This section is meant to help us all speak the same language and diminish confusion as much as possible, at least regarding terminology.
- Academic Master Plan:
- The Academic Master Plan is intended to guide program, faculty and facility development (see the CSU Academic Master Plan site). The Academic Master plan lists existing degree programs, projected (future) degree programs and program-review schedules. The CSU Board of Trustees review and reapprove the Academic Master Plans annually in March.
- Certificate:
- A set of learning experiences concentrated in a specific set of educational goals. In most cases, certificate programs are offered through extended education (granting Continuing Education Units) but they may also be awarded at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Certificate programs may include non-credit offerings.
- Concentration:
- See Subprograms.
- General Education (GE):
- The course offerings in GE are determined by Title 5, California Code of Regulations and the Chancellor’s Office. GE is designed to complement a baccalaureate major and “assure that graduates have made noteworthy progress toward becoming truly educated persons.” “These requirements are designed to provide the knowledge, skills, experiences, and perspectives that will enable CSU students to expand their capacities to take part in a wide range of human interests and activities; to confront personal, cultural, moral, and social problems that are an inevitable part of human life; and to cultivate both the requisite skills and enthusiasm for lifelong learning. Faculty are encouraged to assist students in making connections among disciplines to achieve coherence in the undergraduate educational experience.”
- Major:
- For undergraduate programs, faculty must decide whether to offer a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) or a Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) (See the CSU report on offering both a B.A. and B.S. in the same field.) The CSU also offers degrees in: Bachelor of Architecture,Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Landscape Design degrees, as well as Integrated Teacher Preparation programs that lead to both a Bachelor’s degree and a teaching credential simultaneously. Master’s degrees have different requirements.
- Minor:
- See Subprograms.
- Option:
- See Subprograms.
- Program:
- For the purposes of this document, a program is defined as the faculty, staff and resources associated with a degree program(s). Departments may house multiple programs or programs may be interdisciplinary and include faculty, staff and resources from multiple departments.
- Special emphasis:
- See Subprograms.
- Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs):
- Learning outcomes may be articulated for the institution (ILOs), General Education program (GLOs), Program (PLOs), or course (CLOs). All of these fall under the category of SLOs.
- Subprograms:
- The following terms are used to describe a variety of subprograms: option, concentration, tracks, special emphasis, minor. These terms are not defined at the system level. Subprograms are approved by campus presidents with notification sent to the Chancellor’s Office. They do not appear on the Academic Master Plan. The Q2S Curriculum Subcommittee will soon be holding campus conversations in in an effort to standardize some of these terms for our campus. Input is welcome any time!
- Tracks: