Undergraduate Academic Programs

At UC Santa Cruz, the academic year is organized on the quarter system. Three quarters—fall, winter, and spring—constitute the regular academic year. Most UCSC courses are equivalent to 5 quarter credits and require approximately equal amounts of work: about 15 hours per week per course. You are normally expected to enroll in 15 credits each quarter; enrolling in a reduced or expanded course load requires special approval. For specific information on how courses are organized, see the Programs and Courses section.

You are normally expected to graduate in four years. To do so, you must pass an average of 45 credits per year, for a total of 180 credits. In order to complete certain majors with extensive course requirements, junior transfer students may need to spend more than two years at UC Santa Cruz. You may exceed four years with the approval of an academic adviser from your college.

The requirements for a bachelor’s degree are explained in the following section. Your adviser can help you plan a program that fulfills these requirements efficiently while meeting your own educational goals (go to Advising: From Course Selection to Careers for more information).

Here is what you can expect during four years at Santa Cruz:

During your freshman year, you complete your college core course and satisfy the Subject A requirement. You also begin to fulfill the general education requirements, which expose you to a range of disciplines, and you may begin courses in your field.

If you are uncertain about your choice of major, you may explore several fields of study during your first two years at Santa Cruz. You are expected to declare your major by the end of your sophomore year. Students interested in majors requiring heavy course prerequisites, such as music and most majors in the physical and biological sciences and engineering, should be certain they start the appropriate sequences in a timely manner; contact the department for advising.

During your junior and senior years at Santa Cruz, you concentrate on the upper-division requirements for your major and complete your comprehensive requirement, as well as complete your general education requirements. If you entered UCSC without having fulfilled the requirement in American history and institutions, you will need to do so before you graduate.

Transfer students find it helpful to complete courses that fulfill campus general education requirements—as well as any lower-division requirements for their intended major that are offered at their current campus—before coming to Santa Cruz. The Office of Admissions can help you select appropriate courses, and you should also consult with your community college adviser.

Graduation Requirements

To qualify for a bachelor’s degree, you must meet the following conditions, which are explained in more detail in the following sections:

• Earn a minimum of 180 credits, each with a grade of D or better (or Pass)
• Satisfy the university requirements in American history and institutions and in Subject A (English composition)
• Meet the UCSC residence requirement
• Satisfy each of the campus general education requirements with a course graded C or better (or Pass)
• Satisfy the requirements of your UCSC college
• Complete an approved major program, including its comprehensive requirement, with grades of Pass, C, or better in all courses satisfying major requirements. In some majors, courses graded Pass may not be used to satisfy major requirements.
• Have a grade-point average of at least 2.00 in all letter-graded courses taken at UCSC and other University of California campuses
• Have no more than 25 percent of your UCSC credits graded on a Pass/No Pass basis. This includes any credits completed in the Education Abroad Program or on another UC campus in an intercampus exchange program. Departments may require that some or all courses used to satisfy the major must be taken for a letter grade.

As a Santa Cruz student, you are responsible for selecting the courses necessary to fulfill graduation requirements and prepare for advanced study or a career. It is essential that you consult regularly with academic advisers about course selection.

Keep copies of your own records, including your transcripts from other institutions, admission test scores, Transfer Credit Summary, UCSC quarterly academic record reports, and performance evaluations.

Transfer students may be able to use some of the courses they completed at other schools to help meet the 180-credit requirement. (Semester-system credits can be multiplied by 1.5 to derive equivalent quarter-system credits.) The UCSC Office of Admissions determines which courses are transferable.

University Requirements

The Santa Cruz campus administers three requirements for graduation from the University of California: (1) American history and institutions, (2) Subject A: English composition, and (3) UCSC residence. These requirements are described in detail below.

American History and Institutions
Every candidate for a bachelor’s degree must demonstrate a knowledge of American history and institutions.* You may fulfill this requirement in one of the following ways:†

• By achieving a score of 550 or higher on the College Board SAT II: Subject Test in American History
• By achieving a score of 3, 4, or 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement Examination in American History, or by achieving a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the IBH History of Americas Examination
• By satisfactorily completing a college-level course in American history and institutions
• By certification of completion of the requirement on a transcript from an accredited California institution of higher education
• By completing an acceptable history or government course in high school that satisfies the subject requirement for admission to the university, described in the Subject requirement a-g section.

