General Education Courses

The Department of Kinesiology offers numerous courses and sections in the lower division and upper division general education programs for all students at SJSU. See below for more information on our general education course offerings. Faculty in the GE program hold advanced degrees in the allied health professions, led by Program Coordinator, Dr. Peggy Plato. 

The department's General Education classes meet university requirements in these areas:

C: Arts & Letters

E: Human understanding & Development

R: Earth & Environment

S: Self, Society & Equality in the U.S.

V: Culture, Civilization & Global Understanding

GE - PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

A university brings together many separate areas of learning, yet it is more than just a collection of specialized disciplines. The SJSU General Education Program incorporates the development of skills, the acquisition of knowledge, and the integration of knowledge through the study of facts, issues, and ideas. Regardless of major, all who earn undergraduate degrees should share common educational experiences, as they become university scholars. In combination with major, minor, and elective courses, the General Education curriculum should help students attain those attributes found in an educated person.

Students who complete the General Education curriculum should be able to demonstrate:

  • Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World
    (focused by engagement with big questions, both contemporary and enduring through study in the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts)
  • Intellectual and Practical Skills
    (practiced extensively, across the curriculum, in the context of progressively more challenging problems, projects, and standards for performance)
  • Personal and Social Responsibility
    (anchored through active involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges)
  • Integrative Learning
    (demonstrated through the application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings and complex problems)

The advancement of academic discourse requires civility and a respectful attitude toward all in the expression and consideration of a variety of viewpoints. All courses shall reinforce the ethical responsibility of students and instructors to acknowledge respectfully the learning styles and forms of expression of individuals and members of all groups.

General Education Information

Lower Division GE - CORE 

Students must complete 39 units of Core GE courses. 

Upper Division GE Studies

Students must complete 12 units of SJSU Studies courses: 9 units of upper division general education courses (Area R, S, and V), and 3 units of 100W (Area Z).

  • Complete one SJSU Studies course in each category.
  • All SJSU Studies courses must be completed at SJSU. Exception: a complete 48 unit GE Certification from another CSU is submitted, showing lower and upper division completed or student completed an approved upper division GE course at another CSU, in person or online.
  • Completing Area Z with a grade of "C or better" (C- not accepted) is a graduation requirement.
  • Prior to enrollment, all SJSU Studies courses require completion of core GE, satisfaction of Writing Skills Test and upper division standing. Pre/Co-requisite of a 100W course is strongly recommended for enrollment in Areas R, S, and V.
  • Students who fail the WST times may satisfy this requirement by passing ENGL 100A or LLD 100A with a grade of "C or better."
  • Students can satisfy Areas R, S, & V by taking COMM/ENVS/GEOL/HUM/METR 168A/168B: Global Climate Change or HUM 177A/177B: Advanced Honors in Integrated Science, Social Science and Humanities. These are year-long courses sequences: students enroll in 6 units in the Fall and 3 units in the Spring. By successfully completing one of these course sequences with a "C or Better" in each semester, students satisfy all nine units of upper division GE (Areas R, S, & V) within SJSU Studies.
  • All first baccalaureate students are required to have a minimum aggregate GPA of 2.0 in their upper division GE courses (Areas R, S, & V). If more than one course is taken in any of the individual R, S, or V areas, then the highest grade in that individual area will be used to calculate the aggregate SJSU Studies GPA. This policy is effective Fall 2011 for all SJSU students who do not have catalog rights prior to Fall 2011.
  • Second baccalaureate students who earned their first bachelor degree from a regionally accredited institution in the U.S. are not required to take SJSU Studies unless specific courses are required by the major. (Effective Fall 2011)