Transferring to SDSU

Prospective students are encouraged to seek information from the LIB S web site. For special circumstances where information is not on the web, please e-mail the program using the E-Mail Advice link on the LIB S home page. Questions about admissions should be e-mailed to the Prospective Student Center at admissions@SDSU.edu.

Prospective transfer students are welcome to visit the Liberal Studies Office. The program office manager provides limited general information and referrals to appropriate campus resources. Walk-in advising and appointments, however, are available only for enrolled students who have attended orientation and established advising files. New students are required to attend orientation. They should watch for information on the summer orientations in the packet they receive from the university in late May. Ask about a fee waiver if the cost is a problem.

The Liberal Studies section of the SDSU General Catalog at www.sdsu.edu/catalog/LIB%20S.pdf provides an overview of the program and lists the specific requirements for the major and possible specializations.

The Traditional Program is designed for students who wish to teach elementary school, especially the upper grades (4-6); who wish to complete their credential program elsewhere; who want to pursue a special education or bilingual credential; or who decide not to pursue a credential. Students are able to complete the traditional major and specialization in eight semesters and, if desired, a post-baccalaureate credential program during a ninth and tenth semester. The specialization consists of 9-15 units in a given discipline.

The Integrated Program is designed for students who wish to teach elementary school, especially the primary grades (K-3). Students who qualify are able to complete the Liberal Studies major and credential coursework in nine semesters (135 units). The ninth semester may be completed at the post-baccalaureate level. Thus, 15 units count toward graduate work when students apply for a teaching job. The Integrated Program specialization consists of three units (one course) in the history of one of the subject areas and nine units of credential coursework. Transfer students will be invited to consider applying to the Integrated Program when they attend summer orientation. The application process takes place during the first semester of the junior year.

The Middle School Option is designed for students who want the flexibility of being able to teach either at the elementary or middle school level. Students complete the traditional Liberal Studies major, one of the specializations required for the traditional program, plus additional coursework in the same subject area sufficient to qualify for a 32-unit Introductory Subject Matter Authorization from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. If students plan carefully, they are able to finish this special version of the Liberal Studies major in approximately eight semesters and the post-baccalaureate credential program during a ninth and tenth semester. Under HANDOUTS, see Subject Matter Authorizations.

Transfer students from the local community colleges normally make an easy transition to SDSU. Their main focus should be on completing the required tests described below.

Transfer students from more distant community colleges should check www.assist.org to determine whether the courses they intend to take (or have already taken) are articulated with SDSU courses. Frequently, one or more of the Math Education 212 (1.5 units), Math 211 (3 units), Music 102 or Dance 102 (3 units), and Exercise and Nutritional Science 241A and 241B (2 units) (PE of children) courses are not available at the more distant community colleges. If students are missing 9 units of the above courses, they can still graduate in two years with a maximum of 120 units; however, they need to plan carefully. See the suggested course sequence chart for distant transfer students. If they need more than 9 units and want to gradaute in two years, summer school is an option. Space is available for juniors in all of these courses, so we encourage transfer students to take any remaining lower division courses during their first semster at SDSU.

In order to remain on track for graduation, new transfer students need to focus first on completing all the impaction requirements. All large major programs at SDSU, including Liberal Studies, are IMPACTED. This means that students have to satisfy certain requirements in order to enter the upper division major, a step that normally takes place at the end of the first junior semester.

Students should take the Mathematics Departmental Placement Exam-Part LS as soon as they complete Math 210 and 211. If students don't pass the exam, they should immediately take Math 215, a one-unit course designed to help students master the topics they may not have fully understood when they took Math 210 and 211.

New transfer students have one (possibly two) semesters to satisfy the impaction criteria before changing from the pre-major to the upper division major. Courses listed on the standard sequence chart (see Handouts) under junior semester I and courses in the specialization are open to pre-majors; the special Liberal Studies courses listed under junior semester II and senior semesters I and II are closed to pre-majors. Thus, passing the necessary exams and completing the requirements under preparation for the major (plus foreign language through the second semester) are top priorities. For more details, see below.

All students, including transfer students, must take the Writing Proficiency Exam once they reach 60 units. The exam in NOT an impaction requirement; however, if does have serious consequences. If students fail this exam twice, they are required to enroll in a remedial course. We recommend that students work hard in their lower division writing classes so that they can pass this exam.

In order to move into the upper division major code at the end of the first semester of the junior year, transfer students must complete any outstanding lower division requirements.