Subject A: English Composition
Every candidate for a bachelor’s degree must demonstrate an acceptable level of ability in English composition. Before your fourth quarter of enrollment, you must fulfill this requirement in one of the following ways:

• By achieving a score of 680 or higher on the College Board SAT II: Subject Test in Writing
• By achieving a score of 3, 4, or 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement Examination in English, or by achieving a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the IBH English Language A1 Examination
• By achieving a score of 8 or higher on the UC systemwide Subject A Examination
• By demonstrating an acceptable level of proficiency on UCSC’s placement examination, given several times during the year
• Particularly for transfer students, by completing at another institution an acceptable college-level course of at least 4 quarter credits, or the equivalent, in English composition with a grade of C or better

Residence
Every candidate for a bachelor’s degree must be registered at UCSC for a minimum of three terms. (A term is a fall, winter, or spring quarter in which a student completes 6 or more credits. Each UCSC Summer Session in which you complete at least 2 credits is the equivalent of half a term’s residence.) In addition, of the final 45 quarter credits, 35 must be in regular courses of instruction that you have taken as a registered student at UCSC. No more than 18 of the 35 credits may be completed in Summer Session. Courses taken through University Extension or the Intercampus Visitor Program do not constitute regular courses and therefore do not satisfy residence requirements.

The credit requirement for residence is applied differently to students participating in the Education Abroad Program (EAP) and the University of California in Washington, D.C., (UCDC) program. Students may satisfy the requirement in either of two ways. The first way is for students to complete 35 of their final 45 credits before leaving the Santa Cruz campus to participate in EAP or UCDC. In this scenario, students do not have to return to Santa Cruz for any additional course work after they have finished EAP or UCDC. The second way to fulfill the residence requirement is for students to complete 35 of their last 90 credits at the Santa Cruz campus, with a minimum of 12 credits completed at UCSC after their return from EAP or UCDC.

General Education Requirements

The general education requirements are designed to introduce you to various kinds of information, reasons for learning, and approaches to acquiring knowledge, as well as to promote responsible use of what is learned. Obviously, general education requirements alone cannot achieve these ends. You are urged to look for as many opportunities as possible to gain a richer understanding of your own cultural heritage and social situation; insight into countries, societies, and eras besides your own; proficiency in another language; and an understanding of the nature of ethical and moral choice. The formal requirements described here should be considered foundations for exploration.

There are nine categories of general education requirements (see table below, Types of General Education Requirements). Each category has a general education code associated with it, and only those courses carrying that code satisfy the requirement. The codes appear in the course descriptions in this catalog and in the Schedule of Classes. A list of Courses That Fulfill General Education Requirements appears in the Courses That Fulfill General Education Requirements section. The list is subject to change. You should check the Schedule of Classes each quarter for the most up-to-date information.

Some courses satisfy more than one general education requirement, so the total number of required courses may be 9 to 14.

Introductions to disciplines (IH, IN, and IS codes). These courses introduce a discipline’s content, scope, and methodology. Introductory courses from two different departments are required in each of three academic areas: humanities and arts (IH code), natural sciences and engineering (IN code), and social sciences (IS code). Only one language course may be used to satisfy an IH requirement, as all languages are considered to be part of the same discipline. Similarly, only one literature course may be used, and English (transfer) courses are considered to be literature. Only one of the two IH courses may be from the arts (art, film and digital media, history of art and visual culture, music, and theater arts). Transfer courses designated IN from Anatomy, Botany, Physiology, and Zoology Departments are considered to be
“biology” courses for general education purposes.

Topical courses (T code). These courses expose students to introductory-level themes of broad social or intellectual relevance. Three courses are required, no more than one from each academic area. For information on which disciplines are
in each area, see Arts; Engineering; Humanities; Physical and Biological Sciences; and Social Sciences; see also the list of Courses That Fulfill General Education Requirements. College core courses are labeled topical and carry the designation of the appropriate academic area.

Quantitative course (Q code). These courses provide methods for acquiring quantitative reasoning that involve use of advanced algebra, statistics, or calculus. One course is required.

Writing courses (C and W codes). These courses stress explicit attention to the craft of writing. Having satisfied the Subject A requirement by the end of your first year of enrollment at UCSC (see description of the Subject A requirement), you must complete two courses in writing. One of these must be a writing-intensive course (W code) that provides instruction and extensive practice in writing applied to a particular subject. For some courses, only certain sections are writing intensive (look for the “W” in the Schedule of Classes when enrolling). You must take this course at UCSC.

Students satisfy the other part of the writing requirement through a placement exam or by passing a composition course (C code). Writing 1, Composition and Rhetoric, is the usual course. You must fulfill the composition requirement before you can enroll in a writing-intensive course.

