Undergraduate Programs
Minimum Grade-Point Average
To maintain good academic standing and to be conferred a degree or to be awarded a certificate, undergraduate students are required to achieve a cumulative grade-point average of 2.00 “C” or higher for all courses taken at Golden Gate University. See the Undergraduate Student Academic Standing Requirements for more information.
General Education at Golden Gate University
Golden Gate University’s undergraduate curriculum is designed to equip graduates with the intellectual skills, habits of mind, and broad-based liberal learning they will need for leadership in their professional careers and to live intelligently and responsibly as citizens of a globally interdependent world. The basic General Education and Liberal Studies Core requirements are designed to develop in students the skills that facilitate autonomous and efficient learning and action. The Liberal Studies Core helps students develop a broad understanding of the fundamental areas of human knowledge, their methods of inquiry, and their application to professional life. Thus, to ensure that all graduates have obtained an education that will serve them as thinkers and as doers, all baccalaureate students must complete the university’s General Education and Liberal Studies Core requirements in addition to mastering a body of specialized knowledge through in-depth study in a professional major.
The General Education and Liberal Studies Core courses are designed to help students acquire the following skills, basic knowledge, and understanding:
- Competence in communication.
- Competence in critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to access, evaluate, and apply information using a wide variety of research tools, including print and electronic resources (information literacy).
- Proficiency in quantitative skills.
- An understanding of how knowledge is acquired and applied through the intellectual traditions of the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
- Ability to identify ethical issues in professional and personal life, to analyze ethical reasoning, and to formulate responsible, well-reasoned opinions and positions on questions related to ethics.
- Understanding of the methodologies for lifelong learning and self-reflection and respect for the value of education and lifelong learning.
Each subject area in the Liberal Studies Core covers an area of knowledge and ways of studying and using it. The courses are also designed to demonstrate for each subject area its practical relevance and application to business, technology, and other areas of focus in students’ major programs.
General Education and Liberal Studies Core Requirements
Degree-seeking undergraduate students must complete their English, mathematics, critical thinking, and Gateway course requirements within their first 27 units at Golden Gate University, unless they are transferring those courses or equivalent credits from another institution or acceptable source. Students who do not place into ENGL 50 or ENGL 60 must complete the prerequisite courses with grades of “C-” or better before taking ENGL 50 or ENGL 60 . Students who do not place into the required mathematics course(s) for their programs must satisfactorily complete the prerequisite MATH 10 or MATH 20 course before enrolling in the required courses.
In compliance with the standards set for accreditation by the WASC Senior College and University Commission, the basic General Education and Liberal Studies Core requirements for students admitted to Golden Gate University are as follows:
- Students must complete 33 units of General Education and Liberal Studies Core coursework.
- A course used to fulfill a General Education or Liberal Studies Core requirement may also be used to fulfill other degree requirements.
- All courses taken for General Education or Liberal Studies Core requirement at GGU must be taken for letter grades. Students may not use the Credit/No Credit Grade Election for these courses.
English Placement Test and CLEP Exam
Students wishing to enroll in ENGL 50 or ENGL 60 and who have not satisfied their English requirements through courses completed elsewhere must take the English Placement Test. The results of the test will be used to determine if the student will be required to complete ENGL 10A and/or ENGL 10B prior to enrolling in ENGL 50 . If a student qualifies for ENGL 50 , they have the option to complete a second assessment to place into ENGL 60 . Students are allowed an hour and a half to complete each test, and no outside materials may be brought in to assist with these computer-based tests. Tests are offered by GGU Testing Services and can be arranged by email at ggutesting@ggu.edu. These tests are administered free of charge. Students may also place out of ENGL 50 with a score of 50 or higher on the CLEP English Composition with Essay exam. For more information, visit Testing Services on the GGU4YOU website (login required).
Math Placement Test and CLEP Exam
The math placement test, ALEKS, is an online artificial intelligence-based system designed to place students into the math class that best suits their current skills. Based on this test, students are either placed into (or waived out of) one of the following algebra courses: MATH 10 , MATH 20 , MATH 50 , or MATH 30 . Students must test out of MATH 30 in order to be placed into the introductory statistics course MATH 40 . Students may register for MATH 10 without taking the placement test. Students should email Testing Services at ggutesting@ggu.edu to obtain a class code and to sign up for an ALEKS PPL student account. To schedule an exam session, students should visit Testing Services on the GGU4YOU website (login required).
Students may also place out of the required Math courses with a score of 50 or higher on the CLEP College Mathematics, College Algebra, or Precalculus exams, depending on the course. For more information, visit https://clep.collegeboard.org/
Lower- and Upper-Division Requirements
Students should try to plan their courses of study to complete lower-division requirements (courses numbered 1-99) before taking upper-division courses (courses numbered 100-199). Many upper-division courses have lower-division prerequisites that must be completed successfully first.
General Electives
The number of general electives differs from degree program to degree program, depending on the number of courses required as basic proficiencies, required for the major, general electives, or combination of concentration and general electives. General electives can be courses in any academic discipline.
Academic Residency Requirement
Students must complete a minimum of 30 units at Golden Gate University for the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Sciences degrees and a minimum of 15 units for the Associate of Arts degree. These units may be drawn from any part of the degree requirements, except in cases where specific degree programs require that specific courses are to be taken at Golden Gate University. The unit minimum can be completed anytime within the degree program. Exceptions to these requirements will be made only on petition to and approval by the dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies. Students seeking to petition the dean should consult with their academic advisors.
Graduate Programs
Minimum Grade Point Average
To maintain “good” academic standing and to be conferred a degree or to be awarded a certificate, graduate students are required to achieve at least a 3.00 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) in the academic programs in which they are enrolled. See the Graduate Student Academic Standing Requirements for more information.
