Catalog Rights

The University Catalog is revised and updated annually.  Within the catalog are policies, major requirements, and course descriptions - all of which may affect graduation requirements. However, students’ individual graduation requirements are not subject to these annual updates; in fact, students who remain continuously enrolled maintain rights to a particular set of graduation requirements, which is referred to as catalog rights.

This group of pages is intended to provide additional detail regarding catalog rights, including how to maintain them, eligibility to elect new requirements, etc.

• Types of Requirements

   

  There are three groups of graduation requirements to complete an undergraduate degree program. Each of these, as described above, are subject to change from catalog year to catalog year (and term to term).

  General Education
  These include the breadth requirements created by the California State University system.
  University
  These include requirements specific to CSUSM; these include Language Other Than English Requirement (LOTER), GPA, residency, as well as American Institutions.
  Major/Minor
  The courses required for your declared major (or minor) are a third set of graduation requirements.

• Eligibility

  Per California state education code, and CSUSM policy, students are eligible to elect the graduation requirements (General Education, University, Major/Minor) in effect:

  at the time the student began his/her program at a CSU campus or California Community College

  when the student entered the CSU campus from which s/he intends to graduate

  at the time the student graduates from Cal State San Marcos

  Refers to all 3 types of graduation requirements; the catalog terms elected for each do not have to be the same.

  In addition, students are eligible to elect the graduation requirements for the major or minor in effect:

  at the time the student declares or changes his/her Major/Concentration/Option/Track/Minor

  at the time changes in Major or Minor requirements affect the student

  As long as a student maintains continuous attendance at CSU San Marcos, or a combination of CSU campuses and California Community Colleges, his/her catalog rights are protected, and thus his/her catalog term(s) for the graduation requirements listed above, are protected.

  Note: at CSUSM, students are automatically assigned the graduation requirements in effect upon admission to the university. A student must request to elect different catalog rights (according to the eligibility described above) in order to be subject to different graduation requirements.

• Maintaining Catalog Rights

  A student maintains continuous attendance (and therefore catalog rights) if he or she is enrolled in at least one course for at least one regular semester or two quarters in each calendar year at CSU San Marcos, or a combination of CSU campuses and California Community Colleges.

• Electing Catalog Rights

  Continuing students who are eligible to elect the catalog rights in effect for one of the 3 types of graduation requirements described here, may use the Election of Catalog Rights form.

  Please note: the Election of Catalog Rights form may not be necessary for certain changes effective Fall 2018 and/or Fall 2019:, including the following:
  

  • LOTER: for information regarding the Language Other Than English Requirement (LOTER), and administrative changes to this graduation requirement, please refer to the LOTER page.
    
  • Fall 2018 General Education: for information regarding the new General Education Requirements in effect beginning Fall 2018, please see the General Education page.