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This executive order is issued pursuant to Section 66202 of the
California Education Code; Sections 40530 through 40532, 40651,
and 40803 through 40803.1 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations;
and Sections 1 and 2 of Chapter III of the Standing Orders of the Board
of Trustees of the California State University. This executive order implements
Board of Trustee policy adopted in July 2004. Provisions regarding the
development of systemwide and campus-specific lower-division transfer
patterns by major are effective immediately. Provisions regarding admission
priority apply to students who apply for admission to the California State
University (CSU) for fall 2006 or later terms and who complete a lower-division
transfer pattern by major that has been approved for that major and for
which appropriate courses have been identified.
Applicants who elect to complete systemwide and campus-specific lower-division
transfer patterns for a major and campus will have completed “an
approved transfer agreement program” within the meaning of Education
Code Section 66202 and will receive the highest priority for admission
to that campus and major if they have satisfied all CSU and campus requirements
for admission. “Highest priority” is defined in Title 5, Section
40651(b)(3) as a guarantee of admission subject to enrollment demand,
available space, and satisfactory completion of any impaction criteria
for that campus and major. These provisions shall not be construed to
limit in any way the ability of students to gain admission through alternative
pathways.
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Article 1. |
Purpose |
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The intent of this executive order is to protect access to the California
State University, particularly when the state’s fiscal support is
insufficient to fund student demand, by ensuring that a higher percentage
of students graduate from CSU in a timely manner. The procedures established
herein are designed to make it likely that transfer students can meet
standards for graduation with the minimum required units, thus promoting
wise use of the resources of the students and the state. Preparing transfer
students for academic success and efficient movement into and through
their chosen majors is critical to the mission of the CSU.
The development of lower-division transfer patterns by major is one element
of a graduation initiative adopted by the CSU Board of Trustees in January
2003. That initiative consists of three parts: (1) increasing the academic
preparation for college, (2) clarifying and improving the community college
transfer process, and (3) identifying a clear path to the degree for
matriculated students. Because CSU annually enrolls over 60 percent of all
California Community College students who transfer to a four-year college in
California, it is imperative that a clear path to the degree be identified
for California Community College transfer students.
To ensure that students planning to transfer to the CSU can earn a baccalaureate
degree in the most direct manner without losing credits for courses taken
at a California Community College, Title 5 requires the establishment,
for each high-demand major, of a lower-division pattern of community college
courses that will advance students toward graduation at any CSU campus
offering the major. A CSU campus may then identify additional course requirements
it considers necessary to prepare the students for upper-division study
in that major. Together, the systemwide and campus-specific patterns will
(1) help identify a clear path to the baccalaureate degree for California
Community College transfer students, (2) grant priority admission to those
who complete the lower-division transfer pattern by major, (3) protect
against the loss of credit by ensuring that California Community College
students interested in transferring to the CSU will not take courses that
are not required for graduation and can identify which courses will bring
them closer to graduation in minimal time, (4) maximize access to CSU
campuses and programs, (5) simplify student advising, and (6) provide
a basis for California Community College transfer degrees and programs.
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Article 2. |
Definitions
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2.1 |
“Systemwide lower-division transfer pattern by major”
means a set of lower-division curricular specifications comprising at
least 45 baccalaureate-level semester units but no more than 60 baccalaureate-level
semester units that will be accepted at every CSU campus offering a program
leading to a baccalaureate degree with that major.
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2.2 |
“Campus-specific lower-division transfer pattern by major”
means a set of lower-division curricular specifications beyond the systemwide
lower-division transfer pattern by major, comprising units that will be
accepted at a particular CSU campus offering a program leading to that
degree and major.
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2.3 |
“Lower-division transfer pattern by major” for a particular
major and CSU campus means the systemwide lower-division transfer pattern
for that major and the corresponding campus-specific lower-division transfer
pattern. A lower-division transfer pattern by major is an approved transfer
agreement program within the meaning of Education Code Section 66202.
