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SJSU ARTICULATION AGREEMENT
Lower Division Requirements
Fall 2024 - Spring 2025

BA - Biological Science - BA Biological Science

San José State University -to- West Valley College

Community College students should meet with a counselor as soon as possible to determine the equivalent courses offered at that institution. Students should complete as many as possible of the lower division requirements listed below, prior to transfer.

Lower Division Course Requirements

Community College Course Equivalents

STAR Act (SB 1440):

The Biology department accepts the AS-T in Biology for transfer into this major. We recommend transfer students complete the following courses, which are required for this major at SJSU, as part of their AS-T in Biology. Students should take courses which clear the American Institution requirement and a second course in English composition as part of their CSU GE or IGETC requirements for the AS-T degree (doing so will increase greater choice in the 60 units of SJSU course work to be taken after transfer).
Note: Students in this major must complete all lower division courses in the Requirements of the Major with a "C- or better" to graduate.
Prerequisite Requirements:
Any course that is prerequisite to any Chemistry Course must be passed with a grade of "C or better" (C- not accepted).

Second Course in English Composition:

ENGL 002 Critical Thinking and WritingENGL 001B Critical Thinking Through Literature
   OR
ENGL 001C Critical Thinking and Writing
   OR
ENGL 001CH Honors Critical Thinking and Writing
   OR
PHIL 003 Introduction to Ethics
   OR
PHIL 017 Logic and Critical Reasoning
or
ENGL 001B Argument and AnalysisNo Current Equivalent

Preparation for the Major:

CHEM 001A General ChemistryChem 001A General Chemistry
   OR
CHEM 001AH Honors General Chemistry
CHEM 001B General ChemistryChem 001B General Chemistry
   OR
CHEM 001BH Honors General Chemistry
PHYS 002A Fundamentals of PhysicsPhys 002A General Physics - Mechanics
PHYS 002B Fundamentals of PhysicsPhys 002B General Physics - Electricity & Magnetism
MATH 019 PrecalculusMATH 002 Pre-Calculus Algebra and Trigonometry
   OR
MATH 000D Trigonometry
   AND
MATH 001 Pre-Calculus Algebra
(MATH 000D & MATH 001 must be completed at same school)
   OR
MATH 030 Calculus IMath 003A Calculus and Analytic Geometry
Complete one chemistry sequence:
CHEM 008 Organic ChemistryChem 012A Organic Chemistry
   AND
Chem 012B Organic Chemistry
(Chem 012A & Chem 012B must be completed at same school)
and
CHEM 009 Organic Chemistry LabChem 012A Organic Chemistry
   AND
Chem 012B Organic Chemistry
(Chem 012A & Chem 012B must be completed at same school)
or
CHEM 112A, 112B and 113A Organic Chemistry & Lab
Note: Community college Chemistry courses articulated with SJSU's Chem 112A, 112B, and 113A will meet course content requirements for the major but will not receive upper division credit.
Chem 012A Organic Chemistry
   AND
Chem 012B Organic Chemistry
CONTENT CREDIT ONLY (Chem 012A & Chem 012B must be completed at same school)

Lower Division Requirements of the Major:

BIOL 030 Principles of Biology IBIOL 043 Principles of Cell Biology
BIOL 031 Principles of Biology IIBIOL 041 Principles of Animal Biology
   OR
BIOL 042 Principles of Plant Biology


IMPORTANT TRANSFER INFORMATION:

Admission to San Jose State is competitive in all majors. SJSU continues to have more qualified applicants than available new student spaces. Because of this, SJSU is an impacted campus with impacted programs. For the most current information regarding admission impaction at SJSU please visit our website SJSU Impaction Information page.

Prior to transferring to San Jose State University all transfers must earn at least 60 transferable semester units (90 quarter), including the CSU four basic skill courses required for CSU admission eligibility (except majors which have an approved CSU GE A3 waiver). Within those 60 semester/90 quarter units, students are strongly encouraged to complete the following:

1. Lower Division Major Course Requirements (especially for STEM Majors):
Complete as many of the lower division courses required for the major as possible. Many of these courses may be double counted as part of the CSU GE-Breadth 39 semester unit requirements. The lower division major courses for this major are shown above.

2. General Education Requirements:
Complete all the CSU GE Breadth requirements at the community college (39 semester units/58 quarter units). The approved courses for each area can be found at www.assist.org under the link "CSU GE-Breadth Certification Courses" for your college. Many of these courses may be double counted to meet the major requirements shown above, so choose your courses wisely. Some SJSU majors which meet GE requirements within the majors are noted on the Major Exceptions and Modifications page in our catalog. Please see your college counselor/advisor to review your general education in order to receive FULL OR PARTIAL CERTIFICATION PRIOR TO TRANSFER to San Jose State University.

3. Second Course in English Composition highly recommended:
All students are strongly encouraged to complete a second English composition course as part of their lower division GE prior to transferring to SJSU (either to meet CSU GE Area A3 or C2) for the greatest success in passing the Writing Skills Test (WST) at SJSU. Complete this course with a grade of "C" or better prior to registering for the WST at SJSU to avoid delays in enrollment for other SJSU courses. To register for the WST contact our Testing office at: testing.sjsu.edu.

4. American Institutions Requirement (US 1, US 2, and US 3 must be completed):
This requirement is normally 2 courses and can be taken as part of your CSU GE-Breadth 39 semester unit requirements (GE Area D and sometimes Area C). The approved courses can be found at www.assist.org under the link "CSU U.S. History, Constitution, and American Ideals Courses" for your college.

5. Graduation Requirement - Physical Education (PE):
All undergraduate students who matriculate at SJSU are required to complete two units of physical education from Kinesiology/Dance activity courses, unless the major program has an approved PE waiver. Majors which have approved PE waivers are noted on the Major Exceptions and Modifications page in our catalog.


(page last modified: 11/21/2024)