There are two types of General Education Requirement petitions that allow students to request GE credit. First, the General Education Requirement petition allows students to request a transfer course, UC EAP course, or UC Cross-Campus Enrollment course be applied to General Education requirement Areas A-G, Ethnicity, World Cultures, Quantitative Relationships, and/or European Traditions. Second, the Special Subject Writing Requirement petition allows students to request writing credit for up to two UC or UCEAP courses that are not currently applied to the Writing Requirement. Read the instructions below carefully before requesting GE credit.

Expand the petition link for detailed instructions.

 General Education Requirement Petition

Purpose: This petition is used to request a transfer course, UC EAP course, or UC Cross-Campus Enrollment course be applied to General Education (Area A-G and Special Subject) requirements.

*Please Note: UCSB courses cannot be petitioned for any General Education Requirements, except for the Special Subject Writing Requirement, as they have already been evaluated by the Faculty Senate.

Petition Instructions:

  1. Confirm the course you are petitioning has been completed and you have been awarded a grade/credit for the course. Petitions will not be accepted for courses that have not been completed.
  2. Review the UCSB General Education Program Outcomes and Transfer Guide to ensure the course meets UCSB's GE Area requirements.
  3. Write a brief statement (1-2 paragraphs) justifying your request and providing relevant details.
  4. Include all supporting documents such as a syllabus, course description, assignments, and exams that could aid the College’s evaluation of the course. A copy of the paper(s) written in the course must be included when petitioning for Area A credit.

When is a GE petition not necessary?

Most California community college courses have been evaluated for transfer credit and do not need to be petitioned. Use assist.org to check if a course transfers to UCSB and applies to GE requirements.

If a transfer course, UC EAP, or UC Cross-Campus Enrollment course clearly meets GE requirements, a petition might not be necessary. Meet with a Letters & Science advisor to confirm. Bring the course syllabus and any relevant materials to your meeting.

Petition Processing & Notification: Allow 3-4 weeks for petitions to be processed by the Dean’s Office.

Submit Request Here 

Special Subject Writing Requirement Petition

Purpose: Students in the College of Letters & Science may request credit be applied for up to two UC or UCEAP courses that are not currently listed as fulfilling the Writing Requirement. Courses from other institutions may not be petitioned.

Note: Beginning Fall 2023, courses under 3 units will not be considered for the GE Writing Requirement. This includes general labs (e.g., Chem 1AL, 1BL, 1CL). It has been determined that there is insufficient writing instruction in these courses for them to satisfy the GE Writing Requirement.

Petition Instructions:

  1. Confirm the course you are petitioning has been completed and you have been awarded a grade/credit for the course. Petitions will not be accepted for courses that have not been completed.
  2. Review the Writing Requirement petition criteria and instructions below to ensure the course meets UCSB's Special Subject Writing Requirement.
  3. Write a brief explanation (1-2 paragraphs) regarding the instruction and/or feedback provided by the instructor on the writing assignments. To approve the request, the reviewer needs to understand how the instructor helped improve your writing in the course.
  4. Include all supporting documents:
  • A copy of 1-3 papers written for the course, totaling at least 1800 words.
  • A copy of the course syllabus.

Criteria for determining whether GE Writing Requirement credit will be granted:

  1. The course-related documents submitted with the petition should provide evidence that the student has demonstrated proficiency concerning the Writing Requirement learning outcomes.
  2. The student should have completed one-to-three papers totaling at least 1800 words, exclusive of such elements as footnotes, table of contents, title page, equations, figures, tables, and bibliography.
  3. The paper(s) cannot be part of a written examination.
  4. The writing assignments for the course must receive significant consideration in the assessment of student performance in the course and constitute at least 25% of the course grade.
  5. Submitted documents or statements must clearly demonstrate that the course provided direct instruction in writing and/or instructor feedback on student writing. 

Petition Processing & Notification: Allow 3-4 weeks for petitions to be processed by Dean’s Office.

Submit Request Here

 

FAQs regarding GE & Writing Petitions

Yes, a lab report can be included in the written materials if there was instruction and feedback provided on the writing in the lab report. 

Papers in languages other than English will be considered.

Courses taken through UCSB sponsored programs (e.g., UCDC, EAP) will be considered, as will papers written in those courses. 

Papers written in Independent Study (199) courses will be considered as long as they satisfy the criteria for the GE Writing Requirement.

Courses taken at other colleges will not be considered to satisfy the GE Writing Requirement.

Petitions will not be accepted for courses that have not been completed. Wait to submit your request until the course is complete and you have been awarded a grade/credit for the course

Approvals are granted on an individual student basis and do not apply to other students enrolled in the course.