For students entering SDSU in fall 2006, lower division courses allowed in the 2002-2003 catalog and completed by the end of summer 2006 may be used according to the agreement that was sent to all California community colleges. The Degree Audit received at the August orientation should show which courses are used to satisfy specific requirements. The final decision as to which courses may be substituted will be made when the student and adviser meet during fall semester to set up the advising file. Meantime, the following strategies should help transfer students decide whether they have satisfied the requirements.

To determine if a transfer course is equivalent to an SDSU course, check www.assist.org.

LANG-1, -2, and -3: Satisfied; transfer students are not admitted unless they have completed their oral communication, composition, and critical thinking courses with a "C" or better.
LANG-4: Requirement is Comparative Literature 270A, 270B, or English 220.
HIST-1 Geography 106; will accept Anthropology 102, Geography 102, or Sociology 101 if taken before fall 2006.
HIST-2 Africana Studies 170A, Chicana/o Studies 141A, or History 109.
HIST-3 Africana Studies 170B, Chicana/o Studies 141B, History 110, or Political Science 102.
HIST-4 History 100; will accept History 101, 105, or 106 if taken before fall 2006.
MATH-1 Math 210 with a "C" or better. Math 210 deals with numbers and operations (bases, multiplication strategies, fractions, estimation).
MATH-3 Math 211 with a "C" or better. Math 211 covers geometry (surface area and volume of solids) and measurement.
If a student is not sure he/she has covered the appropriate topics for Math 210 and 211, he/she should attend orientation in order to obtain a Degree Audit. Students who are transferring from outside the San Diego area should e-mail the program if the course they took is not listed on the Degree Audit and is not identified on www.assist.org.
MATH-2 Math Ed 212: Transfer students from outside the San Diego area should take this course their first semester at SDSU.
SCI-1 Requirement is Geology 104; will accept Astronomy 101 if taken before fall 2006.
SCI-2 Requirement is Biology 100/100L; will accept Biology 101 and 101L if taken before fall 2006.
SCI-3 Requirment is either Biology 100L or Geology 101. Labs other than biology or geology will be accepted via petition if they pair with some other lecture course.
SCI-4 Requirement is Chemistry 308 or Natural Science 100. A physical science course must include at least 50% chemistry in order to be articulated with SDSU's course. Only courses articulated since fall 2005 will be accepted. If in doubt about the science requirements, do not take science classes until you have seen an adviser (This area is complex; the Degree Audit can't deal with appropriate substitutions.)
VPA-1 .
- Art 157; will accept Art 158, 258, or 259 if taken before fall 2006; OR
- Theatre 120; will accept Theatre 100 if taken before fall 2006.
- Students who took DANCE 181 should talk to an adviser about a petition. Students who took DANCE 181 must take Art 387 AND Music 343 or Dance 302 at the upper division level.
VPA-2 Music 102 or Dance 102. Students transferring from outside the San Diego area should take one of these courses during their first semester at SDSU. During this last year, we had plenty of seats for juniors in sections of Music 102. If a student already plays an instrument or sings, he/she should consider taking the challenge exam for Music 102. See HANDOUTS for the Music 102 Challenge Test Information Sheet.
DHP-1 Exercise and Nutritional Sciences 241A and 241B with a "C" or better. These two 1-unit courses must be taken concurrently. If students transfer from outside the San Diego area, they should take these courses during their first semester at SDSU. We have plenty of seat for juniors in sections of these courses.
DHP-2 Health and Human Services 280 (1 unit). This is a one unit course. Students meet one Saturday and complete the remainder of the assignments on the web.
DHP-3 Requirement is a course equivalent to Child and Family Development 270 (3 units) OR Psychology 101 and Psychology 230 (6 units).
ED-1 Education 200. This course must be completed prior to LIB S 300. Students may not take both courses simulataneously.
HUM-1 See the catalog. Foreign language equivalent to two semesters; or, if foreign language is completed, one of the alternative choices.

Students' top priority should be to complete the above courses so that they can qualify for the upper division major code at the end of their first or, at latest, second semester at SDSU.

To graduate with a Liberal Studies degree, students must complete the LIB S 498 assessment, which includes writing both a capstone project and a reflection on a sample from one of two possible subject areas. Thus, we encourage students to save papers, exams, lab reports, and other samples. They should write the names of their professors on their samples (if they remember their professors' names). While lower division samples are not essential, they can be useful both for the Liberal Studies assessment and for preparation for the CSET.

Students who receive work-study funds as part of their financial aid package should look for advertisements for America Reads. Students usually work 10 hours a week as reading tutors. They are required to take a special course to better prepare them for the tutoring experiences.

Students with work-study funds may also work for School in the Park. Students work 10 to 13 hours per week helping with theatre, arts, science, etc. with 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grade classes that meet at the various museums in Balboa Park.

Those without work-study funds should find job listings through Career Services.