Specific Subject Area requirements

(a) HISTORY / SOCIAL SCIENCE

Two units (equivalent to two year-long courses or four semesters) of history / social science courses are required. Coursework must include

• World History, Cultures, and Geography – One year, which can be met by a single integrated course or by two one-semester courses; and
  
• U.S. History / American Government (Civics) – One year of U.S. History, or one-half year of U.S. History combined with one-half year of American government (civics)

NOTES on World History, Culture, and Geography:

1. A wide variety of courses may be used.
   
2. Courses do not need to cover every culture or period in the history
   of mankind. For example, a suitable course could be an in-depth study of a single culture, such as a yearlong study of Chinese civilization. Alternatively, several cultures might be studied and compared, as in more traditional world history, culture, and geography courses.
   
3. Courses must focus on cultures outside the U.S. , and, whenever possible, should limit study of cultures very similar to our own, e.g., England and Canada .

(b) ENGLISH

Four units (equivalent to four year-long courses or eight semesters) of college preparatory composition and literature are required. Both reading and writing components must be included in the courses.

• Reading . Acceptable courses must require extensive reading of a variety of literary genres, including classical and/or contemporary works. Reading assignments must include full-length works. Excerpts from anthologies, articles, etc., can be supplemental but cannot constitute the main component of reading assignments.
  
• Writing. Courses must also require substantial, recurrent practice in writing extensive, structured papers. Student must demonstrate understanding of rhetorical, grammatical, and syntactical patterns, forms, and structures through responding to texts of varying lengths in unassisted writing assignments.

NOTES:

1. It is expected that courses appropriate for the final years of high school study will demand a substantially higher level of reading and writing requirements and skills outlined above.
   
2. For expected competencies in English reading and writing, consult the following resources:
   • “An Information Booklet for the University-wide Subject A Examination” for discussion of writing standards and examples of acceptable college freshman-level scored essays (at www.ucop.edu/sas/sub-a/).
     
   • “ Academic Literacy: A Statement on Competencies Expected of Entering Students to California 's Public Colleges and Universities” (Spring 2002) for a description of the language arts material that almost all regularly admitted freshmen have learned (at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/senate/reports/acadlit.pdf ).
     
3. English Language Development (ELD) courses, including SDAIE (Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English) and /or Sheltered English language arts courses, may be acceptable for a maximum of one unit (equivalent to one year), provided they are advanced college preparatory courses with strong emphasis on reading and writing. Such courses must specifically deal with rhetorical, grammatical, and syntactical forms in English, especially those that show cross-linguistic influence, and must provide explicit work in vocabulary development. A second year of approved ELD coursework may meet one year of the college preparatory elective requirement described below.
   
4. Courses in speech, debate, creative writing, drama, or journalism do not meet the “b” English requirement, but may meet the “g” elective requirement as described under college preparatory electives. In order for these courses to meet the elective requirement, they must require substantial reading and writing, including expository writing.
   
5. Not more than two semesters of ninth grade English can be used to meet this requirement.

(c) MATHEMATICS

Three units (equivalent to three one-year courses) of college preparatory mathematics are required. Four units are strongly recommended.

• Elementary Algebra.
  
• Geometry. Courses must include topics in two- and three-dimensional geometry.
  
• Advanced Algebra.

NOTES:

1. This requirement could be met by three one-year courses in algebra, advanced algebra, and geometry or by a three-year integrated course sequence.
   
2. One-year mathematics courses (e.g., algebra) taken over three or four semesters are acceptable to meet the “c – Mathematics” requirement, but credit will be granted for only one year (two semesters) of work.
   
3. Although only three years are required, four years are strongly recommended. Among regularly admitted freshmen, most complete a mathematics course in each grade from 9th through 12th.
   
4. The 1997 version of the Statement on Competencies in Mathematics Expected of Entering College Students can be downloaded from the UC Academic Senate’s web page at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/senate/reports/mathcomp.html .
5. Traditionally, most entering college freshmen have taken pre-calculus and often calculus; however, other advanced courses such as statistics and discrete mathematics can also deepen students’ understanding of mathematics.
   
