General Education Options
General Education Options
About General Education
General Education (GE) is one of the required components of all Associate degrees. At Ventura College, there are five General Education options available including the Ventura College General Education pattern, CSU GE-Breadth, IGETC, IGETC for STEM, or the GE pattern of the intended transfer institution (including meeting Title 5 minimum requirements). The major and/or transfer path a student is pursuing will dictate the choices available to the student.
1. Ventura College General Education Requirements
Ventura College's General Education (VC GE) plan is based on Title 5 requirements in the California Code of Regulations and District policy. It is not intended to prepare students for transfer and cannot be used with an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT). Majors at Ventura College for which students may complete Ventura College's GE plan include:
- AA in General Studies with an Area of Emphasis, Pattern I
- AA and AS Degrees in specific majors
2. California State University General Education Breadth (CSU GE-Breadth)
Certified completion of the CSU GE-Breadth (CSU GE) pattern will fulfill the lower-division general education requirements of all CSU campuses in most majors. Note: There are some majors or colleges within CSU campuses for which CSU GE-Breadth is not the appropriate preparation. Refer to your intended campus and major at www.assist.org for guidance. CSU GE-Breadth will also satisfy GE requirements for local AA/AS Degrees.
Majors at Ventura College for which the CSU GE-Breadth is an option include:
- Administration of Justice (AS-T)
- Agriculture Business (AS-T)
- Agriculture Plant Science (AS-T)
- Anthropology (AA-T)
- Art History (AA-T)
- Biology (AS-T)
- Business Administration 2.0 (AS-T)
- Communication Studies 2.0 (AA-T)
- Early Childhood Education (AS-T)
- Economics (AA-T)
- Elementary Teacher Education (AA-T)
- English (AA-T)
- Film, Television, and Electronic Media (AS-T)
- General Studies: Arts and Humanities, Pattern III (A.A.)
- General Studies: Liberal Studies, Pattern III (A.A.)
- General Studies: Natural Sciences or Mathematics, Pattern III (A.A.)
- General Studies: Social and Behavioral Sciences, Pattern III (A.A.)
- Geography (AA-T)
- Geology (AS-T)
- History (AA-T)
- Kinesiology (AA-T)
- Law, Public Policy, and Society (AA-T)
- Mathematics (AS-T)
- Music (AA-T)
- Nutrition and Dietetics (AS-T)
- Philosophy (AA-T)
- Political Science (AA-T)
- Psychology (AA-T)
- Public Health Science (AS-T)
- Social Justice Studies - Chicana/o Studies (AA-T)
- Social Work and Human Services (AA-T)
- Sociology (AA-T)
- Spanish (AA-T)
- Studio Arts (AA-T)
- Theatre Arts (AA-T)
Additional majors are being developed. Please see a counselor for more information. For the latest information on Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADTs), go to www.icangotocollege.com
3. Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
Certified completion of the IGETC pattern will fulfill the lower-division general education requirements of all UC campuses in most majors. Note: There are some majors or colleges within UC/CSU campuses for which IGETC is not the appropriate preparation. See IGETC Rules by Campus and refer to your intended campus and major at www.assist.org and/or consult with a college counselor for guidance. IGETC will also satisfy GE requirements for local AA/AS degrees.
Majors at Ventura College for which the IGETC is an option include:
- Administration of Justice (AS-T)
- Agriculture Business (AS-T)
- Agriculture Plant Science (AS-T)
- Anthropology (AA-T)
- Art History (AA-T)
- Biology (AS-T)
- Business Administration 2.0 (AS-T)
- Communication Studies 2.0 (AA-T)
- Early Childhood Education (AS-T)
- Economics (AA-T)
- Elementary Teacher Education (AA-T)
- English (AA-T)
- Film, Television, and Electronic Media (AS-T)
- General Studies: Arts and Humanities, Pattern III (A.A.)
- General Studies: Liberal Studies, Pattern III (A.A.)
- General Studies: Natural Sciences or Mathematics, Pattern III (A.A.)
- General Studies: Social and Behavioral Sciences, Pattern III (A.A.)
- Geography (AA-T)
- Geology (AS-T)
- History (AA-T)
- Kinesiology (AA-T)
- Law, Public Policy, and Society (AA-T)
- Mathematics (AS-T)
- Music (AA-T)
- Nutrition and Dietetics (AS-T)
- Philosophy (AA-T)
- Political Science (AA-T)
- Psychology (AA-T)
- Public Health Science (AS-T)
- Social Justice Studies - Chicana/o Studies (AA-T)
- Social Work and Human Services (AA-T)
- Sociology (AA-T)
- Spanish (AA-T)
- Studio Arts (AA-T)
- Theatre Arts (AA-T)
4. IGETC for Science, Technology, Engineering, and MATH (STEM)
A transfer student intending to major in science, engineering or mathematics may complete up to three GE courses after transfer. UC will accept IGETC for STEM if the UC school, college or major program to which the student transfers accepts partial IGETC certification. The courses to be completed after transfer may consist of at most one in each of the following areas: Arts and Humanities, Social and Behavioral Science, and Language Other Than English (LOTE). See: admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/glossary/igetc-for-stem.html for more information.
Majors at Ventura College for which the IGETC for STEM is an option include only the following:
5. General Education Pattern of the Intended Transfer Institution (including meeting minimum Title 5 requirements)
Students transferring to a four-year university in high-unit majors or where completion of the CSU GE-Breadth or IGETC is not appropriate or advisable may choose to instead follow the GE pattern of their intended institution. This may include students transferring to private universities, out-of-state universities, or UC/CSU campuses within majors that have their own specific GE requirements. This applies to all AA/AS that are designed to prepare students for transfer.
Majors at Ventura College for which the GE pattern of an intended Transfer Institution is the only option include: