IGETC
The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is a pattern of courses that California community college students can complete to satisfy UC Santa Cruz general education requirements, excluding the Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement, which must be taken at UCSC.
If you have completed IGETC, it will show in your Degree Progress Report (DPR) in the General Education Requirements section. Opening any of the GE areas will show it satisfied via IGETC. If you believe you’ve completed IGETC but it is not showing on your DPR, contact us at transfercredit@ucsc.edu.
IGETC vs. UC Santa Cruz GEs
Full IGETC
Full IGETC is certified if a student completed the entire curriculum prior to transferring to UC Santa Cruz. Full IGETC must be certified by the last California Community College a student attended during a fall, winter, or spring term, prior to transferring. Certification can be included on an official transcript or IGTEC certification form and must clearly note completion of UC IGETC.
Partial IGETC
A student will have a partial IGETC if they are missing no more than two IGETC courses prior to starting at UC Santa Cruz. Like full IGETC, partial IGETC must be certified by the last community college a student attended during a fall, winter, or spring term. Certification can be included on an official transcript or IGETC certification form, but must clearly note how many courses are missing from each area, and must clearly note partial completion of UC IGETC. Students may complete the missing coursework either at UC Santa Cruz, a community college, or both. Certification is then awarded by UC Santa Cruz once the coursework is complete.
A partial IGETC gives students a choice to complete the IGETC curriculum after transferring or to complete the standard GE pattern at UC Santa Cruz. Students can work with their UCSC advisor to determine if any of their major and/or minor courses will satisfy any of the remaining GE and/or IGETC requirements. Generally speaking, students will choose whichever requires fewer courses.
UC Santa Cruz GEs
The UC Santa Cruz GE pattern consists of ten courses plus the DC requirement. Many community college courses satisfy UC Santa Cruz GEs. You can check your Degree Progress Report to see how many of the UC Santa Cruz GEs you have completed when deciding whether to complete a partial IGETC. Students without a partial IGETC must complete the UC Santa Cruz GE pattern.
Completing Partial IGETC
Once we receive a partial IGETC certification, students will be sent an email notifying them of their missing requirements and directing them to this page. Students select courses and submit a proposal form to complete their partial IGETC which is approved by the Degree Progress Unit. Students are encouraged to meet with their college and/or major advisor to determine if they should complete the UC Santa Cruz GE pattern or partial IGETC. If completing IGETC, follow the process below:
Step 1
Select courses to complete partial IGETC. You can use ASSIST to find courses at California Community Colleges, or the dashboard below to find pre-approved courses at UC Santa Cruz.
Step 2
Submit your partial IGETC proposal. We will review the proposed courses and respond once they’re approved.
Step 3
Take the approved classes. If taking courses at another institution, send us your updated transcripts once you get your grades.
Step 4
We’ll set reminders, but it’s best if you email us at transfercredit@ucsc.edu to let us know you’ve finished the courses. Once we’ve confirmed, IGETC will be posted.
UC Santa Cruz Courses that Satisfy IGETC
IGETC Areas
Area 1A: English Composition
Area 1A is almost always satisfied by the UC-E transfer admission requirement.
Area 1B: Critical Thinking/English Composition
Area 1B is almost always satisfied by the UC-E transfer admission requirement.
Area 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
Area 2 is typically satisfied by courses in mathematics and statistics.
Area 3A: Arts
Area 3A is typically satisfied by courses in art history, history of music, philosophy, literature, or mythology. Courses should advance knowledge of history and cultures through the arts and should not be primarily technique, skills, or performance based. UC Santa Cruz courses that satisfy the Interpreting Arts and Media (IM) GE often satisfy this area.
Area 3B: Humanities
Examples of courses satisfying Area 3B are courses in philosophy, literature, or mythology. Courses should encourage students to analyze and appreciate works of philosophical, historical, literary, aesthetic, and culture importance. Courses should not have a focus on skills acquisition. For example, elementary foreign language courses would not satisfy area 3B, but an advanced foreign language literature course might.
Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences
The two courses taken in Area 4 must be from different disciplines. Examples of courses satisfying Area 4 are courses in anthropology (excluding biological anthropology), economics, history, politics, legal studies, psychology, sociology, or feminist studies.
Area 5A: Physical Science
Examples of courses satisfying Area 5A are courses in chemistry, earth and planetary sciences, ocean sciences, or physics.
Area 5B: Biological Science
Examples of courses satisfying Area 5B are courses in biology, environmental studies, or biological anthropology.
Area 5C: Lab Science
Area 5C must be satisfied with a lab in the same discipline as the course used to satisfy Area 5A or 5B. For example, if 5A is satisfied with a physics course and 5B is satisfied with a biology course, 5C must be a lab in physics or biology.
Area 6: Language Other Than English (LOTE)
Area 6 may be satisfied in a myriad of ways:
- Two years of the same non-English language in high school with a grade of C or better in the second semester of the second year of instruction.
- By taking a level one non-English language course (ex. GERM 1, ITAL 1, etc).
- By taking a placement assessment at UC Santa Cruz and placing into level two or higher (ex. SPAN 2, CHIN 2, etc).
Note: Transfer students are not required to submit high school transcripts to UC Santa Cruz for admission. If you took foreign language courses in high school and are missing Area 6, have your transcript sent to your community college and/or UC Santa Cruz.
Area 7: Ethnic Studies
Examples of courses satisfying Area 7 are courses in critical race and ethnic studies.
Contact the Degree Progress Unit
Get answers to questions about external credit.