6. The Calculus Readiness tests of the Mathematics Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP) provide a good indication of the skill attainment upon completing a pre-calculus course. All UC campuses use these tests to determine student placement into calculus. MDTP also provides diagnostic readiness tests for other college preparatory secondary mathematics tests to California teachers and schools. For more information on MDTP, visit the MDTP website at http://mdtp.ucsd.edu or contact Donna Ames at (858) 534-4519 .
7. Students who take calculus in high school are encouraged to take one of the Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus Examinations in order to place out of the comparable college calculus course.
   
8. College prep courses taken in 7 th and 8 th grades with grades of C or better may be counted toward the subject requirement. However, the principal of the high school from which a student graduates must certify on the transcript that the 7 th and 8 th grade courses are comparable in content to those offered at the high school.

(d) LABORATORY SCIENCE

Two units (equivalent to two one-year courses) of laboratory science are required. The two units must provide fundamental knowledge in at least two of these three core disciplines: biology, chemistry, and physics. Three units are strongly recommended.

The “d” requirement for laboratory science can be met by a course that either

1. Covers the core concepts in one of the fundamental disciplines of biology, chemistry, or physics; or
   
2. Has as a prerequisite of biology, chemistry, or physics, and builds upon that knowledge. Such a course may include elements of another scientific discipline.

Additionally, laboratory science courses are expected to incorporate hands-on science activities that involve inquiry, observation, analysis, and write-up. These laboratory activities should occupy at least 20% of course time and should be listed (itemized) in the course description.

• Integrated Science. The science requirement could be met by a three-year integrated course sequence (see Note 5 below).
  
• Alternative Courses . Laboratory courses such as Oceanography, Geology, Microbiology, or Marine Biology may also be appropriate for this requirement if they have the necessary prerequisites and address the basic concepts and skills in one of the three core sciences: biology, chemistry, or physics. Courses that combine topics from biology, chemistry, and/or physics, but do not address a majority of the core concepts that would be expected in any one of the three core sciences will be considered for “g” elective credit, rather than “d” lab science credit.

NOTES:

1. It is expected that courses submitted to meet the Laboratory Science “d” requirement will have elementary algebra as a prerequisite or co-requisite.
   
2. Courses must be completed in grades 9-12. However, students will receive credit for not more than one year of UC-certified laboratory science work completed in the 9 th grade.
   
3. There is no preferred order to the sequence of the core science courses.
   
4. Laboratory science courses that meet the quality standards expected for the “d” requirement, but which are applied or vocationally focused, may also qualify if they emphasize core concepts. These courses, however, are more likely to be acceptable if taken following completion of the “d” requirement courses. Examples include biotechnology and environmental science.
   
5. Students who have successfully completed a three-year integrated science sequence will have met the two-year “d” requirement plus the one-year elective requirement. When students elect to enroll in an integrated science program, it is strongly recommended that they complete the three-year sequence. Students who do not successfully complete the three-year sequence will fall short of meeting the “d” requirement. For example, a student who completes only two of the three years will have met one year of the “d” requirement and one year of the elective requirement. Students who are unable to take a three-year sequence may complete the “d” requirement by choosing a course among biology, chemistry, and physics in addition to the two years of approved integrated science.
   
6. Online courses may be approved if they meet all the same guidelines as outlined above, including a supervised wet-lab component comprising at least 20% of the course (e.g., UCCP program courses).
   

(e) LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH

Two units (equivalent to two one-year courses) of coursework in a single language. Three units are recommended.

• Minimum Performance Objectives. Courses should emphasize speaking and understanding, and include instruction in grammar, vocabulary, reading, and composition. At this level, emphasis should not be on the ability to describe grammatical features of the language. In any language studied, the minimum performance objectives after two years of high school study should be the following:
  
  • The ability to sustain a brief conversation on simple everyday topics demonstrating good use of the whole sound system (good pronunciation), and the basic structural patterns in the present, past, and future tenses, the subjunctive, and commands
    
  • Summarize orally and in writing the main points of a relatively simple reading passage not involving specialized vocabulary

NOTES:

Classical languages (e.g., Latin, Greek) are acceptable to fulfill the “e” requirement.