Time Limit for Completion of Master’s Degrees
Students ordinarily complete the requirements for a master’s degree within six calendar years from the date of admission to the graduate program. This period may be extended with permission of the appropriate school dean and may require a change of degree and program requirements.
Graduate Academic Residency Requirement
Graduate degree program students may transfer up to six 300-400 level units to the advanced program from graduate coursework completed at other regionally accredited institutions, or the number of transfer units stipulated in corporate or government contracts or agreements, with the approval of their program directors or deans. Students who have earned master’s degrees at regionally accredited institutions may be eligible to transfer up to 12 graduate-level units to GGU master’s degree programs, with the approval of their program directors or deans. The remaining units required for the program must be completed at GGU. While it is strongly recommended that the final six units be completed at GGU, those units may be transferred with prior faculty approval of the specific coursework if the twelve-unit transfer limit has not yet been met. Students should note that certain 300-400 level course requirements may not be fulfilled by courses taken at other institutions, as determined by the faculty. See Graduate Transfer Credit for more information.
Students who have earned master’s degrees from GGU may have up to 12 units of coursework waived from each additional graduate program, with the approval of their deans. However, this coursework will not be used in calculating students’ program GPAs for those additional programs. See Graduate Student Academic Standing Requirements for more information.
Graduate certificate program students must complete all courses required for their certificates at GGU. There is no limit on the number of GGU units that can be applied from a degree program to a certificate program, regardless of whether the degree has been conferred or not. Exceptions to these requirements will be made only on petition to and approval by students’ program directors or deans.
Proficiency Requirements
Graduate students are required to meet basic proficiency requirements in writing and mathematics, shown below. Admitted students are expected to complete any proficiency tests or assessments and to register for any classes required to satisfy their proficiency requirements in their first terms of enrollment, and to have completed all outstanding proficiency requirements within their first nine units of coursework taken at Golden Gate University.
Graduate Writing Proficiency Requirement
Graduate students are expected to possess proficiency in writing to ensure they can be successful in their course of study. (Note: Prospective students whose first (native) language is not English must satisfy the English Language Proficiency Admission Requirement prior to being admitted.) Students may satisfy the Graduate Writing Proficiency Requirement by one of the following options:
- Earned an undergraduate or graduate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher learning, or
- Earned at least the grade of “B” in a graduate writing course from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher learning, or
- Passed a U.S. nationally recognized professional/career exam that includes a significant written component such as the CPA, CFP, Bar Exam, or Foreign Service Officer exam, or
- Waived by Dean, Department Chair, or Program Director, based on the applicant’s submission of an Enrollment Services Petition form, or
- Completed the Graduate Writing Assessment by the end of the student’s first term of enrollment.
Graduate Mathematics Proficiency Requirement
Graduate students are required to meet basic proficiency requirements in mathematics. Newly admitted students are expected to register for classes to satisfy their proficiency requirements in their first terms, and to have completed all outstanding proficiency requirements within their first nine units of coursework taken at Golden Gate University. See Graduate Mathematics Proficiency Tests for more information.
MATH 20 Applied Intermediate Algebra
Applicants to the following programs are required to possess a level of mathematical skill equivalent to GGU’s MATH 20 Applied Intermediate Algebra course:
Students who cannot demonstrate adequate mathematical skills will be required to enroll in and satisfactorily complete appropriate mathematical courses and/or noncredit workshops offered or recommended by Golden Gate University’s Mathematics Department.
To screen for minimal skills, the university uses the following alternative criteria:
- Transfer of MATH 20 (or higher-level mathematics course) from a regionally accredited college or university with a grade of “C-” or better.
- Completion of MATH 20 at GGU with a grade of “C-” or better; note: graduate students must maintain a 3.00 “B” cumulative grade point average to remain in good academic standing.
- Pass GGU’s Math Proficiency Exam with a score of 70 percent or better.
- Pass the College Mathematics CLEP Exam with a score of 50 or better.
- Score in the 50th percentile (or above) on the Quantitative Section of the GMAT Exam.
- Score in the 50th percentile (or above) on the Quantitative Section of the GRE Exam.
Graduate Mathematics Proficiency Tests
Students who have not received credit for MATH 20 (or a higher-level mathematics course), either through transfer credit or by taking the course at Golden Gate University, may satisfy this course requirement by taking one of the tests listed below, or the CLEP exam. See Graduate Mathematics Proficiency Requirement for additional ways to satisfy the MATH 20 requirement.
Proficiency Test for MATH 20
This test is available for graduate students only and is designed to establish proficiency at a given level of algebra to eliminate the need to take the course. MATH 20 can be waived for students who pass the proficiency test with an acceptable score. Tests are offered by GGU Testing Services. Students are allowed 2 1/2 hours to complete the test. The test is administered free of charge. For more information, visit Testing Services and view the “Math Placement & Proficiency Assessment” information.
Graduate Program Foundation Course Waivers
The graduate program foundation courses below may be waived based on undergraduate coursework transferred from a regionally accredited institution with a grade of “C-” or better, by passing the applicable CLEP exam with a score of 50 or greater, or by completion of the equivalent GGU undergraduate course with a grade of “C-” or better. The number of waivers a student receives will depend on a variety of factors and the particular foundation course. Prospective students who have questions about waivers should consult with the Office of Enrollment Services. An initial evaluation of the academic records of all admitted students identifies waivable courses, and students are informed of the results of this evaluation with their acceptance letter. If there are additional courses that the student believes should be waived given the rules, they may file a written petition and accompany the request with appropriate documentation including catalog descriptions, course syllabi, lists of required texts, etc.
Waivable foundation courses and their associated waiver rules for applicable undergraduate course equivalents are listed below.
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