Transfer Course Criteria for
Liberal Studies
Along with the general selection criteria, every major has required and recommended coursework for transfer students to have completed in order to be considered competitive during the selection process.
Required Courses
Before applying to a major, you should successfully complete or be in the process of completing the required courses to maximize (but not guarantee) your chance of selection. You must complete these units by the spring of the term before your intended fall enrollment to receive consideration during the selection process.
Desired Courses
Because Cal Poly is highly impacted and selection to all majors is very competitive, desired courses should also be successfully completed or in progress when you apply for admission.
Evaluating Your Courses
All the courses listed are Cal Poly Courses. You can use www.assist.org to identify the course equivalencies between Cal Poly and the California Community Colleges. Be sure to use the corresponding academic year in which you completed the course. If you are out-of-state or a transfer student from another four-year institution, you may have to compare your catalog course descriptions with Cal Poly’s catalog to identify the equivalent courses. Cal Poly is unable to evaluate transcripts for you prior to selection.
Course Listings
Required Courses
English Language Communication and Critical Thinking
- Oral Communication
- Written Communication/English Composition
- Critical Thinking
Statistics
- STAT 217/Introduction to Statistical Concepts and Methods
or STAT 218/Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences
or STAT 251/Statistical Inference for Management I
Biology
- BIO 111/General Biology
or any CSU GE B2 & B3 Biology Life Science course
History
- HIST 208/Survey of California History
or any CA History - HIST 210/World History I
or HIST 110/ Western Civilization: Ancient to Renaissance
or HIST 111/Western Civilization: Reformation to the Present
or any CSU GE D History except U.S. History or CA History
Major Related
- PSY 201/General Psychology
or PSY 202/General Psychology - ASTR 101/Introduction to the Solar System
or any CSU GE B1 ASTR course
Desired Major Related Courses
- LS 230/Field Experience in the Elementary Classroom I
Two of the following courses:
- PSC 101/The Physical Environment Matter and Energy
or any physics course
OR
- PSC 102/The Physical Environment: Atoms and Molecules
or any CSU GE B1 and B3 chemistry course
OR
- PSC 103/The Physical Environment: Earth
or any CSU GE B1 geology course
OR
- LS 255/ Children's Literature in a Diverse Society GE C2
Required Courses
English Language Communication and Critical Thinking
- Oral Communication
- Written Communication/English Composition
- Critical Thinking
Mathematics/Statistics
- STAT 217/Introduction to Statistical Concepts and Methods
or STAT 218/Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences
or STAT 251/Statistical Inference for Management I
or MATH 227/Mathematics for Elementary Teaching 1
or Any CSU Area B4 Math
Biology
- BIO 111/General Biology
or any CSU GE B2 Biology Life Science course
History
- HIST 210/World History I
or HIST 110/ Western Civilization: Ancient to Renaissance
or HIST 111/Western Civilization: Reformation to the Present
or any CSU GE D History except U.S. History or CA History
Desired Major Related Courses
- LS 230/Field Experience in the Elementary Classroom I
- PSY 201/General Psychology
or PSY 202/General Psychology - ASTR 101/Introduction to the Solar System
or any CSU GE B1 ASTR course - HIST 208/Survey if California History
or any CA History
Two of the following courses:
- PSC 101/The Physical Environment Matter and Energy
or any physics course
OR
- PSC 102/The Physical Environment: Atoms and Molecules
or any CSU GE B1 and B3 chemistry course
OR
- PSC 103/The Physical Environment: Earth
or any CSU GE B1 geology course
OR
- LS 255/ Children's Literature in a Diverse Society GE C2
All information is subject to change without prior notice.