American Sign Language ( ASL ) is a natural language and can be used to fulfill the “e” requirement, but signing English is not acceptable and will not satisfy the requirement.

Courses taken in 7th and 8th grades may be used to fulfill part of this requirement if the high school accepts them as equivalent to its own courses.

(f) VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

One unit (equivalent to one year-long or two semester courses) required in any of the following categories: dance, drama/theater, music, or visual art.

• Intention. The intention is to provide a meaningful experience and breadth of knowledge of the arts so that students may apply their knowledge and experience to the creation of art and are better able to understand and appreciate artistic expression on the basis of that experience and knowledge.

The intent of approved VPA courses must be directed at acquiring concepts, knowledge, and skills in the arts disciplines, rather than to utilize artistic activities to fulfill non-artistic course objectives.

• Prerequisites. Acceptable courses need NOT have any prerequisite courses.
  
• Co-Curricular Work. Work outside of class must be required, for example, portfolio/performance preparation, reading, writing, research projects, and/or critical listening/viewing.
  
• Course Standards. Courses should provide students with an experience in the arts that implements the intent of the California State Board of Education approved Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) Content Standards. Curriculum must be designed to include the VPA Content Standards at, at least, the proficiency level in each of the five component strands. Each VPA course shall sufficiently address the state content standards under all five component strands, listed below.
  
  1. Artistic Perception : Processing, analyzing, and responding to sensory information through the language and skills unique to a given art.
     
  2. Creative Expression : Creating, performing, and participating in a given art.
     
  3. Historical and Cultural Context : Understanding historical contributions and cultural dimensions of a given art.
     
  4. Aesthetic Valuing : Responding to, analyzing, and making critical assessments about works of a given art form.
     
  5. Connections, Relationships, and Applications : Connecting and applying what is learned in a given art form to learning in other art forms, subject areas, and careers.

For a more detailed description of the VPA Standards, go to www.cde.ca.gov/shsd/arts/standards.htm

• Acceptable and Unacceptable Courses. Courses which are primarily recreational, athletic or body conditioning, or for social entertainment, are NOT acceptable visual or performing arts courses. Commercial courses or courses specifically designed for training for a profession in these areas are not acceptable. See specific examples below.
  
  • Dance.Examples of acceptable courses include ballet, modern dance, jazz, and ethnic dance, choreography and improvisation, dance history, dance production/performance. Examples of unacceptable courses include aerobics, drill team, cheerleading, recreational dance, and ballroom dance.
    
  • Drama / Theater. Examples of acceptable courses include acting, directing, oral interpretation, dramatic production, dramaturgy/history/theory, and stage/lighting/costume design. Examples of unacceptable courses include speech, debate, or courses in other disciplines that require students to perform occasional skits.
    
  • Music. Examples of acceptable courses include band (concert, symphonic, jazz), orchestra, choir (e.g., concert, jazz, soul, madrigal), music history/appreciation, and music theory/composition. Examples of unacceptable courses include a musical group, which performs primarily for sporting events, parades, competitive field events, and/or community/civic activities.
    
  • Visual Art. Examples of acceptable courses include painting, drawing, sculpture, art photography, printmaking, video/film production as an art form, contemporary media, ceramics, and art history. Examples of unacceptable courses include craft courses, mechanical drafting, web page development, yearbook, and photography offered as photojournalism (i.e., as a component of yearbook or school newspaper publication).

For further clarifications of the four categories, see Policy Clarifications below.

• Policy Clarifications
  
  • Performance, Production, and Studio Courses. Courses emphasizing performance and/or production (e.g., drama, dance, music, visual arts, and video production) must include appropriate critical/theoretical and historical/cultural content, as referenced in the state VPA Content Standards. Such courses should emphasize creative expression, not rote memorization and/or technical skills.
    
