Articulation is the process that facilitates the successful transfer of students from community colleges to undergraduate baccalaureate programs at 4-year colleges and universities. It is the development of formal written agreements that explain how courses transfer from one institution to another, either “as comparable to” or “acceptable in lieu of" specific course requirements at four-year institutions. The successful completion of articulated courses related to admission criteria, general education, and major preparation, according to a Student Educational Plan (SEP) developed with the assistance of a counselor, will ensure a successful and competitive transfer.
Articulation Agreements Types
There are several types of articulation agreements. The first step in building articulation is elective credit, courses at a minimum will transfer as lower division credit but not necessarily complete general education or major requirements.
Course-to-Course
Course-To-Course (by department) Articulation Agreements describe how specific courses taken at a community college (or sending institution) can be used in place of specific courses at the receiving (or transferring) institution, possibly fulfilling general education and/or major preparation requirements.
General Education (GE)
General Education (GE) Articulation Agreements identify a pattern of courses that can fulfill lower division general education requirements. Which pattern a student should follow is dependent on the transfer universities and majors being considered, consult with a Laney Counselor for assistance in understanding the most appropriate choice. General Education Articulation Agreements include: Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) primarily used when applying to multiple UCs and CSUs – not advisable for high-unit majors and CSU General Education (CSU-GE) Breadth Requirements is used when applying to CSUs only. UC campus-specific agreements are sometimes an option, depending on the combination of transfer universities and majors. Many California Private/Independent Universities and Colleges accept IGETC and/or CSU-GE Breadth Requirements, please consult with a Laney Counselor.
Lower Division Major Preparation
Lower Division Major Preparation Articulation Agreements describe the lower division major preparation (or courses) expected in order to be a competitive transfer student. Transfer students completing all lower division major courses prepare them for upper division major requirements.
Not all 4-year university/college campuses provide articulation with every community college or for all of their majors or departments. Many 4-year universities/colleges concentrate on their primary feeder community colleges. This doesn’t mean you, as a student, can’t transfer. It means that you will need to talk directly with a Laney Counselor and 4-year University Admissions Advisor. In addition, each 4-year university campus will have a different articulation with different community colleges, even when they are colleges in the same district. For example, Laney, College of Alameda, Merritt, and Berkeley City College have different articulation agreements even though they are sister colleges. You also can not assume that a community college course will be accepted the same way at a different 4-year universities/colleges. UC Berkeley, for example, does not automatically use a course the same way that UC Los Angeles does.
Curriculum Resources
Bloom’s Taxonomy: CurricUNET Chart provides verbs which can be useful for the“exit skills” section of the course outline – cognitive, affective, and psychomotor outcomes, particularly those from the higher three levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, which relate to higher order critical thinking.
C-ID Numbering System SB 1415– developed to ease the transfer/articulation burdens in California’s higher educational institutions.
About C-ID – “a faculty-driven system to assign numbers to significant transfer courses, and a response to needs of transfer partners and their transfer initiatives,” e.g. SB 1440/Transfer Degrees. TMC (Transfer Model Curriculum) and Descriptors – “are offered to encourage wider articulation and to expand the lower division curricular offerings and thereby increase the variety—and ensure the rigor—of our many Community College courses.”
Laney College currently has 159 courses C-ID approved and 23 transfer degrees as of November 2023.
C-ID/TMC Policies and Resources
C-ID Handbook (September 2022)
CCCCO Program and Course Approval Handbook 8th ed.
PCAPH (Program and Course Approval Process Handbook), 4th ed., 2018 (For Faculty & Administrators)
PCCD (Peralta Community College District) Documents. Guidelines to Implement for Associate Degrees and Certificates (Administrative Procedure 4100) October 2022
UC & CSU CURRICULUM RESOURCES UC-TCA (University of California-Transferable Course Agreement) Defined
- TCA Policy
- TCA Outline Guidelines
- Regulations by Subject Area
- UC Statement of Transfer Credit Practices
OUTLINE ORIGINATORS: GUIDING NOTES for GE – IGETC and CSU-GE BREADTH REQUIREMENTS (September, 2023)
CSU (California State University) Executive Orders
E.O. 167 Transfer of Credit (revised August 22, 2023)
E.O. 1100 CSU GE Breadth Requirements (revised December 3, 2020) with the Area F/Ethnic Studies 5 Core Competencies inclusion (scroll down)
E.O. 1100 CSU-GE Breadth Requirements FAQs (latest version, May 10, 2019)
E.O. 1061 US History, Constitution & American Ideals (CSU Graduation Requirement)
IGETC Standards, version 2.4 (released June 2023)
Summary of Changes from IGETC Standards 2.4 (released June 2023)
Laney & Peralta College GE Advising Sheets
CA Private/Independent Colleges & Universities Accepting IGETC & CSU-GE AICCU publication
Laney College 2024-25 General Education Advising Sheets
AA/AS GE Requirement (Fillable)
CSU-GE Breadth Requirement (Fillable)
UC Berkeley College of Letter and Science GE- Breadth Requirement (Fillable)
To see advising sheets from previous years, click here.
Berkeley City College: GE Advising Sheets
2024-25
To see advising sheets from previous years, click here.
College of Alameda: GE Advising Sheets
2024-25
To see advising sheets from previous years, click here.
Merritt College: GE Advising Sheets
2024-25
To see advising sheets from previous years, click here.
