Policies & Guidelines
Policies, standards, and guidelines governing curriculum at San José State University.
Consultation
The complexity of the curriculum development process requires consultation with departments that may be affected by curricular proposals and/or should be involved in the curriculum development process. View Consultation document for more information.
Curriculum Policies
For a complete list of policies visit the Academic Senate University Policies and CSU System-Wide Policy Library websites.
Departments/Schools Organization Policies
- Administrative Reorganization of Selected Agencies S20-5 [pdf]
- Department or School Name Change - Procedures for Name Changes S18-14 [pdf]
- Recommendation, Merging, Dividing, Transferring, Eliminating Academic Units - Procedures for Reorganizations S13-9 [pdf]
- University Policy, Naming of Campus Facilities and properties; And Colleges, Schools, and Other Academic Entities at San José State University S14-4 [pdf]
General Curriculum Policies
- Curricular Priorities S93-14 [pdf] (1993)
- Degree Termination S99-4 [pdf] (1999)
- Incorporating Accessibility into the Curriculum Process S08-3 [pdf] (2008)
- Resource Analysis required for Curricular Proposals S18-10 [pdf] (2018)
- Substantive Change S04-3 [pdf] (2004)
- Time Limit on Graduation Requirements F85-1 [pdf] (1985)
Courses Policies
- Campus Policy on Student Field Experiences During Campus Strikes S79-4 [pdf] (1979)
- Computing the GPA for "CR" Grades Given in Graduate Courses
- Continuing Education Course Standards (400 level courses) S73-9 [pdf] (1973) S73-24 [pdf] (1973)
- Course Offering and Enrollment Standards S00-6 [pdf] (2000)
- Criteria for Upper Division Courses S85-4 [pdf] (1985)
- CSU Course Classification - C/S Number Definitions (Faculty Staffing Formula) [pdf]
- Designing Service Learning Courses S02-3 [pdf] (2002)
- Final Exam Evaluation or Culminating Activity Policy S06-4 [pdf]
- First-Year Experience (FYE) Courses S09-4 [pdf] (2009)
- Guidelines for Experimental Undergraduate Courses F68-24 [pdf] (1968)
- Prohibition of Double-Numbering of Course; Lower Division/Upper Division Differentiation F66-13 [pdf] (1966)
- Internships, Service learning, and Off-Campus learning Experiences S16-14 [pdf] (2016)
- Syllabi S16-9 [pdf] (2016) Accessible Syllabi Templates
- Standards for Awarding Academic Credit; Faculty appointments at SJSU; Discipline Specific Expertise of Faculty; Catalog Publication of Courses S67-31 [pdf] (1967)
- Technology Intensive, Hybrid and Online Courses and Programs F13-2 [pdf] (2016)
- The Continue Education Unit (CEU) F77-2 [pdf] (1977)
GE/ PE/ US123/ WID/ Other Univesity Requirements Policies
- Entry-Level Mathematics (ELM) Examination; Sanctions; Probation S18-9 [pdf] (2018)
- GE Area Learning Outcomes
- GE Guidelines Fall 2025 [pdf] [pdf]Guidelines for General Education(GE), American Institutions (AI), and Writing in the Disciplines (WID) (2025); S14-5 [pdf] GE Guidelines.pdf [pdf] (2014)
- GE Related to LLD 98/99 F99-7 [pdf] (1999)
- Physical Education Requirement S14-11 [pdf] (2014)
- Rescinds Metropolitan University Scholars Experience (MUSE) New Student Seminar Program in Core General Education F18-1 [pdf] (2018)
- Restoring Options for Students with Quantitative Reasoning Disabilities Affecting Math Skills S16-12 [pdf] (2016)
- University Policy, Updating the General Education Advisory Committee (formerly known as the Board of General Studies) Membership, Charge, and Responsibilities F15-13 [pdf] (2015)
- University Requirement: Oral Communication S81-11 [pdf] (1981)
- University Writing: Requirements/Guidelines, University Writing Committee S19-3 [pdf] (2019)
Graduate Course Policies
- Credit Hours and Maximum Unit Load during Summer and Intersession S19-7 [pdf] (2019)
- Graduate Course Revalidation S17-7 [pdf] (2017)
- Graduate Credit Earned by SJSU Undergraduate Students S20-3 [pdf] (2020)
- Graduate Experimental Courses; Individual Study and Special Topics (Course #'s) F67-11 [pdf] (1967)
- Required Enrollment for Culminating Graduate Students S17-5 [pdf] (2017)
Credit - Transfer / by Examinations Policies
- CLEP (College Level Examination Program S77-6 [pdf] (1977)
- Credit by Exam for Challenge Examinations F15-5 [pdf] (2015)
- Evaluation and Transfer of Credit; Recognition of Outside Degrees F68-25 [pdf] (1968)
- Maximum number of Junior College Transfer Units Allowed F68-9 [pdf] (1968)
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Requirement for Resident Alien Students F75-6 [pdf] (1975)
- Transfer Credit for Extension and Correspondence Courses S66-12 [pdf] (1966)
- Transferability of Credit by Examination S77-8 [pdf] (1977)
Certificates, Concentrations, and Minors Policies
- Academic Certificate Programs: Review and Approval Process S16-17 [pdf] (2016)
- Guidelines for Concentrations S14-9 [pdf] (2019)
- Modify the Review and Approval Process for Academic Certificates S13-10 [pdf] (2013)
Undergraduate Program Policies
- 120 unit Requirement for the Baccalaureate S01-5 [pdf] (2001)
- BA/BS Differentiation F88-9 [pdf] (1988)
- Guidelines for Secondary Baccalaureates S73-4 [pdf] (1973)
- Minimum Number of Upper Division units for Bachelor’s Degrees S69-25 [pdf] (1969)
- Temporary Accommodation for Degree Programs Reducing to 120 units S13-3 [pdf]
- Undeclared Undergraduate Category S75-5 [pdf] (1975)
- SJSU Graduate and Undergraduate University Learning Goals S17-12 [pdf] (2017)
Graduate Program Policies
- Combined Bachelors and Masters Degree F19-1 [pdf] (2019)
- Competency in Written English for Graduate Students S94-7 [pdf] (1994)
- Master’s Committee Structure and Thesis Embargoes S14-10 [pdf] (2014)
- Residency Requires for Masters Degrees S13-8 [pdf] (2013)
- Requirements for a Second Master's Degree; Graduate Degree F77-1 [pdf] (1977)
- Requirement of Graduate Record Exam (GRE) a Department Option F74-7 [pdf] (1974)
- Requiring Graduate Bibliographic Instruction F89-3 [pdf] (1989)
- SJSU Graduate and Undergraduate University Learning Goals S17-12 [pdf] (2017)
Registration / Grades Policies
- ABC/NC Grading S11-5 [pdf] (2011)
- Adding Classes After Advance Registration (Amendment A to F20-1 [pdf]) F20-1 [pdf] (2020)
- Advisor Signature Requirement on Registration Forms S79-7 [pdf] (1979)
- Grading Policy System + Temporary Amendment to S20-7 [pdf] F18-5 [pdf] (2018)
- Grading on Skills Courses S99-6 [pdf] (1999)
- Instructor Drop Policy S20-9 [pdf]
- Plus/Minus Grading System S83-15 [pdf] (1983)
Need help interpreting a policy?
The Curriculum Office can help clarify how policies apply to your proposal.
curriculum@sjsu.edu
408-924-2447
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