  • Appreciation, History, and Theory Courses. Appreciation, history, and theory courses should focus on the ability to make aesthetic judgments about art works and performances and must include all component strands of the state VPA content standards, including creative expression.
    
  • Design Courses. Visual and performing arts courses in design are expected to provide substantial time for students to understand, learn, and experience the elements of art and principles of design that underlie the medium/media addressed. Design courses must also include standards from all five component strands of the VPA content standards.
    
  • Technology Courses. Visual and performing arts courses that utilize technology must focus primarily on arts content. If the technology (i.e., software, equipment) is used as a tool of artistic expression, as a paintbrush would be used in a painting course, and all other component strands are adequately met, then such courses are acceptable. If the technology/software is so complex that the primary concern becomes learning the technology, then the course will not be approved to meet the VPA requirement.
    
  • Community College and University TransferableCourses. The University of California UC will accept three semester unit (four quarter unit) UC-transferable college/university course s that clearly fall s within one of the four disciplines of the arts (Dance, Music, Theatre, or Visual Arts). UC-transferable community college courses are listed at www.assist.org .
    
  • Honors Courses. Designated Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses are acceptable for UC honors credit. Three semester unit (four quarter unit) UC-transferable community college and university courses that clearly fall within one of the four disciplines of the arts are likewise acceptable for honors credit. A list of community college and CSU -transferable courses can be found at www.assist.org . Other honors courses are acceptable if they meet the criteria described in the “ Honors Level Courses” section of this Guide to a-g Requirements.
    
  • Private Study. Private or community-based study in the arts will not qualify for approval to meet the VPA requirement.However, at the discretion of the teacher and consistent with school policy, private study in the arts, which includes standards-based comprehensive study in all five component strands, may serve as an adequate prerequisite for placement into advanced and/or honors level VPA courses. (See VPA honors section for further criteria guidelines.)
    
  • Independent Study. Following school district approved guidelines, school-sponsored independent study in the arts may fulfill UC/ CSU entrance requirements, if it is appropriately monitored by a faculty member, matches a concurrent UC/ CSU approved high school course, and meets the "f" requirement guidelines as set forth in this document.
    
  • g – Elective Courses. Introductory VPA courses cannot be used to meet the “g – elective” requirement. Advanced courses in the Visual & Performing Arts can be considered to meet the “g – elective” requirement, but must meet the criteria described in the “ College Preparatory Elective Courses” section of this Guide to a-g Requirements.
    
  • Implementation Phase-in Timeline. The VPA requirement was implemented beginning 2003. The requirement includes a phase-in process, as described below:
    
    • Students entering the University in the fall of 2004 or the fall of 2005 may present any two semesters of acceptable VPA courses provided that both courses are from a single VPA area (dance, drama/theater, music, or visual arts). For example, a semester each of photography and drawing would be acceptable because they are both visual arts.
      
    • Students entering in the fall of 2006 or later must satisfy the VPA requirement by completing an appropriate single course in a year-long sequence (i.e., the second semester must be the continuation of the first semester). If scheduling challenges demand, students may divide the year-long course in two different academic years, as long as the course curriculum is designed as a year-long sequence and approved as such by the University.

(g) COLLEGE PREPARATORY ELECTIVE COURSES

One unit (equivalent of two semester courses) required. Course(s) can be taken in 9-12 grades but must fall within the following subject areas: visual and performing arts, history, social science, English, advanced mathematics, laboratory science, and languages other than English.

• Intent of this Requirement. The intent of the college preparatory elective requirement is to encourage prospective UC students to fill out their high school programs with courses that will meet one or more of a number of objectives:
  
  • To strengthen general study skills, particularly analytical reading, expository writing, and oral communications;
    
  • To provide an opportunity to begin work that could lead directly into a major program of study at the University; and
    
  • To experience, in some depth, new areas of academic disciplines that might form the basis for future major or minor studies at the University.
    
• Quality. All courses selected to meet the “g” elective requirement are expected to meet standards of quality similar to those required for the “a” through “f” requirements.
  
• Advanced Level. While it is preferred that elective courses would be at an advanced and/or specialized level, introductory courses in all of the required academic disciplines are acceptable, as well.
  
