University Graduation Requirements Petitions

Go to: Area US123 | Area RSV | 100W | Core GE | Intensive Science | Intensive Music | PE

Note: DocuSign template forms require an active one.SJSU account. If you do not have an active account, please contact us at undergraduate-education@sjsu.edu for an electronic copy of the petition.

Lower Division Core GE Petition

Regardless of major the General Education is required for all undergraduate degrees. Some majors fulfill general education upon completion of the degree (see major exceptions in Catalog).

• Eligibility Requirements
  • 1. Must be an undergraduate student who has matriculated (admitted and enrolled) at SJSU for one full semester.
    2. Courses must have been declared at the time of Admissions (or taken concurrently with SJSU coursework) and posted on your unofficial SJSU transcript before submitting this petition. 
    3. Coursework must address the GE Area's Learning Outcomes not a specific course. We recommend consulting with the Articulation Office before submitting the petition. 
    4. Designated area reviewer must sign the first section. 
    5. Equivalencies for Basic Skill (A1, A2, A3, B4) will not be granted unless passed with a grade of "C- or better".
• GE Area reviewers and minimum writing requirements

  • For learning outcomes, see the University's Institutional Learning page's General Education section.

    Area A1: Oral Communications [DocuSign]. The assigned area review is the Department Chair, Communication Studies. The minimum writing requirement is 1500 words.

    Area A2: Written Communication I [DocuSign]. The assigned area reviewer is the Director of Composition, English Department. The minimum writing requirement is 8000 words.

    Area A3: Critical Thinking [DocuSign]. The assigned area reviewer is the Director of Composition, English Department. The minimum writing requirement is 6000 words.

    Area B1-3:Physical/Life Science and Lab [DocuSign]. The assigned area reviewer is the Associate Dean, College of Science. No minimum writing requirement.

    Area B4: Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning [DocuSign]. The assigned area reviewer is the Department Chair, Mathematics & Statistics Department. No minimum writing requirement.

    Area C: Arts (C1) and Humanities (C2) [DocuSign]. The assigned area reviewer is the Associate Dean, Humanities & the Arts. No minimum writing requirement.

    Area D: Social Science [DocuSign]. The assigned area reviewer is the Associate Dean, College of Social Sciences. No minimum writing requirement.

    Area E: Human Understanding & Development [DocuSign]. The assigned area reviewer is the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education. The minimum writing requirement is 1500 words.

    Area F: Ethnic Studies. There are NO waivers or substitutions allowed for Area F courses (per CSU General Education Breadth Requirements).  Grades below a "C-" can be petition, please email undergraduate-education@sjsu.edu. 

    Designee Reviewers are assigned by the Office of Undergraduate Education

• Required Attachments and form

  • 1. Personal statement explaining the reasoning for submitting the request.

    2. Supporting evidence/ documentation

    1. minimally a catalog description from the year when the course was taken, ideally a syllabus as well
    2. Writing samples will be required for Area A2 and A3.
    3. College of Science Equivalency Form required for Area B1, B2, or B3.
    4. General Education Breadth (see Articulation)

    3. Transcripts - from the institution where the coursework was taken (unofficial transcripts acceptable).

    4. Complete the CORE GE Area Equivalent Petition Form [DocuSign]

    Note: The official transcript showing the course you are petitioning must have been submitted at the time of admission, or before submitting this petition if taken concurrently with SJSU coursework

Intensive Science Plan Sequence Petition

Students, who have completed in-depth coursework in science that is not certified for GE, may request an alternative package to satisfy Core Physical Science (B1), Life Science (B2), and/or Laboratory Science (B3) that have not already been met by approved GE Courses. Must have one semester of matriculated (admitted and enrolled) at SJSU.

The assigned area reviewer is the Associate Dean, College of Science

• What can be petitioned with this form?

  • A) grades below "C-" (very rarely approved);

    B) Two or more physical science courses (if they are B1/B3) and a CHEM 1A;

    C) CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B and a physics course;

    D) Intensive Science Physics/Chemistry/Biology courses not articulated to SJSU;

    E) Three courses from BIOL 30, BIOL 33, BIOL 65, BIOL 65O, BIOL 66, MICRO 20;

    F) Other Intensive Science courses not listed on the approved Intensive Science list.

• Required Attachments 

  • 1) Personal statement explaining the reason for submitting request.

    2) Catalog description from the year when the course was taken or course syllabus (in English).

    3) Attach approved College of Science equivalency petition.

    4) Transcripts - from the institution where the course work was taken (unofficial transcripts acceptable). 

    5) Complete the Intensive Science Petition Form [DocuSign] 

    • all courses that are being use for Intensive Science Plan must be entered on the petition

Intensive Music Plan Sequence Petition

Students who have completed in-depth coursework in music that is not certified for GE may request an alternative package to satisfy CORE Area C. Students who have completed the Intensive Music courses with a “C-" or better, will be allowed to use these courses to fulfill the requirements in C1 or C2. The assigned area reviewer is the Associate Dean, Humanities & the Arts.

