UCSB Engineering

General Education Requirements

(For an in-depth listing of the GE requirements and courses approved for specific requirements please refer to the COE GE booklet.)

General Subject Areas

A total of 8 courses is required to satisfy the General Education requirements of the College of Engineering. Courses applicable to these requirements may be found in the COE GE Booklet. All students must follow the pattern of distribution shown below:

I. Area A: English Reading and Composition

Students must complete Writing 2 or 2E and Writing 50, 50E, or 109ST.

NOTE: Students must complete the UC Entry Level Writing Requirement before enrolling in courses that fulfill the Area A requirement of the General Education program. Please refer to page 3 of the COE GE publication or the UCSB General Catalog for a list of ways to satisfy the UC Entry Level Writing requirement.

II. Areas D, E, F, and G: Social Sciences, Culture and Thought, the Arts and Literature

Areas D and E: A minimum of 2 courses must be completed in areas D and E.

Areas F and G: A minimum of 2 courses must be completed areas F and G, and at least 1 of these courses must be from area G.

2 Additional Courses: A minimum of 2 additional courses from Areas D, E, F or G to bring the course total to 6 courses.

The general provisions relating to General Education requirements, as listed below, must be followed when completing courses in Areas D, E, F, and G.

Special Subject Area Requirements

In the process of fulfilling the General Education areas D through G requirements, students must complete the following Special Subject Area requirements. Courses applicable to these requirements may be found in the COE GE Booklet:

1. Writing Requirement. At least four designated General Education courses that meet the following criteria: (1) the courses require one to three papers totaling at least 1,800 words, exclusive of elements such as footnotes, equations, tables of contents, or references; (2) the required papers are independent of or in addition to written examinations; and (3) the paper(s) is a significant consideration in the assessment of student performance in the course. Once a student has matriculated at UCSB, the writing requirement may be met only with designated UCSB courses.
   
   New transfer students should consult with the College Undergraduate Studies Office regarding this requirement.
2. Depth Requirement. At least two upper division General Education courses from two separate departments, in each of which a student has already successfully completed one General Education course. (Alternatively, this entire depth requirement may be satisfi ed by completion of one of the following sequences: Chicano Studies 1A-B-C, Comparative Literature 30A-B-C, French 50AX-BX-CX, History 2A-B-C, History 2AH-BH-CH, History 4A-B-C, History 4AH-BH-CH, History 17A-B-C, History 17AH-BH-CH, Philosophy 20A-B-C, Religious Studies 80A-B-C or any three courses from Art History 6A-B-C-DS-DW-E-F-G-H-K. Students selecting this option must complete the entire course sequence. Selection of this option does not change the number of courses required.) Only courses approved for General Subject Areas D, E, F or G may be used to meet this requirement.
3. Ethnicity Requirement. At least one course that focuses on the history and the cultural, intellectual, and social experience of one of the following groups: Native Americans, African Americans, Chicanos/Latinos, or Asian Americans. Alternatively, students may take a course that provides a comparative and integrative context for understanding the experience of oppressed and excluded racial minorities in the United States.
4. European Traditions Requirement. At lease one course that focuses on European cultures or cultures within the European Tradition.

Other Regulations:

• No more than two courses from the same department may apply to the General Education areas D, E, F, and G. (Except if a student completes one of the specific 3-course sequences, such as History 4A-B-C, listed above for the depth requirement.)
• A course listed in more than one general subject area can be applied to only one of these areas. (Example: Art History 6A cannot be applied to both areas E and F.) However, a course can be applied towards a single general subject area and any special subject areas which that course fulfills. (Example: Asian American Studies 5 can be applied to the Writing and Ethnicity requirements in addition to the Area G requirement.)
• Some courses taken to satisfy the General Education requirements may also be applied simultaneously to the American History and Institutions requirement. Such courses must be on the list of approved General Education courses and on the list of approved American History and Institutions courses.
• Courses taken to fulfill a General Education requirement may be taken on a P/NP basis, if the course is offered with that grading option (refer to the Schedule of Classes for the grading option for a particular course).