[Plsfaculty] FW: Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum Policy

[Donna-Rae Marquez]

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Subject: Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum Policy

MEMORANDUM

DATE:		October 8, 2010

TO:		Deans, Directors, Department Heads, and Advisors

FROM:	George Gehrels, Chair, Undergraduate Council  
		Celeste F. Pardee, Associate, Curricular Affairs

RE:		Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
		California State General Education Pattern (CSUGE)

California community college students considering a baccalaureate program at
the University of Arizona will have a smoother transfer experience when they
take advantage of a transfer policy approved by the Faculty Senate on
9/13/10.   After determining that the Intersegmental General Education
Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) and the California State General Education
Pattern (CSUGE) awarded by California community colleges were similar to the
Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) awarded by Arizona community
colleges, the Undergraduate Council proposed that courses taken for the
IGETC or the CSUGE should transfer in a similar manner.   The policy
proposal passed by Faculty Senate is effective for transfer students
admitted in Spring 2011.  Like the AGEC, a certified IGETC or CSUGE enables
California transfer students to satisfy most of the UA's General Education
requirements.  
 
Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum Policy, see the 2010-11
Catalog, http://catalog.arizona.edu/2010-11/policies/igetc.html: 
	The California public community colleges and state universities have
agreed upon a common structure for a general education core curriculum. This
common structure is called the Intersegmental General Education Transfer
Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State General Education Pattern
(CSUGE). The IGETC and the CSUGE are composed of a minimum of 35 - 40
semester units of lower-division general education course work that prepares
the student for transfer.*  All transferable course work must be completed
with a grade of "C" or better.
	Students transferring to the University of Arizona from California
with an IGETC certified by a California community college will have
completed the majority of the University's lower-division General Education
requirements.  The IGETC will fulfill the following lower-division General
Education requirements at the University:  freshman composition,
mathematics-General Strand, Tier One and Tier Two-with the exception of the
Natural Sciences and the Diversity Emphasis course.  To complete the Natural
Sciences <http://catalog.arizona.edu/2010-11/gened_tiers.html> , the
student's college/major advisor will need to validate completion of two
laboratory science courses at the transfer institution or at the UA.  To
satisfy the Diversity Emphasis
<http://catalog.arizona.edu/2010-11/gened_tiers.html>  requirement, the
student's advisor will need to verify completion of a course that focuses on
gender, race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or non-western studies.
	The University reserves the right to verify that an IGETC certified
by a community college conforms to California-approved policy before the
IGETC is applied toward a UA degree. Additionally, students with an IGETC
are required to fulfill (1) the Second Language Requirement
<http://catalog.arizona.edu/2010-11/policies/secondlang.htm> , (2)
prerequisites for advanced standing in the college and/or major/minor areas
of study, and (3) all specific upper-division degree program requirements. 
	In the absence of a certified IGETC, transfer students from
California colleges and universities may meet the UA General Education
requirements with a combination of IGETC-approved courses taken before their
initial enrollment at UA, along with subsequent UA General Education course
work.
	*NOTE:  For purposes of this transfer policy, the IGEC is
identified, but completion of the CSUGE is equally acceptable in the same
ways.
Rationale for the new Transfer Policy
*	The IGETC block transfer agreement was approved by California public
colleges and universities in 1991.  Data collected by UA's California peer
institutions indicate that students admitted with the IGETC persist and
perform as well academically as non-transfer students.
*	The UA first accepted students with a certified IGETC from
California community colleges in Spring 2004, and applied those courses
toward the General Education Curriculum as a pilot.  
*	While records on UA students admitted with an IGETC are incomplete,
the documented students who persisted earned UA degrees with an average GPA
of 3.43 in slightly over 2 years.
*	This policy brings the UA in line with the other Arizona public
universities that accept the IGETC or the CSUGE toward their general
education requirements.
*	California students interested in transferring to an out-of-state
institution may be more likely to apply to the UA.  Knowing that their
transfer course work will be applied as a block toward the UA General
Education requirements, students will experience less stress about the
transferring.

Management of the Policy:

Students admitted with a certified IGETC or CSUGE will be identified in
UAccess by the Office of Admissions or the Registrar's Office.  The IGETC or
CSUGE will be processed in UAccess by the Registrar's Office.   The transfer
course work will be applied to the General Education requirements by the
Registrar's staff, just as they process course work for a certified AGEC.

Questions about how students with a certified IGETC or CSUGE will be
admitted to the University should be addressed to an Office of Admissions
Counselor on duty, at 621-3237, appinfo at arizona.edu.  Questions about how
the IGETC or CSUGE satisfies the UA General Education Curriculum should be
addressed to Celeste Pardee, Curriculum Associate, at 621-5375,
cpardee at u.arizona.edu.