Articulation Webpage for Faculty

Articulation is the process of developing a formal, written agreement that identifies courses (or sequences of courses) on a “sending” campus that are comparable to, or acceptable in lieu of, specific course requirements at a “receiving” campus (or system). Successful completion of an articulated course assures the student and the faculty that the student has taken the appropriate course, received the necessary instruction and preparation, and that similar outcomes can be assured. In short, the articulation process enables the student to progress to the next level of instruction at the receiving institution.

Terms and Initialisms

CCC - California Community Colleges             C-ID - California Identification Numbering System                          
CSU - California State University                     CSUCO - California State University Chancellor's Office           
UC - University of California                             UCOP - University of California Office of the President   
CSU GE - California State University General Education Breadth
IGETC - Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (for CSU and UC, with limitations)                         

Getting Started: Basic Questions for Curriculum Writers               
  What to consider before requesting a course number -

1) Is this a college level course (applicable towards a baccalaureate degree)?

Review: CSU Baccalaureate Level Courses Defined
(YES) Continue on to question 2... 

(NO) Consult with the Curriculum Office and obtain a new course number 100 or higher (depending on its AA degree applicability).  Course will not articulate.  <End>

2) Is this course designed to be UC transferable?

Review:
UCOP UC-TCA Website - see 'TCA Policy' on left navigation
UC catalogs - to identify a comparable lower-division (freshmen or sophomore level) course at a UC campus

(YES) Consult with the Articulation Officer and Curriculum Office.  The course will be numbered between 1-49. This is a temporary number that may change before the course is offered. 

You are requesting to have the course reviewed by UCOP.  Identify a comparable lower-division (freshmen or sophomore level) course at a UC campus and save a copy of the catalog course description (example) to be uploaded to eLumen.

see eLumen info

Continue to question 3 ...

Timeline

Your course will be submitted to UCOP for review in August, one year before its effective date.  Results should be available around October/November of the same year. If the course is not approved, we may be able to revise and resubmit it.  The Articulation Officer will notify you by email. 

(NO) Consult with the Curriculum Office and obtain a new course number between 50 - 99. 
Once the course is approved by the Curriculum Committee it will be considered CSU transferable starting from its effective date.   Note: CSU may challenge the transfer status of this course at any time so you may be asked to provide additional information at a later date. 

see eLumen info

Continue to question 3...

3) Is this course designed to fulfill a general education requirement for transfer to CSU and/or UC?

Review:
Guiding Notes for GE Course Reviewers (see full document OR select Area specific links below)

GE General Criteria
CSUGE vs. IGETC

ALERT: a new transfer GE pattern (Cal-GETC) will replace CSUGE and IGETC, starting Fall 2025.  Courses on this pattern must be UC transferable. (timeline)


CSUGE (2022-2023)

AREA A - ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMMUNICATION AND CRITICAL THINKING
A1: Oral Communication  (CGA1)
A2: Written Communication  (CGA2)
A3: Critical Thinking  (CGA3)

AREA B - SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY AND QUANTITATIVE REASONING
B1: Physical Science  (CGB1)
B2: Life Science  (CGB2)
B3: Laboratory Activity  (CGB3)
B4: Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning  (CGB4)

AREA C - ARTS AND HUMANITIES 
C1: Arts  (CGC1)
C2: Humanities  (CGC2)

AREA D - SOCIAL SCIENCES  (CGDY)

AREA E - LIFELONG LEARNING AND SELF-DEVELOPMENT  (CGEP or CGEX)

AREA F - ETHNIC STUDIES (CGFX)

IGETC (2022-2023)

AREA 1 - ENGLISH COMMUNICATION
1A: English Composition  (IG1A)
1B: Critical Thinking - English Composition  (IG1B)
1C: Oral Communication (CSU Requirement Only)  (IG1C)

AREA 2 - MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS AND QUANTITATIVE REASONING  (IG2X)

AREA 3 - ARTS AND HUMANITIES
3A: Arts  (IG3A)
3B: Humanities  (IG3B)

AREA 4 - SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES  (IG4X)

AREA 5 - PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
5A: Physical Sciences  (IG5A)
5B: Biological Sciences  (IG5B)
5C: Science Laboratory  (IG5C)

AREA 6 - LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH (UC Requirement) (IG6X)

AREA 7 - ETHNIC STUDIES  (IG7X)


Other Information
American Institutions (this is a CSU graduation requirement that students are encouraged to complete prior to transfer) (eLumen - CSU: CUS1 or CUS2 or CUS3)
Comparing Arts/Humanities and Social/Behavioral Sciences
Common Corrections

Other Resources
IGETC Standards, Policies and Procedures 2023
Note: this resource is primarily an advising tool used by counselors and evaluators. IGETC criteria are included in Guiding Notes.

(YES) Consult with the Articulation Officer.

see eLumen info

Continue to Question 4 ...

Timeline

Your course will be submitted to the CSUCO or CSUCO/UCOP for review in December, prior to its effective date.  Results should be available the following April.  Decisions are final.  Courses not approved can be resubmitted the following year, during the next review cycle.  The Articulation Officer will notify you by email when decisions become available.

(NO) Continue to Question 4 ...

4) Is this course comparable to a lower-division course required for a Major at a CSU or UC campus?

This is the highest form of articulation since it supports transfer into specific majors.  The course must be baccalaureate level.  If it supports a major at a UC, the course must also be UC transferable.  This course may also be appropriate for general education.

Review:
ASSIST - the official transfer and articulation system for California's public colleges and universities.
Directions: Go to 'Search below for 'articulation agreements', select current academic year, under 'Institution' select De Anza, under 'Agreements with Other Institutions' select CSU/UC campus - click on 'View Agreements'. On the left side of the screen, select 'View Agreement by MAJOR', scroll down and select the major, and click on Download Agreement. Note: Be sure to select 'View Agreement by Major' and not 'by Department'.

CSU Catalogs

UC catalogs

(YES) Identify a comparable lower-division (freshmen or sophomore level) course at a CSU or UC campus that is required for a specific major.  Save a copy of the catalog course description (example1)(example 2) and major requirements showing the course (example1)(example2) to be uploaded to eLumen.

see Elumen Info


Continue to Question 5 ...

(NO) Continue to Question 5 ...

5) Is this course aligned with a C-ID course descriptor?

The C-ID (California Identification Numbering System) is a supra-numbering system developed to ease transfer and articulation in California’s higher education institutions.  C-ID addresses the need for a “common course numbers” by providing a mechanism to identify comparable courses. Most C-ID numbers identify lower-division transferable courses commonly articulated between the CCC and universities (including Universities of California, the California State Universities, as well as with many of California's independent colleges and universities).

Review:
Course Descriptors
Find Courses Approved for C-ID (search by college or discipline)

(YES) Review C-ID information and consult with the Articulation Officer for more information <END>
(NO) <END>

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