• MUSC 4A, MUSC 4B, and MUSC 12

• What can be petitioned with this form?

  • A) Grades below "C-" (very rarely approved).

    B) Other Intensive Music courses are not on the list of approved intensive music courses. 

    C) Intensive Music courses currently not articulated to SJSU.

• Required Attachments and Petition Form

  • 1) Personal statement explaining the reasoning for submitting the request.

    2) Supporting documentation - minimally a catalog description from the year when the course was taken and a course syllabus.

    3) Transcripts - from the institution where the course work was taken (unofficial transcripts acceptable). Note: official transcript showing the courses you are petitioning must have been submitted at the time of admission, or before submitting this petition if taken concurrently with SJSU coursework, ideally the course is showing on your MySJSU account.

    4) Enter all courses that are part of the Intensive Music Course Plan sequence.

    5) Complete the Intensive Music Plan Form [DocuSign]

SJSU Studies (Area R, S, V) Equivalent Petition

• What can be petitioned with this form?

  • A) Course was approved for an upper division GE one semester after course was taken;

    B) Course was discontinued as an upper-division GE the semester the course was taken; 

    C) SJSU Studies aggregate GPA is below a 2.0; 

    D) Took two or more courses in the same area, would like to cover a different area (rarely approved); 

    E) A course is less than 3 units; policy requires 9 semester units (rarely approved); 

    F) Upper division non-GE course from SJSU (rarely approved); 

    G) Course(s) are upper-division GE at another CSU and are not showing as SJSU Studies Areas; 

    H) Course was not taken for a letter grades (rarely approved). Except courses taken Spring 2020 due to temporary change in grading policy related to the pandemic. 

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    Petition Form will be DENIED if:

    1) course is NOT taken at a CSU. 

    2) course is a lower division course (community college courses are considered lower division).

    3) transcript has not been submitted to SJSU or declared.

    4) required attachments are missing 

    Note: for study abroad courses, please use the Academic Approval form and not the SJSU Studies equivalent petition. 

• Petition form and Requirements 

  • If you are a recent transfer student, please wait for courses to be posted to your MySJSU records before petitioning.  Should credit not be granted for SJSU Studies, please consult with the Articulation Office before submitting this petition.

    1) Must be an undergraduate (or postbaccalaureate) student who matriculated (admitted and enrolled) at SJSU for at least one semester.

    1. 1. Completed all Core General Education,
       2. Have upper division standing (completed 60 or more units)

    2) Must include a personal statement explaining why you are making this request.

    3) Must include supporting documentation

    1. 1. GE Breadth (i.e. MyProgress report, website/URL to GE listing), or
       2. minimally a catalog description from the year when the course was taken and/or a course syllabus. 
       3. Course(s) are upper-division General Education at another CSU. 

    4) Must attach copy of the Transcript

    1. 1. Official transcript showing the course(s) must have been submitted at the time of admission, or before submitting this petition if taken concurrently with SJSU coursework.
       2. Course information must be entered as shown on the external transcript not as posted on SJSU student account. 

    5) Complete the SJSU Studies Equivalent Course Form [DocuSign].

Writing in the Disciplines (100W, GWAR) Petition

The California State University (CSU) junior-level writing requirement is known as the “Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement” (GWAR), . Courses must have a minimum of 8000 words.

Area Reviewer: Thomas Moriarty, Director of Writing Across the Curriculum, English Department.

• What can be petitioned with this form?

  • 1) Must be an undergraduate (or postbaccalaureate) student who matriculated (admitted and enrolled) at SJSU for at least one semester. 
    2) Receive a waiver score of 11 or 12 on the Written Skills Test (WST)¹. SJSU is no longer offering this exam.
    3) Demonstrate exceptional writing ability (e.g., published expository writing).
    4) Completed an upper-division composition course (Intensive Writing Course). 
    5) Completed the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) at another CSU

    ¹ A WST score of 11/12 earns a waiver of the SJSU 100W course requirement, with the caveat that a major degree program may require a 100W course as part of the major (see Major Exceptions in Catalog). The WST Directed Self Placement (WST-DSP) exercise is NOT eligible for a 100W waiver.

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    Note: Coursework already given credit in GE Area A2 (e.g., ENGL 1A) or second-semester composition (e.g., ENGL 1B or ENGL 2) or lower division writing course may not be used as a basis for this petition.

• Required Attachments and Petition Form

  • Before submitting the petition, please check with your major department to ensure that 100W is not needed in the major.

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    Category 1: Scored an 11 or 12 on the Written Skills Test (WST)

    1. Copy Written Skills Test (WST) scores. Note: major department chair can submit a memo/email in lieu of petition to Undergraduate Education for waiver of 100W course base on WST score.

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    Category 2: Demonstrate exceptional writing ability (rarely approved)

    1. Personal statement explaining the reasoning for submitting the request.
    2. Attach writing samples or publish works (please work with the Undergraduate Education Office).