• Alternatives. Courses such as political science, economics, geography, humanities, psychology, sociology, anthropology, journalism, speech or debate, computer science, computer programming, and others may also qualify for the “g” elective requirement. In addition, courses that are interdisciplinary in nature, drawing knowledge from two or more of these fields, are also acceptable. Approved alternative courses must provide academically challenging study at the same level of rigor as advanced courses in the “a-f” subject matter fields. These elective courses must be at the 11 th or 12 th grade level, have appropriate prerequisites, and present material at a sufficient depth to allow students to achieve mastery of fundamental knowledge that prepares them for University work or a future career path.
  
• Subject Specific Guidelines.

History: Courses should enable students to establish a breadth of understanding of history (e.g., world history, political history, or economic history) and should provide an understanding of the human past, including its relation to the present. Courses should develop a student’s ability to think critically, to evaluate historical data, and to analyze and synthesize evidence. All history courses should require extensive reading and writing.

Social Science: Courses should be in one of the social sciences: anthropology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, or sociology. Alternatively, courses could also be interdisciplinary in nature, drawing knowledge from two or more of these fields. Course objectives should include as many of the following as are applicable to the field: (1) an understanding of the development and basic features of major societies and cultures, (2) an examination of the historic and contemporary ideas that have shaped our world, (3) an understanding of the fundamentals of how differing political and economic systems function, (4) an examination of the nature and principles of individual and group behavior, and (5) a study of social science methodologies. In order to develop a student’s ability to think critically, to evaluate ideas and information, and to analyze and synthesize qualitative and quantitative evidence (in the laboratory or in the field), a social science course must include a body of basic knowledge, extensive reading, and written and oral exposition. Courses that are designed to meet state-mandated social studies graduation requirements are acceptable provided that they meet the above criteria. Courses with applied, service, or career-related content are acceptable only if those components are used to augment the strong academic content of the course.

English: Courses should require substantial reading with frequent and extensive practice in writing that is carefully evaluated and criticized, as noted in the “b” requirement (above). Courses in journalism, speech, debate, creative writing, or advanced-level ELD/ ESL are acceptable electives if they meet the general requirements in reading and writing stated above.

Advanced Mathematics: Courses in mathematics with second-year algebra as a prerequisite such as trigonometry, linear algebra, pre-calculus (analytic geometry and mathematical analysis), calculus, probability and statistics are acceptable electives. A computer science course is an acceptable mathematics elective if it fulfills the following objectives: (1) enables students to express algorithms in a standard language; (2) requires students to complete substantial programming projects; and (3) involves the study and mastery of various aspects of computer science (e.g., how computers deal with data and instructions, the internal components of a computer, and the underlying computer logic).

Laboratory Science: Acceptable courses should cover topics from the biological or physical sciences and include laboratory activities. A terminal course designed only to meet graduation requirements is not an acceptable science elective. In this subject area only, lower level courses (e.g., physical science, earth science) are often accepted as electives.

Language Other Than English: Elective courses in the same language used to satisfy the “e” requirement must have at least two years of the language as a prerequisite. In order for a second language other than English to qualify as an elective, at least two years of this language must be completed.

Visual and Performing Arts (VPA): Advanced courses in the Visual & Performing Arts can be considered to meet the “g – Elective” requirement but must still address the five component strands of the state VPA standards. Advanced courses should enable students to understand and appreciate artistic expression and, where appropriate, to talk and write with discrimination about the artistic material studied. Courses devoted to artistic performance and developing creative artistic ability should have prerequisites (either one year of introductory coursework or experience approved by the instructor) and should assume proficiency beyond the introductory level. Courses must require on the average the equivalent of a five-period class per week. Work outside of the class must be required (e.g., portfolio/performance preparation, reading, writing, research projects, and critical listening/viewing). In 2006 and beyond, advanced VPA courses that are a semester in length, will only be considered for the “g - Elective” area, not the “f – VPA” area, which must be satisfied by completing an appropriate, sequential, year-long course.