photo © Jennifer Piatt

Students often have questions about General Education (GE) and how that relates to their major courses. It cannot be stressed enough that GE requirements are very serious and not having completed a GE course will delay graduation. For that reason, all students should see a GE advisor in Academic Advising (Lassen Hall - http://www.csus.edu/acad/index.stm) approximately once a semester.

Tips:

Lines for advising can be very long (well over an hour) in the two weeks before registration and at the beginning of each semester. Don’t wait until then. Do your GE advising mid-semester and you won’t have any wait at all.

On a weekly basis, Fridays are almost always very slow. If you’re on campus on Friday, stop in and do your GE advising.

GE is logical – in spite of what people think. Completing a course in each of the categories and following the rules about your writing intensive and upper division courses will mean very quick and easy GE advising sessions. (If you want a list of all the GE courses, online, click here.)

Academic Advising does not advise on your major or minor. You must visit your academic department for major and minor advising.

On that note, because GE has its own rules and requirements, your department faculty will not advise you on GE. If you get the wrong advise from faculty not trained in GE, you may end up delaying your graduation.

GE rules are very strict. You won’t find that you’re able to make substitutions or receive waivers to help you graduate more quickly. If you’re missing a course, you will have to remain an extra semester to complete it – so get advising done, and then get it done again.

Once you’ve turned in your petition to graduate (one year before you graduate), you should visit Degree Evaluations (also in Lassen Hall) instead of Academic Advising. They will review both your major and GE requirements.

If you are a transfer student, bring an unofficial copy of your transcripts on your first visit to Academic Advising just in case your information hasn’t been entered into the system yet.

All universities have GE requirements, but they vary slightly from school to school. Don’t assume that the GE you completed at another institution (even another CSU) will fulfill your Sac State GE.

All transfer students must take nine units of GE in residency at Sacramento State. No exceptions. If you are a junior college transfer, you will need nine units of upper division GE coursework at Sacramento State. These nine units can overlap. You'll also need a writing intensive course, and that can be one of your upper division courses, so plan accordingly.

Be organized and review the GE requirements before your visit. The FAQs on the Academic Advising website will help you stay on top of things. http://www.csus.edu/acad/index.stm

CMS (MySacState) offers Degree Progress. This new feature charts your GE courses and indicates where you’re missing a class. (It’s new and still not 100% perfect, especially for some transfer courses which is doesn’t yet recognize. Check this before you visit Academic Advising, and if you have questions, they can be answered for you.)