Arts course (A code). These courses provide the exposure to creative or artistic expression necessary for a liberal arts education. One designated arts course is required; most are offered through art, film and digital media, history of art and visual culture, music, and theater arts.

Ethnic minorities/non-Western society course (E code). These courses are intended to increase knowledge of ethnic minorities in the United States and non-Western cultures, improve cross-cultural awareness, and explore relationships between ethnicity and other aspects of a liberal arts curriculum. One course is required. For additional ways to pursue ethnic studies, see the Ethnic Studies department section.

Courses of fewer than 5 credits. Students usually meet the general education requirements with 5-credit courses. Several related arts courses of fewer than 5 credits with the same code may be used to satisfy the arts (A) general education requirement if they total at least 5 credits.

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Examinations

The university grants credit for College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations on which a student scores 3, 4, or 5 and for International Baccalaureate Higher Level (IBH) Examinations on which a student scores 5, 6, or 7. The university does not grant credit for IBH standard or subsidiary level exams. Students completing the International Baccalaureate Diploma with a score of 30 or higher receive 30 quarter credits. The credit is applied toward the total credits required for graduation and toward the UCSC campuswide general education requirements, as indicated in the table below, Advanced Placement (AP)/International Baccalaureate Higher Level (IBH) Examinations. Students should be aware that AP, IB, and college-level courses will not be granted duplicate credit. In these cases, the university will award credit for only one.

AP and IBH Examination Credit toward Degree Requirements

Certain departments also allow prospective majors to obtain waivers for prerequisite courses. (Please see table below). In all cases, a student should contact the particular department to discuss his or her plans with an adviser as soon as possible. Please note that approval is not automatic; a petition must be filed with most departments

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Certain departments allow prospective majors to obtain waivers for prerequisite courses. Please note that approval is not automatic; a petition must be filed with most departments. In all cases, students should contact the department adviser as early as possible to discuss their academic plans. The following departments and programs will not waive courses: Art, History, Language Program, Legal Studies Program, Literature, Music, Physics, and Politics. The following departments offer placement tests to determine appropriate course level and enrollment: Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Language Program, Mathematics, and Music

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General Education Requirements
Transfer students may apply courses taken at other institutions toward the general education requirements with two exceptions: The writing-intensive course (W code) must be taken at UCSC. Also, transfer courses are not applied to the topical requirement (T code), but topical courses are waived at entrance according to the following formula: 45–83.9 transferable quarter credits, one course waived; 84–104.9 transferable quarter credits, two courses waived; 105 or more transferable quarter credits, all three courses waived. If one topical course is required in residence at UCSC, it may be chosen from any of the three academic areas (humanities and arts, natural sciences and engineering, and social sciences). If two are required, they must be from two different areas.

If you are currently attending one of the California community colleges, consult with the UCSC Office of Admissions or your current counselor to determine which college courses satisfy UCSC general education requirements.

Transfer students who have satisfied the general education or breadth requirements of another UC campus prior to transfer will be considered to have completed the UCSC general education requirements. Completion of the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) prior to enrollment at UCSC will also be accepted in lieu of the campus general education requirements.

Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is a series of courses prospective California community college transfer students may complete to satisfy the lower-division breadth/general education requirements at any University of California or California State University (CSU) campus (see table below). This curriculum is the result of an agreement, by the University of California, the California State University, and the California community colleges, aimed at simplifying the transfer process for community college students. The IGETC is intended exclusively for California community college transfers and is not an option for continuing UCSC students or for students transferring from four-year colleges or universities.

Students must complete the IGETC prior to transfer or they will be required to satisfy the UCSC general education requirements. All courses must be completed with a grade of C (2.00) or better. A grade of Credit or Pass may be used if the community college’s policy states that it is equivalent to a grade of C (2.00) or better.

IGETC Subject and Unit Requirements

Subject Area	Courses Required	Units/Credits Required
1. English Communication One course in English composition and one course in critical thinking/English composition. (Students transferring to CSU must take an additional course in oral communication.)	2 courses	6 semester units or 8-10 quarter units
2. Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning	1 course	3 semester units or 4-5 quarter units
3. Arts and Humanities Three courses with at least one from the arts and one from the humanities.	3 courses	9 semester units or 12-15 quarter units
4. Social and Behavioral Sciences Three courses from at least two disciplines or an interdisciplinary sequence.	3 courses	9 semester units or 12-15 quarter units
5. Physical and Biological Sciences One physical science course and one biological science course, at least one of which includes a laboratory.	2 courses	7-9 semester units or 9-12 quarter units
6. Language Other Than English Proficiency equivalent to two years of high school in the same language. (Not required of students transferring to CSU.)	Proficiency	Proficiency
Total	11 courses	34 semester units

Source: Student Academic Services, Office of the President, University of California, 1991.

