CSU) campus generally without the need, after transfer, to complete additional lower-division general education (GE) courses requirements. However, some individual colleges and majors within UC campuses do not accept or recommend Cal-GETC to fulfill all GE requirements. Students pursuing majors that require extensive lower-division preparation may not find the Cal-GETC option to be advantageous (i.e. Engineering, Sciences). Consult a counselor and ASSIST for details. Completion of the Cal-GETC is not an admission requirement for transfer to UC or CSU, nor is it the only way to fulfill UC and CSU lower-division GE requirements prior to transfer.
The requirements listed below must be completed in their entirety for full certification to the UC and CSU. For students who have completed coursework at multiple campuses, the campus of last attendance prior to transfer to UC or CSU will certify the coursework. Mt. SAC will certify coursework from other campuses according to the Cal-GETC list of the originating campus. A minimum grade of “C” is required in each course. (A grade of “C–” is not acceptable.)
Students beginning Fall 2026 must follow 2026-2027 Cal-GETC requirements. Courses are approved for the academic year in which they were completed.
Area 1: English Communication
| Course Prefix | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Choose one course from each group: | 9 | |
| Group A: English Composition | ||
| College Composition for Non-Native English Speakers | ||
| Academic Reading and Writing | ||
| Academic Reading and Writing - Honors | ||
| Group B: Critical Thinking and Composition | ||
| Critical Thinking and Writing | ||
| Critical Thinking and Writing - Honors | ||
| Engineering Critical Thinking | ||
| Critical Thinking and Writing | ||
| Critical Thinking and Writing - Honors | ||
| Group C: Oral Communication | ||
| Introduction to Public Speaking | ||
| Introduction to Public Speaking - Honors | ||
Area 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
| Course Prefix | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Choose one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Applied Business Statistics | ||
| Differential Equations and Linear Algebra for Engineers | ||
| Survey of College Mathematics | ||
| Finite Mathematics | ||
| College Algebra | ||
| Calculus for Business | ||
| Precalculus Mathematics | ||
| Calculus and Analytic Geometry I | ||
| Calculus and Analytic Geometry II | ||
| Linear Algebra | ||
| Calculus and Analytic Geometry III | ||
| Linear Algebra and Differential Equations | ||
| Differential Equations | ||
| Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences | ||
| Introduction to Statistics in Sociology and Social Sciences | ||
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Statistics - Honors | ||
Area 3: Arts and Humanities
| Course Prefix | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Choose two courses minimum, at least one course from the Arts group and one course from the Humanities group: | 6 | |
| Arts Courses | ||
| World Architecture: Prehistory to the Middle Ages | ||
| World Architecture: Renaissance Through the Contemporary Era | ||
| Introduction to the Visual Arts and Art History | ||
or ARTH 1 | Introduction to the Visual Arts and Art History | |
| Survey of Art from Prehistory to the Medieval Era | ||
| Survey of Art from Prehistory to the Medieval Era – Honors | ||
| Survey of Art from the Renaissance to Contemporary | ||
| Survey of Art from the Renaissance to Contemporary - Honors | ||
| History of Women and Gender in Art 1 | ||
| History of Women and Gender in Art - Honors 1 | ||
| History of Modern Art | ||
| History of Modern Art - Honors | ||
| Global Contemporary Visual Culture | ||
| History of Medieval Art and Architecture | ||
| History of Asian Art and Architecture 1 | ||
| A History of Greek and Roman Art and Architecture | ||
| History of African, Oceanic, and Native American Art 1 | ||
| History of African, Oceanic, and Native American Art - Honors 1 | ||
| History of Precolumbian Art and Architecture 1 | ||
| History of Precolumbian Art and Architecture - Honors 1 | ||
| World Art and Visual Culture 1 | ||
| Rome: The Ancient City 1 | ||
| Culture and Art of Pompeii 1 | ||
| History of Latin American Art and Visual Culture | ||
| History of Latin American Art and Visual Culture - Honors | ||
| History and Appreciation of Dance | ||
| History of Jazz | ||
| World Music | ||
| American Folk Music | ||
| American Folk Music - Honors | ||
| Rock Music History and Appreciation | ||
| Rock Music History and Appreciation - Honors | ||
| Introduction to Western Classical Music | ||
