Cal State to Require Fewer Units

In a move to help students graduate sooner, California State University on Wednesday reduced the minimum number of semester units need to complete most bachelor’s degrees from 124 to 120.

The action by the Cal State Board of Trustees eliminates four extra units that were added in the 1940s and 1950s to account for physical education classes required by state colleges at the time. Most campuses have by now reduced or eliminated physical education requirements.

The change brings the 22-campus system into conformity with most colleges and universities across the nation. But some academic majors at Cal State campuses, such as engineering and architecture, will continue to demand far more than 120 units.

Cal State Chancellor Charles B. Reed said it makes sense to help move Cal State students through the college pipeline faster so they can make room for the children of baby boomers as they reach college age.

“This is one of many changes the CSU has implemented recently to eliminate unnecessarily hurdles for our students,” Reed said.

The university system expects its enrollment of 360,000 will swell to 490,000 by 2010.

Because the state has no plans to build more campuses, Cal State officials are trying other strategies to expand capacity. One of those is to nudge more students to take summer classes so they finish their degrees in less time. It now takes the average Cal State student 5.7 years to graduate.

In another action, the trustees changed the way Cal State will calculate high school grade-point averages to determine minimum admission requirements beginning the fall of 2004.

Under the current system, Cal State counts all courses in calculating GPA, including electives such as wood shop and home economics. Under the new system, Cal State will consider only grades in the required 15 college-prep courses. The new policy is likely to have little or no impact on who meets minimum eligibility requirements of a 2.0 high school GPA. “People who were eligible under the old system are likely to be eligible under the new one,” said Cal State spokesman Ken Swisher.

The change was made to bring Cal State into alignment with the University of California. Swisher said, “We hope this will be less confusing for students who are applying to CSU or UC.”