The number of semester units in the systemwide lower-division transfer
pattern by major plus the number of semester units in the campus-specific
lower-division transfer pattern by major shall be no fewer than 60 and
no more than 70.
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2.4 |
“Major” means a set of requirements for
graduation identified as a major pursuant to Sections 40500 through 40507
of Title 5. Majors are distinguished by the CSU program code assigned to
them and the degree (e.g., Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor
of Fine Arts) to which they lead. For purposes of developing lower-division
transfer patterns by major, an option, concentration, or special emphasis
(cf. Executive Order No. 602) may be treated as a major if it is assigned
a CSU program code that identifies a major at one or more other CSU campuses
or if the options, concentrations, and special emphases with that CSU program
code meet the criteria established pursuant to Section 40531(b) of Title 5.
A group of closely related majors, options, concentrations, and/or special
emphases may also be treated as a major for purposes of developing lower-division
transfer patterns by major.
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2.5 |
“CSU program code” means the five-digit number assigned,
for purposes of reporting in the CSU Enrollment Reporting System, to each
major, option, concentration, or special emphasis that a CSU campus is
authorized to offer.
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2.6 |
“Designated major” means an academic program (major, option,
concentration, or special emphasis) for which a systemwide lower-division
transfer pattern by major and corresponding campus-specific transfer patterns
by major are to be developed.
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2.7 |
“Highest priority for admission” means a guarantee of
admission subject to enrollment demand, available space, and satisfactory
completion of any approved impaction criteria for that campus and major.
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Article 3. |
Designation of Majors For Which Lower-Division Transfer Patterns
by Major Are to Be Developed
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The Chancellor or designee, in consultation with the Academic Senate of
the California State University, will designate majors for which lower-division
transfer patterns will be developed. Newly designated majors will be identified
in systemwide coded memoranda. Majors will be selected for designation
on the basis of (1) the number of students transferring from California
Community Colleges who enroll in and graduate with that major, (2) the
number of CSU campuses at which the major is offered, (3) the proportion
of the undergraduate student body enrolled in the major at the CSU campuses
offering that major, (4) the degree of homogeneity of lower-division requirements
for the major within and among the CSU campuses offering it, and/or (5)
requests received from one or more groups representing CSU faculty in
that major.
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Article 4. |
Development of Systemwide Lower-Division Transfer Patterns
by Major
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4.1 |
Development Group
The Chancellor or designee, in consultation with the Academic Senate of
the California State University, will convene a CSU faculty group for
each major to develop a systemwide lower-division transfer pattern. The
CSU faculty group will include at least one faculty member in the major
from each CSU campus offering the designated major. The group will determine,
with the concurrence of the Chancellor or designee, the systemwide lower-division
transfer pattern by major. The convener shall establish a time frame for
the work of the group.
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4.2 |
Composition of the Systemwide Lower-Division Transfer Pattern by Major
A systemwide lower-division transfer pattern by major shall include at
least 45 baccalaureate-level semester units but no more than 60 baccalaureate-level
semester units. (A comparable pattern should be developed for students
at California Community Colleges on the quarter system, taking into account
the typical unit values of courses at those colleges.) Each unit that
a student completes in the systemwide lower-division transfer pattern
by major shall reduce by one unit the total number of units that the student
must complete to earn the baccalaureate degree with that major. The systemwide
lower-division transfer pattern by major will ordinarily include courses
that fulfill General Education-Breadth or Intersegmental General Education
Transfer Curriculum requirements; United States History, Constitution,
and American Ideals requirements; and major-specific lower-division requirements.
A course in a systemwide lower-division transfer pattern by major may
contribute to completion of more than one requirement, but the group is
encouraged to consider prevailing campus practices and provisions of the
Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum when determining
the circumstances in which a course is allowed to contribute to fulfillment
of more than one requirement. The development of systemwide lower-division
transfer patterns by major that are consistent with, but not necessarily
identical to, the recommended lower-division course-taking patterns of
CSU first-time freshmen is encouraged.