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    Category 3: Completed the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) at another CSU.  Please wait for the course to be posted to MySJSU, as credit is usually given automatically. 

    1. Personal statement explaining the reasoning for submitting the request.
    2. Attached information from institution showing writing course fulfills a Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) or documentation showing that GWAR is done.  
    3. Attach school transcript(s) (unofficial acceptable). An official transcript showing the course must have been submitted at the time of admissions before submitting this petition.

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    Category 4: Completed an upper-division composition course (Intensive Writing Course)

    1. Personal statement explaining the reasoning for submitting the request.
    2. Attach catalog course description from year course was taken and course syllabus.
    3. Attach school transcript(s) (unofficial acceptable). An official transcript showing the course must have been submitted at the time of admissions before submitting this petition.

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    Complete the Writing in the Disciplines (100W) Form [DocuSign] 

American Institutions (US1, US2, US3) Equivalent Petition

Requirements in United States History, Constitution and American Ideals, Title 5 § 40404. Other ways to satisfy American Institution requirements include the College Level Exam Program (CLEP, US1, US2, 3-6 units granted) or waiver exam (California government, US3, no units of credit granted. Contact the Testing Office for information on CLEP and/or Waiver exams). This petition is not required for these options.

• Area reviewers and content requirements.

  • US 1: American History - Courses should fulfill at least 100 years or both pre- and post-Civil War time. Area Reviewer, Department Chair of History. 

    US 2: American Government/Politics - Courses should be able to describe (1) how political decisions are made, (2) describe the links between the people and government, and (3) the U.S. Constitutions. Area Reviewer, Department Chair of Political Science.

    US 3: California Government/Politics - Courses should (1) The relationship between state and local government in California, (2) the basic issues of California politics, and (3) changes on the history and politics of the state. Area Reviewer, Department Chair of Political Science.

• Required Attachments and Form
  • 1. Personal statement explaining the reasoning for submitting the request.
    2. Supporting evidence/ documentation - (minimally a catalog description from the year when the course was taken, ideally a syllabus as well).
    3. Transcripts - from the institution where the coursework was taken with the relevant course(s) highlighted (unofficial transcripts acceptable).
    4. Complete the American Institutions Areas US123 [DocuSign] petition form

    Note: The official transcript showing the course you are petitioning must have been submitted at the time of admission, or before submitting this petition if taken concurrently with SJSU coursework

Physical Education (PE) Petition

Undergraduate Students who matriculate at SJSU (admitted and enrolled) need to complete two units (or two activity courses) to meet the Physical Education (PE) Requirements per University Policy S14-11. [pdf] 

Activity courses at SJSU are not repeatable for credit, unless indicated in the course description.

• How can you satisfy PE requirement?
  • 1. Taking two units of physical education activity courses.
    2. Taking two physical education activity courses (of less than one unit).
    3. Taking one single activity course of 2-or-more units.
    4. Participating in Intercollegiate Athletics (one unit per sport).
    5. Taking the Adapted Physical Activities (KIN 1), designed to accommodate individuals with disabilities (repeatable for credit with instructor consent).
    6. Completed an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) that waives the PE.
       • If waiver is not showing on your MySJSU,
         1. submit an updated transcript that reflects completion of ADT on the transcript.
         2. contact Articulation Department in the Registrar's Office
    7. Completed at least one year of active duty in the armed services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard or Space Force). Please consult with the Veterans Resource Center (VRC)
    8. Major waives physical education requirement with completion of degree, see Exceptions for University Graduation Requirements.
• What can be petitioned with this form?

  • A) To be exempt (waived) of one or two activity units based on documented extenuating circumstances that interfere with the completion of PE requirement, 
    
    B) Substitute one or both units with an activity course not currently articulated to PE, 
    
    D) Challenge one or both units of the requirement by demonstrating a variety of competencies. Consult with Dr. Seung Ho Chang, Physical Activity Program Coordinator, Department of Kinesiology for challenge procedure. 

• Required Attachments and Form
  • 1. Personal statement explaining the reasoning for submitting the request.
    2. Supporting documentation:
       1. catalog description from the year when the course was taken and course syllabus (international courses, documents must be in English).
       2. the Healthcare Provider Verification of Medical Condition [pdf] for any medical reasons, must have dates of when the restrictions will start and/or end.
       3. for challenging courses please consult with Dr. Seung Ho Chang for required attachments
    3. Transcripts - from the institution where the course work was taken (unofficial OK). An official transcript showing the course must have been submitted at the time of admission, or before submitting this petition if taken concurrently with SJSU coursework.
    4. Complete the Physical Education Requirement Form [DocuSign]

    Note: 

    Petition will be DENIED if support documentation and/or personal statement are missing.

    Online physical education (PE) options are now available at SJSU and many community colleges. PE requests based on the need to avoid in-person classes will be denied.

    Activity courses at SJSU are not repeatable for credit, unless indicated in the course description.

Please visit the FAQ page for additional information or email your question to undergraduate-education@sjsu.edu.