Changes to El Camino College’s general education requirements for associates degrees, including the addition of an ethnic studies course and a math course—instead of math competency–take effect fall 2025.
Three units from an ethnic studies course will be added to all students’ degree requirements.
“It’s good that it’s required because [ethnic studies] is such essential information to learn,” El Camino College psychology major Salome Ngo, 19, said.
Changes made in the general education pattern also require a math course be taken instead of showing math competency, in accordance with the California Code of Regulations’ Title 5, which covers education.
Math competency was formerly fulfilled by completing Algebra 2 or Intermediate Math in high school and other ways, including passing the Math Competency Test.
Course review and changes to catalog descriptions, approved in March 2025 by the Curriculum Committee, will simplify the process and lower confusion for incoming students.
Vice President of Academic Affairs Carlos Lopez said the Curriculum Committee worked to streamline the process, lowering the total number of required general education units and reducing it to just one pattern.
“That way it’s not as confusing for students,” Lopez said. “Through this year, we had two or three different general educational patterns for students, just for the local degree.”
ECC has a local pattern to achieve an associate degree, which is not generally intended for transferring to an institution in the University of California or California State University system.
Program revisions to associates degree requirements were approved by the Curriculum Committee on Dec. 10, 2024, and were presented to the board of trustees for approval Monday, April 28.
An additional change to unit requirements includes the merging of transfer patterns for the UC and CSU systems, starting in the 2025-2026 academic year.
The California General Education Transfer Curriculum, or Cal-GETC, will permit students to follow a shared pattern for CSU and UC institutions, compared to managing two separate patterns.
Assembly Bill 928 created the Transfer Intersegmental Implementation Committee to oversee associate degrees for transfer and to make the process more student-centered.
“They wanted us to create ways for students to have a streamlined process, so part of this is that there is one GE pattern,” Lori Suekawa, Counseling Services articulation officer, said.
Formerly called the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, or IGETC, Cal-GETC is a statewide change that all California Community Colleges must comply with.
Cal-GETC will not require a language other than English.
According to Lopez, current students making progress toward IGETC or CSU transfer patterns are grandfathered under the current catalog’s requirements.
Lopez said the goal is to help students complete their general education and get onto their major pathway sooner, enabling students to transfer quicker.
ECC’s Class Schedules for summer and fall 2025 semester are available now.