| Introduction to Western Classical Music - Honors | ||
| Women in Music | ||
| Film Music Appreciation | ||
| Music and Culture of Hip Hop | ||
| Music and Culture of Hip-Hop - Honors | ||
| Western Music History I: Antiquity to 1750 | ||
| Western Music History II: 1750 to Present | ||
| History of Theater Arts | ||
| Humanities Courses | ||
| Intermediate Chinese | ||
| Continuing Intermediate Chinese | ||
| Introduction to Literature | ||
| Introduction to Literature - Honors | ||
| History of Western World Fashion | ||
| Intermediate French | ||
| Continuing Intermediate French | ||
| French Culture Through Cinema | ||
| Intermediate German | ||
| German Culture Through Cinema | ||
| United States History to 1877 1 | ||
| United States History to 1877 - Honors 1 | ||
| United States History since 1865 1 | ||
| United States History since 1865 - Honors 1 | ||
| History of the United States 1 | ||
| World History: Prehistoric to Early Modern 1 | ||
| World History: Prehistoric to Early Modern - Honors 1 | ||
| World History: Early Modern to the Present 1 | ||
| World History: Early Modern to the Present - Honors 1 | ||
| History of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 1 | ||
| History of Asia from Pre-History to Early Modern 1 | ||
| History of Asia from Pre-History to Early Modern - Honors 1 | ||
| History of Early Modern to Modern Asia 1 | ||
| History of Early Modern to Modern Asia - Honors 1 | ||
| The Wild West - A History, 1800-1890 1 | ||
| History of Latin America 1 | ||
| History of Mexico 1 | ||
| History of African Americans, 1619-1877 1 | ||
| History of African Americans, 1877- Present 1 | ||
| History of Africa 1 | ||
| Women in American History 1 | ||
| California History 1 | ||
| History of Mexican Americans 1 | ||
| History of Native Americans 1 | ||
| Humanities and the Human Experience | ||
| Humanities and the Human Experience - Honors | ||
| Intermediate Italian | ||
| Continuing Intermediate Italian | ||
| Italian Culture Through Cinema | ||
| Italian Culture Through Food | ||
| Intermediate Japanese | ||
| Continuing Intermediate Japanese | ||
| Advanced Japanese | ||
| Japanese Culture Through Anime and Manga | ||
| Korean Culture Through Cinema | ||
| Languages, Gender, and Power | ||
| Languages, Cultures, and Writing in East Asia | ||
| Introduction to World Languages | ||
| Early American Literature | ||
| Modern American Literature | ||
| Multicultural American Literature | ||
| Survey of English Literature up to 1800 | ||
| Survey of English Literature Since 1800 | ||
| Survey of Shakespeare | ||
| World Literature to 1650 | ||
| World Literature from 1650 | ||
| Introduction to Modern Poetry | ||
| Introduction to Cinema | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| Contemporary Mexican American Literature | ||
| Introduction to Mythology | ||
| The Bible As Literature: Old Testament | ||
| The Bible As Literature: New Testament | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy - Honors | ||
| Introduction to Ethics | ||
| Introduction to Ethics - Honors | ||
| Major World Religions | ||
| Major World Religions - Honors | ||
| Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy of Religion - Honors | ||
| Introduction to Ancient Philosophy | ||
| Introduction to Ancient Philosophy - Honors | ||
| Introduction to Modern Philosophy | ||
| Introduction to Modern Philosophy - Honors | ||
| Political Theory I - Ancient to Contemporary 1 | ||
| Political Theory II - Early Modern to Contemporary 1 | ||
| History of Western Medicine | ||
| American Sign Language 4 | ||
| Cultures in the Deaf Community | ||
| Intermediate Spanish | ||
| Continuing Intermediate Spanish | ||
| Latin American Culture Through Cinema | ||
Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences
| Course Prefix | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Choose two courses from a minimum of two different subject areas: | 6 | |
| Archaeology | ||
| Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Cultural Anthropology - Honors | ||
| Language and Culture: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology | ||
| Peoples and Cultures of Latin America and the Caribbean | ||
| Peoples and Cultures of South Asia | ||
| Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East | ||
| The Native American | ||
| Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society | ||
| History of Women and Gender in Art 1 | ||
| History of Women and Gender in Art - Honors 1 | ||
| History of Asian Art and Architecture 1 | ||
| History of African, Oceanic, and Native American Art 1 | ||
| History of African, Oceanic, and Native American Art - Honors 1 | ||
| History of Precolumbian Art and Architecture 1 | ||
