Choosing a college at UCSD

Graduation Requirements in the UCSD Colleges

Unless otherwise indicated, the figures in this chart refer to the number of COURSES rather than the number of units. Most UCSD courses carry four quarter-units of credit, and a student usually takes four courses each quarter. Academic disciplines are classified as humanities/fine arts, social sciences, and mathematics/natural sciences/engineering. The term "noncontiguous" refers to a discipline that is different from that of the major. Students must meet the Entry Level Writing requirement prior to enrolling in the writing courses of their respective college. Each college's cultural diversity requirement can be fulfilled as noted by an asterisk (*) below.

Revelle College

General Education

HUMANITIES—5
Includes intensive instruction in university-level writing.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE—0 to 4
Proficiency exam or number of courses.

FINE ARTS—1
Art, music, theatre

PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY—4
At least one course from each area (Sequences available for science and non-science majors.)

BIOLOGY—1

CALCULUS—3
(Sequences are available for science and non-science majors.)

SOCIAL SCIENCES—2
Two lower-division courses in the social sciences chosen from an approved list, to include two courses in the same social science, and at least one course in American cultures.

AMERICAN CULTURES—1
At least one course in American Cultures from an approved list (TAG students exempt).

AREA OF FOCUS—3
Focused on one subject non-contiguous to the major.

Minor/Additional Graduation Requirements

 Optional Minor

Minimum Number of Courses Required for Graduation

 B.A./B.S. degrees require a minimum of 46 courses (184 units); at least 15 courses (60 units) must be upper-division.

John Muir College

General Education

ANALYTICAL WRITING—2 to 3

A three-course sequence in one of the following disciplines from the:—3
SOCIAL SCIENCES

A three-course sequence in either —3
MATHEMATICS (CALCULUS)
OR
 One of the disciplines from the
NATURAL SCIENCES

A three-course sequence in each of TWO of the disciplines from TWO different categories—6
FINE ARTS
HUMANITIES
FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Minor/Additional Graduation Requirements

 Optional Minor—*One U.S. cultural diversity course to be chosen from an approved list as part of the major, optional minor, elective, or an appropriate general-education course

Minimum Number of Courses Required for Graduation

 B.A./B.S. degrees require a minimum of 45 courses (180 units); at least 18 courses (72 units) must be upper-division.

Thurgood Marshall College

General Education

DIMENSIONS OF CULTURE—3
Includes two six-unit courses with intensive instruction in university-level writing

HUMANITIES—2 Includes cultural diversity

FINE ARTS—1

NATURAL SCIENCES—3
One course each in biology, chemistry, and physics. (Courses are available for science and non-science majors.)

MATHEMATICS AND LOGIC—2
(Courses are available for science and non-science majors.)

DISCIPLINARY BREADTH—4
Noncontiguous to the major. Two must be upper-division; one must include writing.

PUBLIC SERVICE—(optional)
The four-unit public service option may be used to fulfill one course in disciplinary breadth.

Minor/Additional Graduation Requirements

Optional Minor

Minimum Number of Courses Required for Graduation

B.A./B.S. degrees require 45 courses (180 units). At least 60 units must be upper-division.

Earl Warren College

General Education

WRITING—2

ETHICS AND SOCIETY—1

FORMAL SKILLS—2
Two courses to be selected from a list including calculus, symbolic logic, computer programming, and statistics.

PROGRAMS OF CONCENTRATION*—12
(for B.A./B.S. degrees in arts/sciences)
Two programs of concentration, each typically consisting of three lower- division and three upper-division courses. Both programs must be non- contiguous to the major and to each other.

OR
AREA STUDIES—6
(for B.S. degrees in engineering)
Two area studies each consisting of three courses. One area of study in humanities/fine arts and one in social sciences.

Minor/Additional Graduation Requirements

Optional Minor—Students may choose a noncontiguous minor in lieu of a program of concentration.

*One cultural diversity in U.S. society course to be chosen from an approved list as part of the major, programs of concentration/area studies, or elective.

Minimum Number of Courses Required for Graduation

B.A./B.S. degrees require 45 courses (180 units). At least 15 courses (60 units) must be upper-division.

Eleanor Roosevelt College

General Education

THE MAKING OF THE MODERN WORLD—6
Includes two six-unit courses with intensive instruction in university-level writing.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE—0 to 4
Proficiency exam or number of courses.

FINE ARTS—2
To include study of both Western and non-Western arts.

NATURAL SCIENCES—2
(Courses are available for science and non-science majors.)

QUANTITATIVE/FORMAL SKILLS—2
(Courses are available for science and non-science majors.)

REGIONAL SPECIALIZATION—3
To include at least two courses taken at the upper-division level.

Minor/Additional Graduation Requirements

Optional Minor—Students may combine foreign language and regional specialization course work to create a minor focusing on a particular geographic area.

Minimum Number of Courses Required for Graduation

B.A./B.S. degrees require 45 courses (180 units). At least 15 courses (60 units) must be upper-division.

Sixth College

General Education

CULTURE, ART, AND TECHNOLOGY—3
Three-quarter sequence includes two (six-unit) courses of intensive instruction in university-level writing.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FLUENCY—1
This requirement may be satisfied with courses from a variety of departments.

MODES OF INQUIRY—7
Two courses in social sciences, two courses in humanities, two courses in natural sciences, one course in math/logic (different options available for science and non-science majors)

UNDERSTANDING DATA—1
One course in statistical methods (different options available for science and non-science majors)

SOCIETAL AND ETHICAL CONTEXTS—2
One course in ethnic or gender studies; one course in ethics.

ART MAKING—2
Two courses in music, theatre (including dance), or visual arts.

PRACTICUM—2
Capstone project with a four-unit course in upper-division writing.

Minor/Additional Graduation Requirements

Optional Minor

Minimum Number of Courses Required for Graduation

B.A./B.S. degrees require a minimum of 45 courses (180 units). At least 15 courses (60 units) must be upper-division.
MAJOR

NOTE: Students normally may pursue any major, except for college individualized majors, regardless of the college they choose. Majors are identical regardless of the student’s chosen college. Most majors require twelve to eighteen upper-division courses based upon adequate lower-division preparation; such preparation may be part of the general-education requirements. Majors in certain engineering programs may require as many as twenty-one upper-division courses.