General Education (GE)

General Education (GE) profoundly influences undergraduates by providing the breadth of knowledge necessary for meaningful work, lifelong learning, socially responsible citizenship, and intellectual development. This 49-unit program, which comprises over one third of an undergraduate’s course of study, places specialized disciplines into a wider world, enabling students to integrate knowledge and to make connections among fields of inquiry.

The General Education program at SDSU prepares students to succeed in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world. Our students will live and work in the context of globalization, scientific and technological innovation, cross-cultural encounters, environmental challenges, and unforeseen shifts in economic and political power. Through this program, students will acquire knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world that will enable them to engage significant questions, both contemporary and enduring.

To put their breadth of knowledge to work, students gain intellectual and practical skills such as inquiry and analysis, creative and critical thinking, written and oral communication, scientific and quantitative literacy, and technological-information proficiencies.

The General Education program at San Diego State University is evolving. A standing committee of faculty and students reviews the program continually and encourages the development of new courses, concepts, and learning experiences.

Fall 2025 Update: Starting Fall 2025, the CSU General Education (GE) pattern will change to align with statewide transfer reform. Approved by the CSU Board of Trustees in March 2024, this update fulfills Assembly Bill 928 (AB 928)—the Student Transfer Achievement Reform (STAR) Act of 2021—which created a single lower-division GE pathway for students transferring from California Community Colleges to the CSU or UC. The new California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) will replace existing GE transfer options, supporting a more equitable and consistent experience for transfer students. For a comparison of CSU GE Breadth (2021–2025), the revised CSU GE Requirements (2025 and beyond), and Cal-GETC, view the GE Overview Trifold.

Examples

Fall 2025 and forward:

General Education (GE) categories include:

• Subject Area 1 English Communication
• Subject Area 2 Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
• Subject Area 3 Arts and Humanities
• Subject Area 4 Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Subject Area 5 Physical and Biological Sciences
• Subject Area 6 Ethnic Studies
• Not GE

Prior to Fall 2025:

General Education (GE) categories include:

• I Communications and Critical Thinking
• II Foundations
• III American Institutions
• IV Explorations
• V Ethnic Studies
• Not GE

Where Data Element Appears

ASIR Public Student Data Dashboards & Reports:

• Course FTES Data

See Also

• Course

Definition Source

"General Education profoundly influences undergraduates by providing the breadth of knowledge necessary for meaningful work, lifelong learning, socially responsible citizenship, and intellectual development. This 49-unit program, which comprises over one third of an undergraduate’s course of study, places specialized disciplines into a wider world, enabling students to integrate knowledge and to make connections among fields of inquiry. The General Education program at SDSU prepares students to succeed in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world. Our students will live and work in the context of globalization, scientific and technological innovation, cross-cultural encounters, environmental challenges, and unforeseen shifts in economic and political power. Through this program, students will acquire knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world that will enable them to engage significant questions, both contemporary and enduring....The General Education program at San Diego State University is evolving. A standing committee of faculty and students reviews the program continually and encourages the development of new courses, concepts, and learning experiences."