| History of Precolumbian Art and Architecture - Honors 1 | ||
| World Art and Visual Culture 1 | ||
| Rome: The Ancient City 1 | ||
| Culture and Art of Pompeii | ||
| American Law and Democracy | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Intercultural Communication - Honors | ||
| Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Interpersonal Communication - Honors | ||
| Introduction to Communication Theory | ||
| Introduction to Communication Theory - Honors | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics - Honors | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics - Honors | ||
| Human Geography | ||
| Human Geography - Honors | ||
| World Geography: Introduction to Global Studies | ||
| Urban Geography | ||
| California Geography | ||
| United States History to 1877 1 | ||
| United States History to 1877 - Honors 1 | ||
| United States History since 1865 1 | ||
| United States History since 1865 - Honors 1 | ||
| History of the United States 1 | ||
| World History: Prehistoric to Early Modern 1 | ||
| World History: Prehistoric to Early Modern - Honors 1 | ||
| World History: Early Modern to the Present 1 | ||
| World History: Early Modern to the Present - Honors 1 | ||
| History of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 1 | ||
| History of Asia from Pre-History to Early Modern 1 | ||
| History of Asia from Pre-History to Early Modern - Honors 1 | ||
| History of Early Modern to Modern Asia 1 | ||
| History of Early Modern to Modern Asia - Honors 1 | ||
| The Wild West - A History, 1800-1890 1 | ||
| History of Latin America 1 | ||
| History of Mexico 1 | ||
| History of African Americans, 1619-1877 1 | ||
| History of African Americans, 1877- Present 1 | ||
| History of Africa 1 | ||
| Women in American History 1 | ||
| California History 1 | ||
| History of Mexican Americans 1 | ||
| History of Native Americans 1 | ||
| Cultural and Ethnic Foods | ||
| American Government and Politics | ||
| American Government and Politics - Honors | ||
| Comparative Politics | ||
| Political Theory I - Ancient to Contemporary 1 | ||
| Political Theory II - Early Modern to Contemporary 1 | ||
| International Relations | ||
| Environmental Politics | ||
| Latino Politics in the United States | ||
| African American/Black Politics | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Psychology - Honors | ||
| Developmental Psychology | ||
| Developmental Psychology - Honors | ||
| Introduction to Child Psychology | ||
| Abnormal Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Social Psychology | ||
| The Psychology of Women | ||
| Public Health and Social Justice | ||
or SOC 160 | Public Health and Social Justice | |
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Introduction to Sociology - Honors | ||
| Contemporary Social Problems | ||
| Contemporary Social Problems - Honors | ||
| Introduction to Criminology | ||
| Introduction to Criminology - Honors | ||
| Introduction to Research Methods in the Social Sciences | ||
| Introduction to Race and Ethnicity | ||
| Introduction to Race and Ethnicity - Honors | ||
| Introduction to Sex and Gender Roles | ||
| Introduction to Social Justice | ||
| Introduction to LGBTQ Studies | ||
| 1-Courses may not be double counted to satisfy more than one area, even if a course is listed in more than one area. | ||
Area 5: Physical and Biological Sciences
| Course Prefix | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Choose two courses, one physical and one biological science; at least one must include a laboratory. Laboratory must be a corresponding section to the lecture course taken. 2 | 7 | |
| Physical Science | ||
| Introduction to Astronomy | ||
| Introduction to Astronomy - Honors | ||
| Astronomical Observing Laboratory 2 | ||
| Geology of the Solar System | ||
| Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe | ||
| Chemistry of Everyday Life | ||
| Chemistry for Allied Health Majors 2 | ||
| Introductory Organic and Biochemistry 2 | ||
| Introduction to General Chemistry 2 | ||
| General Chemistry I 2 | ||
| General Chemistry I - Honors 2 | ||
| General Chemistry II 2 | ||
| General Chemistry II - Honors 2 | ||
| Chemistry for Engineers 2 | ||
| Physical Geography | ||
| Physical Geography - Honors | ||
| Physical Geography Laboratory 2 | ||
| Physical Geography Laboratory - Honors 2 | ||
| Physical Geology 2 | ||
| Historical Geology 2 | ||
| Geology of California | ||
| Earth Science | ||
| Earth Science - Honors | ||
| Earth Science Laboratory 2 | ||
| Environmental Geology | ||
| Environmental Geology Laboratory 2 | ||
| Natural Disasters | ||
| Global Climate Change | ||