Major Requirements and Course Prerequisites
Students who believe they have taken courses at other institutions that satisfy either major requirements or UCSC course prerequisites should contact the sponsoring department for review.

College Requirements

You must fulfill the requirements of your college in addition to those of your major and of the university. Each college has established a core course, which first-year students—including some incoming transfer students—are required to complete. College requirements are outlined below. The core courses are described more fully in the individual college descriptions.

College Eight

• College Eight 80, Environment and Society, fall quarter

Transfer students with fewer than 45 transferable quarter credits are required to take the core course.

College Nine

• College Nine 80A, 80B, or 80H, International and Global Perspectives: A Writing and Discussion Seminar, fall
  quarter

Transfer students with fewer than 45 transferable quarter credits are required to take the core course.

College Ten

• College Ten 80A, 80B, or 80H, Social Justice and Community: A Writing and Discussion Seminar, fall quarter

Transfer students with fewer than 45 transferable quarter credits are required to take the core course.

Cowell

• Cowell 80, The Cowell Core Course, fall quarter
• Computing skill requirement: satisfied by completing any UCSC computer science or computer engineering course

Transfer students with fewer than 30 transferable quarter credits are required to fulfill these college requirements.

Crown

• Crown 80 or 80H, Ethical Issues in Emerging Technologies: Transgenics,
  Clones, Cyborgs, and Artificial Intelligence, fall quarter

Transfer students with fewer than 45 transferable quarter credits are required to take the core course.

Kresge

• Kresge 80, Power and Representation, fall quarter

Transfer students with fewer than 30 transferable quarter credits are required to take the core course.

Merrill

• Merrill 80 or 80X, Cultural Identities and Global Consciousness, fall quarter

Transfer students with fewer than 45 transferable quarter credits are required to take the core course.

Oakes

• Oakes 80, Values and Change in a Diverse Society, fall quarter

Transfer students with fewer than 45 transferable quarter credits are required to take the core course during the first fall quarter of enrollment.

Porter

• Porter 80, Arts in a Multicultural Society, fall quarter

Transfer students with fewer than 30 transferable quarter credits are required to take the core course.

Stevenson

• Stevenson 80A-B, Self and Society, fall and winter quarters; both quarters required

Transfer students with fewer than 45 transferable quarter credits are required to complete the sequence.

Major and Minor Requirements

To qualify for a bachelor’s degree at UCSC, you must complete the minimum requirements for a major program, as well as satisfy university, campus, and college requirements.

At UCSC, you have the option of pursuing a single major, a double major, or a combined major. The minimum requirements for an established major program are set by the sponsoring department. (If you are a transfer student, the department will determine which of your transferable courses may be used to satisfy major requirements.) Only courses in which you earn a grade of Pass, C, or better satisfy major or minor requirements.

Declaring a Major
The field of interest you indicate on your application to UCSC does not automatically place you in a major. You are required to file a study plan and declare a major no later than the beginning of your junior year, in consultation with the appropriate academic advisers. Certain majors have a limit on the number of students they can serve. Be sure you are aware of all necessary criteria. It is wise to apply for major status as soon as you feel sure of the field you wish to enter. You will not be allowed to enroll in classes for the second quarter of your junior year until you have declared a major. Junior transfer students must file a study plan and declare a major during their second quarter at UCSC by the deadline printed in the Academic and Administrative Calendar in the Schedule of Classes.

You should determine the requirements for possible major choices as soon as possible because certain majors require substantial preparation, with many interlocking course sequences. If you intend to pursue such a major, you should start work toward it early in your undergraduate career. (Review majors that interest you in the Programs and Courses section) Academic advisers can offer considerable assistance in selecting courses appropriate to your individual needs (see section on Advising: From Course Selection to Careers).

Comprehensive Requirement
Typically, in your senior year you must satisfy the comprehensive requirement for your major by satisfactorily completing a comprehensive examination or an equivalent body of work that is defined by the unit supervising your major. A comprehensive examination may be written or oral or both. For some major programs, a written thesis or other project that involves extensive work and reflects comprehensive understanding of subject matter may be accepted in place of a comprehensive examination.

