Transfer Degrees
I’m making sure my credits count for my CSUDH degree.
GE Certification and Transfer Degrees:
Two Ways To Finish Your CSUDH Degree Faster.
At CSU Dominguez Hills, we want our transfer students to succeed on our campus. That includes helping you graduate on time with your CSUDH degree by making sure you get credit for your community college courses.
To help you make the most of your time and money at community college, we’ve put together the following information on two important programs every transfer student should know about: GE Certification and Transfer Degrees.
General Education (GE) Certification: Certify Your Credits And Save Time
Ask the Transfer Center at your community college to certify your completed GE courses. This allows any CSU school, including CSUDH, to recognize the certified GE units you’ve completed, even if they don’t exactly match CSUDH’s specific GE plan.
GE Certification keeps you from having to retake those GE courses you already took in community college, once you’re enrolled at our university — saving you significant time and money. Note: at least nine units of GE courses must be taken in residence at CSUDH.
California community colleges can certify up to 39 completed lower vision semester units for a baccalaureate degree. CSUDH accepts both partial and complete GE certifications from California community colleges.
Transfer Degrees: Start CSUDH As A Junior
Associate Degrees for Transfer (AA-T or AS-T) established by the Student Transfer Achievement Reform (STAR) Act (SB 1440)
By California law, students who finish community college with a Transfer Associate in Arts (AA-T) and/or an Associate in Science (AS-T) degree are now eligible for transfer with junior standing into the CSU system, including CSUDH.
Students who complete an Transfer AA-T or AS-T degree are given guaranteed admission into the CSU System, and given priority consideration when applying to a particular program at a CSU school that resembles the student’s community college major. So if you received your AS-T degree in biology, you’ll be given priority consideration for admission into the biology program at CSUDH. What’s more, you can begin your CSUDH education as a junior.
Once enrolled at CSUDH or other CSU campus, students with Transfer AA-T and AS-T degrees will be will be eligible to graduate with sixty remaining semester units.
Start Planning Today
Make sure you take advantage of these programs to put you on a faster path to your CSUDH degree.
- Talk to your community college’s admissions and/or counseling office about GE Certification and Transfer AA-T/AS-T Degrees today.
- Request GE Certification and a completed AA-T/AS-T degree evaluation document from your community college before you ask for your official transcripts to be sent to CSUDH.
- Once you’ve been accepted to CSUDH, contact our University Advisement Center at (310) 243-3538 to review your GE requirements.
- You are responsible for submitting your final, official community college transcript showing completion of the AA-T/AS-T degree by the final document deadline.
FAQs
Why should I ask for GE Certification?
Having your completed GE units certified by your community college can save you significant time and money, and help you finish your CSUDH degree faster. With GE Certification, you won’t be required to retake certified GE courses you’ve already completed at your community college.
How many GE units can I get certified through my community college?
California community colleges and other qualified institutions can certify completion of up to 39 lower-division semester (58.5 quarter) units that apply to GE requirements.
How do I request GE certification?
You will need to request GE Certification — it’s not automatically done. Ask the Transfer center at your community college.
What happens if I don’t get my GE units certified by my community college?
Students who transfer without certification will have to meet the GE requirements specific to CSUDH’s GE plan. This usually means taking additional courses, which can delay your degree completion.
Who can review my GE requirements with me?
Once you’ve been admitted to CSUDH, contact our University Advisement Center at (310) 243-3538 to schedule a time to review your GE requirements with you.
How many community college units can I transfer to CSUDH?
You can transfer up to 70 semester units — including both lower and upper division GE courses — taken at an accredited community college. You may receive credit for units taken beyond 70, but note that no additional unit credit will be applied to the minimum 120 needed for graduation.
What’s the advantage of transferring to CSUDH if I have an Transfer AA-T or AS-T degree?
Students who transfer to CSUDH (and any CSU school) are given guaranteed admission to the CSU System, and are eligible to transfer in as juniors. This means you can complete your CSUDH in 60 units or less, without having to repeat courses you’ve already taken at your community college.
Does my AA-T/AS-T degree guarantee my admission to CSUDH?
Your Transfer AA-T/AS-T degree guarantees admission into the CSU system, but not necessarily into your first school of choice (for example, CSUDH). However, your application will be given priority consideration if your Transfer AA-T/AS-T degree is similar to the CSUDH program you’re applying for.
Does my AA-T/AS-T degree mean that I have GE Certification?
No, GE Certification is not automatic and must be requested. We recommend speaking to a transfer center at your community college about GE Certification before you request your official transcripts.