| Weather and the Atmospheric Environment | ||
| Weather and Atmospheric Environment Laboratory 2 | ||
| Introduction to Oceanography | ||
| Introduction to Oceanography - Honors | ||
| Introduction to Oceanography Laboratory 2 | ||
| Energy Science 2 | ||
| Physics 2 | ||
| General Physics 2 | ||
| General Physics 2 | ||
| Engineering Physics 2 | ||
| Engineering Physics 2 | ||
| Engineering Physics 2 | ||
| Biological Science | ||
| Introductory Human Anatomy 2 | ||
| Introductory Human Physiology 2 | ||
| Human Anatomy 2 | ||
| Human Physiology 2 | ||
| Biological Anthropology | ||
| Biological Anthropology - Honors | ||
| Biological Anthropology Laboratory 2 | ||
| General Biology 2 | ||
| Plant and Animal Biology 2 | ||
| Ecology and Field Biology 2 | ||
| Biology for Majors 2 | ||
| Biology for Majors - Honors 2 | ||
| Humans and the Environment | ||
| Humans and the Environment Laboratory 2 | ||
| Cell and Molecular Biology 2 | ||
| Marine Biology | ||
| Marine Biology Laboratory 2 | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Fundamentals of Genetics | ||
| Fundamentals of Genetics Laboratory 2 | ||
| Medical Microbiology 2 | ||
| Microbiology 2 | ||
| Introduction to Nutrition Science | ||
| Introduction to Nutrition Science - Honors | ||
| Biological Psychology | ||
| Biological Psychology - Honors | ||
| Fundamentals of Zoology 2 | ||
Area 6: Ethnic Studies
| Course Prefix | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Choose one course | 3 | |
| Introduction to Black Studies | ||
| Introduction to Asian American Studies | ||
| Introduction to Ethnic Studies | ||
| Race and Racism in Education | ||
| Introduction to Chicanx Studies | ||
| Introduction to Native American Studies | ||
Notes
UC limits transfer credit for some courses. Students may review the UC Transfer Course Agreement (TCA) with an educational advisor or counselor in the Student Services Center. For Cal-GETC certification, the course must be on the list during the year taken. Students who began at a community college prior to Fall 2026 are recommended to meet with a counselor to discuss applicability of course taken prior to Fall 2026.
CSU Requirements Only
CSU Graduation Requirement in U.S. History, Constitution, and American Ideals
Note: UCSB requires a college-level U.S. history or government course.
It is recommended that you use one of the options below as part of required courses in Cal-GETC Area 3 or 4.
| Course Prefix | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Option 1 | ||
| United States History to 1877 | ||
or HIST C1001H | United States History to 1877 - Honors | |
| United States History since 1865 | ||
or HIST C1002H | United States History since 1865 - Honors | |
| If Option 1 is selected, DO NOT select another History course as your third IGETC Area 3 course. | ||
| Option 2 | ||
| Choose one course from U.S. History plus one course from American Institutions: | ||
| United States History | ||
| United States History to 1877 | ||
| United States History to 1877 - Honors | ||
| United States History since 1865 | ||
| United States History since 1865 - Honors | ||
| History of the United States | ||
| History of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders | ||
| History of African Americans, 1619-1877 | ||
| History of African Americans, 1877- Present | ||
| Women in American History | ||
| History of Mexican Americans | ||
| History of Native Americans | ||
| American Institutions | ||
| American Government and Politics | ||
| American Government and Politics - Honors | ||
| Latino Politics in the United States | ||
| African American/Black Politics | ||
UC transfer – Language Other Than English (LOTE)
For UC transfer – Language Other Than English (LOTE) can be certified on Cal-GETC in one of the following ways but is not required:
- Completion of a level one or higher Mt. SAC course in ARAB, CHIN, FRCH, GERM, ITAL, JAPN, KORE, LATN, SIGN, or SPAN or an applicable course from another college with a “C” or better grade.
- Completion of a year two (fourth semester) or higher language other than English course in high school with a “C-” or better grade at an English-language institution.
- A passing score on an applicable Advanced Placement (AP) exam, International Baccalaureate (IB) exam, SAT Subject Test, or General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCE) Examinations.
- Formal schooling through the sixth-grade or higher at a non-English language institution.
- Proficiency in a language other than English (discuss details with a counselor).
Cal-GETC certification may not be accepted to satisfy LOTE graduation requirements that vary by UC college and major. View UC graduation requirements.