Important Links
Academic Senate of California Community Colleges Links
CSU Links
UC Links
Additional links
Articulated vs. Transferable
ASSIST
ASSIST Demonstrations (learn how to use ASSIST)
ASSIST Exploring Majors (under construction)
Laney Counseling Department
Laney Curriculum Committee
Laney Transfer Center
Transfer Counselor Website (TCW)
AP (Advanced Placement) Information
Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU)
C-ID (Course Identification Numbering System)
California Articulation Policies & Procedures Handbook, rev 2013 (pdf)
California Colleges (Offical Source for College and Career Planning in CA)
California Community Colleges Listing
CLEP (College-Level Examination Program)
Council for Higher Education Accreditation (7 Regional Accrediting Organizations)
CPEC (California Postsecondary Education Commission)
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Online
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Transfer Program w/CCCs
IB (International Baccalaureate)
Native American Tribal Colleges and Universities
TES – College Source Online
Articulation or Transfer Agreements
CA Private/Independent Colleges & Universities AD-T Commitment
CA Private/Independent Colleges & Universities Accepting IGETC & CSU-GE chart
AICCU Transfer Guide
CA Private/Independent and Out-of-State 4-yr Colleges/Universities Articulation Agreements
Important to note: The following are considered unilateral agreements, not necessarily bilateral. See a counselor for more information.
General Education Transfer Plan
CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF THE ARTS
General Articulation Agreement
Ceramics Articulation Agreement
Painting and Drawing Articulation Agreement
Print Media Articulation Agreement
Transferable Course by Subject Areas (Using IGETC)
Transferable Courses by Subject Areas (Using CSU-GE Breadth Reqs.)
DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA
Core (or General Education) Transfer Agreement
THE FASHION INSTITUTE OF DESIGN AND MERCHANDISING
CSU-GE Breadth Certification List (last updated April, 2016)
HEALD COLLEGE
CSU-GE Breadth Certification List (last updated March, 2015)
Core Curriculum Credit & IGETC Comparison
Transfer Guide for Science Majors
Studio Art Transfer Guidelines
NEW SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
Graphic Design & Interactive Media Transfer Guide
State of California Board of Chiropratic Examiners
ST. MARY’S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA
Major Articulation Agreements:
Accounting; Business Administration; Economics; and Psychology
BS in Nursing Admission Process
BSN Equivalent Prerequisite Courses (alpha order, scroll down)
B.S. Computer Science & B.S. Business Administration
CSU-GE Breadth Certification List (last updated December, 2013)
Dental Hygiene – Transfer Students
Articulation Agreements (alpha order, scroll down)
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Transfer Planning Guide (helps counselors/students to choose courses for a specific major/general education from a specific comm’ty college before attending USC)
Out-of-State Transfer Credit Course Equivalencies List
Some universities display (on their website) – course equivalencies based on evaluation of transfer credit from other institutions. (See below for Laney’s)
INDIANA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
Transfer Course Equivalency Guide
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND AT COLLEGE PARK
IGETC (G.E. pattern for UCs & CSUs)
for the following academic year (2024-25):
- Must be UC transferable (TCA Guidelines) see above
- Must meet IGETC Standards (G.E. criteria)
- Must be approved by December CIPD meeting
- Deadline December 4, 2023
- Results (approvals/denials) in April/May 2024; No Appeal Process
CSU-GE Breadth Requirements
for the following academic year (2024-25):
- Must meet CSU E.O. 1100 (G.E. criteria)
- Must be approved by December CIPD meeting
- Deadline December 4, 2023
- Results (approvals/denials) in April/May 2024; No Appeal Process
CSU Graduation Requirement (American Ideals)
for the following academic year (2024-25):
- Must meet CSU E.O. 1o61
- Must be approved by December CIPD meeting
- Deadline December 4, 2023
- Results (approvals/denials) in April/May 2024; No Appeal Process.
G.E. Requirements for Local Degrees
- Must meet PCCD’s Administrative Policy (AP) 4100 October 2022
- Must be approved by April 2023 CIPD meeting
- Deadline March 18, 2024
- Approval at May CIPD meeting
C-ID Articulation (Descriptors)
- Course submissions (September to May: during Articulation Officer assignment)
- Course notifications – approvals and denials (all year)
Not all 4-year university/college campuses provide articulation with every community college or for all of their majors or departments. Many 4-year universities/colleges concentrate on their primary feeder community colleges. This doesn’t mean you, as a student, can’t transfer. This means that you will need to talk directly with a Laney Counselor and a 4-year University Admissions Advisor. In addition, each 4-year university campus will have a different articulation with different community colleges, even when they are colleges in the same district. For example, Laney, College of Alameda, Merritt, and Berkeley City College have different articulation agreements even though they are sister colleges. You also can not assume that a community college course will be accepted the same way at different 4-year universities/colleges. UC Berkeley, for example, does not automatically use a course the same way that UC Los Angeles does.
Assist
ASSIST Resource Center: Tutorials
ASSIST is California’s official statewide repository of transfer information for the California Community Colleges (CCC), California State University (CSU), and University of California (UC) systems, offering easy access to a single database of articulation and transfer information. ASSIST will help you determine if you will receive credit for courses you’ve already taken or plan to take, and how those courses will apply to a specific academic major or general education requirement. Visit the ASSIST website for Laney College courses that are transferable to the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) systems according to these various types of articulation agreements. Please view online demonstrations on how to use the ASSIST website by visiting ASSIST Demos. By utilizing the ASSIST website, you can also explore UC & CSU majors (under construction). In the meantime, please visit Transfer Major Explorer.