Each CSU faculty group is encouraged to incorporate into the systemwide
lower-division transfer pattern by major the entire lower-division General
Education-Breadth pattern and the United States History, Constitution,
and American Ideals requirements, as specified in Sections 40404 and 40405.1,
insofar as major-specific lower-division preparation necessary for success
in upper-division course work in the major allows. The systemwide lower-division
transfer pattern by major may, but need not, incorporate unrestricted
elective units.
Each CSU faculty group is encouraged to take into consideration what courses
are commonly offered in the California Community Colleges. Each group
is encouraged to consider incorporating, as required courses or restricted
electives, courses that have been included or are promising candidates
for inclusion in the California Articulation Number (CAN) system. Each
group is encouraged to define, where appropriate, elements of the systemwide
lower-division transfer pattern by major in a manner consonant with the
criteria for CAN descriptors.
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4.3 |
Publication of the Systemwide Lower-Division Transfer Pattern by Major
The CSU Office of the Chancellor shall be responsible for disseminating
to CSU campuses and California Community Colleges each systemwide lower-division
transfer pattern by major when it has been determined.
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4.4 |
Identification of California Community College Courses Fulfilling
Systemwide Lower-Division Transfer Patterns by Major
The Office of the Chancellor and Academic Senate CSU shall establish jointly
a procedure for reviewing courses proposed by California Community Colleges
for fulfillment of systemwide lower-division transfer patterns by major.
The courses at each college that fulfill the lower-division transfer patterns
by major will be published in appropriate statewide transfer articulation
systems such as ASSIST and will be linked to appropriate Web-based admission
sites, such as www.csumentor.edu and www.californiacolleges.edu.
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4.5 |
Updating of Systemwide Lower-Division Transfer Patterns by Major
The Chancellor or designee, in consultation with the Academic Senate of
the California State University, will convene periodically a CSU faculty
group for each designated major to update the systemwide lower-division
transfer pattern by major. The effective date of the updated systemwide
lower-division transfer pattern by major will be established by the Chancellor
or designee, depending on the extent of the changes, the time that will
be required to identify community college courses that will fulfill the
amended pattern, and the time that will be required for campuses to update
the corresponding campus-specific lower-division transfer patterns by
major and associated course articulation.
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Article 5. |
Development of Campus-Specific Lower-Division Transfer Patterns
by Major
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Within one year of the publication of a systemwide lower-division transfer
pattern by major, each CSU campus offering the major shall develop a campus-specific
lower-division transfer pattern for that major. The number of semester
units in the systemwide lower-division transfer pattern by major plus
the number of semester units in the campus-specific lower-division transfer
pattern by major shall be no fewer than 60 and no more than 70. The pattern
may be derived from campus plans for improving progress to graduation
that were developed in response to coded memorandum AA-2003-17, “Campus
Plans for Improving Program Completion.” Each unit that a student
completes in the campus-specific lower-division transfer pattern by major
shall reduce by one unit the total number of units that the student must
complete to earn the baccalaureate degree with that major.
Campuses must ensure that a student who has completed the resulting lower-division
transfer pattern for the major (i.e., the campus-specific pattern in combination
with the systemwide pattern) will necessarily have completed all course
requirements for admission to the CSU as an upper-division transfer student.
Campuses are encouraged to make the lower-division transfer pattern for
the major consistent with, but not necessarily identical to, the recommended
lower-division course-taking patterns of CSU first-time freshmen. The
lower-division transfer pattern by major should incorporate completion
of the entire lower-division General Education-Breadth pattern or Intersegmental
General Education Transfer Curriculum and the United States History, Constitution,
and American Ideals requirements. Exceptions should be made only for high-unit
majors and majors for which the prerequisite structure requires that course
work be carefully sequenced. The inclusion of unrestricted elective units
is encouraged to provide flexibility for students and community colleges.