Double Major
To complete a double major, you must fulfill all of the requirements for both majors declared, including the comprehensive requirement for each major. In general, a single thesis may not be used for more than one major. In meeting the minimum number of upper-division courses required for each major, you may count any course for one major only. A double major may include an individual major or consist entirely of established majors.

The diploma of a student who has completed a double major in history and music, for example, would read “Bachelor of Arts with Majors in History and Music.”

Combined Major
A combined major allows you to complete a course of study involving two disciplines offered as regular programs at UC Santa Cruz.

Examples of combined majors include environmental studies/economics and Latin American and Latino studies/politics. A combined major is designed by faculty representatives from both disciplines. In general, fewer courses are required than for a double major, and students complete the comprehensive requirements as specified for each combined major. Combined majors currently available are listed in the Fields of Study section.

The diploma of a student who has completed a combined major in environmental studies and economics, for example, would read “Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Environmental Studies/Economics.”

Individual Major
Areas identified as appropriate for individual majors (go to the Fields of Study section) have been designated because small groups of faculty are willing to sponsor individual majors. Other areas of interest, such as ethnic studies, are described in detail with advice regarding customizing existing majors to suit your individual interests. Students should be aware that forming an individual major can be very difficult, as three faculty members must agree to serve on a committee to supervise the major. Over the last several years, fewer than 2 percent of UCSC students have graduated with an individual major.

Institutional Responsibility
As a general rule, undergraduate students who have made significant progress toward a degree in a specific major can assume that a degree will be granted if they maintain continuous enrollment and meet all catalog degree requirements. However, because of reductions in financial support, retirement of faculty, or other significant reasons, UCSC may find it necessary to discontinue a degree program or major. When this occurs, further admission into the degree program or major will be frozen effective with the official action suspending the degree program or major. Every effort will be made to allow currently enrolled majors to complete their degrees within a reasonable period of time.

To facilitate this process, department chairs (and the appropriate deans) have the obligation to provide for the individual needs of these students: for example, (1) students may be encouraged to complete requirements for graduation in similar or related degree tracks; (2) the major department may substitute degree requirements (in extreme cases a limited number of waivers may be considered, but general education requirements and the minimum total credits required for a degree cannot be waived on an individual basis); (3) students may be allowed to petition for an individual major; or (4) through the Intercampus Visitor (ICV) Program, students may be allowed to complete remaining requirements at another University of California campus and transfer the appropriate courses and credits back to UCSC to meet graduation requirements. Graduating seniors should check major requirements at their home campus. A statement verifying senior completion of residency requirements may be required by the host campus.

In all cases, the financial obligations are the responsibility of the individual student involved unless otherwise noted.

Catalog Rights
Effective for all those who entered in fall quarter 1993 or after, students may select the UCSC General Catalog they will follow to meet their requirements from either the one published at the time of entering UCSC or a subsequent catalog. A student must follow the chosen catalog in its entirety, including university, campus general education, college, and major requirements.

Students who seek readmission to UCSC after a break in attendance of greater than two years’ duration must adhere to the graduation requirements in effect at the time of readmission or those subsequently established.

Students who entered prior to 1993 should see an adviser. Their catalog year for graduation, whether the year they entered UCSC or a subsequent year, will be decided at the discretion of their major department and/or their college.

Students transferring from other collegiate institutio ns may elect to meet as graduation requirements either (1) those in effect at the time of transfer to UCSC; (2) those subsequently established; or (3) those in effect when the student was enrolled at a previous collegiate institution, provided those requirements were published no more than three years prior to the time of transfer to UCSC.

Minor Programs
See Fields of Study for undergraduate minors currently offered at UC Santa Cruz. Completion of a minor is optional. If you wish, you may complete more than one minor.

The sponsoring department establishes the course requirements for a minor. The minor will involve substantial work in the discipline and normally require no fewer than 25 upper-division or graduate credits. The courses required for a minor follow the same pattern as those for the corresponding major, except that the number of courses required is fewer and there is no comprehensive requirement. You may not design your own minor program. The minor appears on your official transcript but not on your diploma.

Evaluating Academic Performance

UC Santa Cruz has one of the more comprehensive systems for evaluating students’ academic performance of any research university in the United States. The evaluation system consists of two major components: the assignment of a final grade in the course and an accompanying evaluation of your performance.

Evaluations

In each course for which you receive a grade of D or better (or P), you should receive an evaluation of your academic performance. An evaluation may