Maximizing the transfer value of courses
Articulation is the mechanism through which one college or university establishes curricular reciprocity with another institution, typically through one or more articulation mechanisms. When a Modesto Junior College course has articulation, it means that the course can satisfy one or more requirements at another institution. Curriculum can be articulated between community colleges and universities, as well as between community colleges. In the California Community Colleges, articulation pertains to the four segments of higher education in the state of California:
Types of Articulation
Generic elective or “transferable course” articulation is the first step to establish articulation for baccalaureate level courses. Such
courses are marked "Transfer (CSU, UC)" in the MJC Catalog. Students use these courses to meet the 60 lower-division
unit admission and graduation requirements for the CSU or UC up to a maximum of 70 units. Different processes determine "transferable status" for courses. Official
transferable course lists (by academic year) are available on ASSIST.org.
CSU Transferability is locally determined in accordance with CSU Executive Order 167 and in the spirit of the CSU Academic Senate's Considerations in Determining What Constitutes a Baccalaureate Level Course. MJC faculty should reference current lower-division curricula within the CSU to determine the appropriateness of a "transferable" designation for new or revised courses. CSU-transferable courses are numbered 100-299 at MJC. Be mindful of CSU Course Numbering System variations between campuses when researching comparable courses.
UC Transferability of courses for elective UC credit is facilitated externally by the UC Office of the President once a year. MJC submits course outlines for review each summer on the condition that they meet criteria set forth in the UC Transfer Course Agreement. Gleaning UC Transferability is a prerequisite to being considered for the IGETC GE pattern. Courses approved for the TCA imply that students may use those credits to meet the unit requirements for baccalaureate degree only.
General Education Breadth articulation occurs when a course satisfies a general education breadth area requirement for associate and/or baccalaureate degree. Modesto Junior College has three General Education “patterns”; MJC-GE, CSU-GE, and IGETC. Each has a different purpose, scope, and approval process. MJC-GE courses are published in the MJC Catalog, and CSU-GE and IGETC courses are published on ASSIST.org. NOTE: Breadth approval does not constitute course equivalency with another institution. It evidences the student's competence in a breadth area to be eligible for the degree.
Course-to-Course articulation (by department) is established when a university agrees to accept a California Community College course or sequence of courses in lieu of a course offered at their institution to satisfy a major requirement or as an elective in the major. Students earn the units granted for the institution's course, and units above that amount apply to generic elective units. Articulation practices and agreements vary by institution and are published on ASSIST.org.
Lower-Division major preparation articulation establishes what courses at a CCC advance a student’s progress in preparation for a specific major at a given university and are published on ASSIST.org
Content-only articulation occurs when the content of a lower-division CCC course is accepted in lieu of the comparable upper-division course, but the units are not. The student must take an additional upper-division course to satisfy upper-division unit requirements for the major and graduation. MJC units apply to generic elective units. Agreements are published and are published on ASSIST.org
C-ID articulation identifies many CCC and CSU courses comparable to an MJC course using a C-ID course
number, which streamlines articulation processes. C-ID is California's faculty-driven common course numbering system which was developed and
in partnership with CSU faculty. C-IDs are growing in importance for the development
of baccalaureate and CCC-only transfer pathways.
Intra-district Course Equivalence establishes that an MJC course is considered equivalent to a Columbia College course and vice versa. Equivalencies can be identified by faculty, students, evaluators
and are initiated through each college's articulation officer.
Associate Degrees for Transfer
(ADTs or AA-Ts/AS-Ts)
are an outgrowth of SB 1440 / SB 440, but are not articulated in a literal sense, but growing in popularity as a means
for students to prepare for transfer to CSU with a guaranteed outcome. The building blocks of the Associate Degree for Transfer are C-IDs. While only CSU
officially accepts the ADT model, there is movement toward UC and Private and Independent
colleges and universities. NOTE: ADTs allow admission into an institution, but do
not guarantee admission to a specific major.
Transfer Admission Guarantees are overseen by the Transfer Center Director and offered by six UC campuses for California community college students who meet specific requirements. By participating in a TAG, students may receive early review of academic records, early admission notification and specific guidance about major preparation and general education coursework. Interested students can find more information at the Transfer Center.
HECCC Articulation is unique to the region and is the by-product of cooperation between institutional Articulation Officers in the HECCC organization. The HECCC Grids provide technical support on articulation between regional institutions for students who are completing courses across the region. The grids are frequently used by advisors and discipline faculty to help students see what courses can meet requirements specific programs and pathways at other institutions in the HECCC region.
Articulation with Private and Independent Colleges and Universities can take place through various channels and mechanisms, but outside of ASSIST, typically through a cooperative effort between and among faculty senates and administrators of those institutions.
About the Articulation Office
The MJC Articulation Office provides the following for the MJC community:
- Review of new/existing transfer and non-transfer curriculum for articulation potential using any of the above mechanisms
- Working with discipline faculty to identify and maximize course articulation with institutions throughout the state of California
- Shepherding and publishing local articulation information, including local Guidance and Activities requirements, and the MJC-GE, CSU-GE, and IGETC patterns.
- Supporting departments in the development of articulated transfer pathways
- Pursuing UC course transferability via University of California Transfer Course Agreements (TCAs).
- Guidance on developing courses for placement on MJC-GE (associate degree only), CSU-GE, and IGETC breadth patterns for baccalaureate degrees
- Guidance on developing and submitting courses for C-ID approval
- Responding to articulation considerations for Respiratory Care Baccalaureate Degree Pilot
- Maintaining local curriculum information in ASSIST.org
- Providing support and technical assistance the development and pursuit of Associate Degrees for Transfer
- Stewardship of various colleges credit for prior learning policies such as AP, CLEP, and IB
- Developing and reviewing "HECCC grids" between regional institutions that show how MJC courses satisfy to requirements at other regional institutions
- Pursuing and publishing course equivalencies with Columbia College courses
- Providing training on curricular articulation topics for discipline faculty, counseling faculty, staff, and administrators
- Representing MJC in statewide articulation forums such as HECCC and on the California Intersegmental Articulation Council (CIAC)
- Serving as a standing member of the MJC Curriculum Committee