The campus is also encouraged to take into consideration what courses
are commonly offered in the California Community Colleges, especially
those colleges in the local area; to consider incorporating, as required
courses or restricted electives, courses that have been included in the
California Articulation Number (CAN) system or similar numbering system;
and to define, where appropriate, elements of the systemwide lower-division
transfer pattern by major in a manner consonant with the criteria for
CAN descriptors.
The campus shall inform the CSU Office of the Chancellor of each campus-specific
lower-division transfer pattern by major that it has developed. A campus-specific
lower-division transfer pattern by major shall become effective upon concurrence
of the Chancellor or designee.
The campus shall establish a procedure for reviewing and approving courses
proposed by California Community Colleges for fulfillment of campus-specific
lower-division transfer patterns by major. The procedure may be one in
use for major-preparation articulation. Within one academic term of the
effective date of a campus-specific lower-division transfer pattern by
major, course articulation must be completed and information must be posted
online for California Community Colleges in the local area. Within two
years of the effective date of a campus-specific lower-division transfer
pattern by major, course articulation must be completed and information
must be posted online for other California Community Colleges. Campuses
should post each lower-division transfer pattern by major in appropriate
statewide transfer articulation systems such as ASSIST.
A campus may update a campus-specific lower-division transfer pattern
by major with appropriate and timely notification to the CSU Office of
the Chancellor. When a systemwide lower-division transfer pattern is updated
for a major offered by a campus, the campus shall review and update as
necessary its corresponding campus-specific lower-division transfer pattern
for that major and the course articulation supporting it.
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Article 6. |
Admission Priority for Students Completing Lower-Division Transfer
Patterns by Major
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Commencing with admission to the fall term 2006 for lower-division transfer
patterns by major that have been approved for that major and campus and
for which appropriate courses have been articulated, an applicant who
has attended a California Community College, who has completed successfully
the lower-division transfer pattern by major, who had committed to the
major and campus of the California State University before earning 45
baccalaureate-level semester (68 quarter) units, and who applies for admission
within published deadlines will receive the highest priority for admission
as an upper-division transfer student if the applicant meets all applicable
standards for admission. In accord with Section 40651 (b)(3) of Title
5, “highest priority” is a guarantee of admission subject
to enrollment demand, available space, satisfactory completion of approved
impaction criteria for that campus and major, and, for upper-division
transfer applicants who are not residents of California, any grade point
average requirements specified by the campus at the time of commitment.
Each campus shall communicate to students at the time of commitment any
impaction criteria that they must meet to be admitted to the campus and
major. A campus may require an applicant to execute a campus-specific
transfer agreement to receive this guarantee of admission.
Highest priority for admission as an upper-division transfer student to
a specific campus and major for students seeking admission in fall 2006
or later terms is effective twelve months after the provisions of Sections
40530, 40531, and 40532 of Title 5 have been met and the appropriate courses
have been articulated.
An applicant who has attended a California Community College, who has
successfully completed the lower-division transfer pattern by major in
effect at the time of application, and who applies for admission within
published deadlines will receive the highest priority for admission as
an upper-division transfer student if the applicant meets all applicable
standards for admission, including any impaction criteria in effect for
that campus and major at the time of application.
A prospective applicant may not declare a commitment to or execute a
transfer agreement if required by the campus with more than one CSU campus
and major. The CSU Office of the Chancellor shall provide a means for
students to declare a commitment online and learn what standards must
be met for the admission guarantee to be effective. This site shall be
linked to appropriate statewide transfer articulation systems, such as
ASSIST, and appropriate Web-based admission sites, such as www.csumentor.edu
and www.californiacolleges.edu.
These provisions shall not be construed to limit in any way the ability
of students to gain admission through alternative pathways. Completion
of the lower-division transfer patterns by major is optional and shall
not be required for transfer as an upper-division student.
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