For students transferring to Arizona State University (ASU), understanding the General Studies requirements is a crucial step in ensuring a smooth transition and timely graduation. ASU’s General Studies curriculum is designed to equip undergraduates with essential skills across diverse disciplines. These requirements differ slightly depending on your enrollment year, so it’s important to understand which set of guidelines apply to you – General Studies Gold or General Studies Maroon.
ASU has implemented a new General Studies curriculum called General Studies Gold, which is effective for undergraduate students starting in the catalog year 2024-2025 and onwards. Your catalog year is generally the academic year you first began attending ASU, and you can easily find this information on your major map in My ASU.
The General Studies Gold curriculum is structured around 35 credit hours, distributed across nine distinct categories. In addition to these categories, all students must also complete a first-year composition requirement. The nine categories for General Studies Gold are:
- HUAD: Humanities, Arts and Design (6 credits)
- SOBE: Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 credits)
- SCIT: Scientific Thinking in Natural Sciences (8 credits)
- QTRS: Quantitative Reasoning (3 credits)
- MATH: Mathematics (3 credits)
- AMIT: American Institutions (3 credits)
- CIVI: Governance and Civic Engagement (3 credits)
- GCSI: Global Communities, Societies and Individuals (3 credits)
- SUST: Sustainability (3 credits)
For transfer students who started at ASU in the 2023-2024 catalog year or earlier, the General Studies Maroon requirements are still in effect. You will not need to adhere to the new General Studies Gold curriculum. You should continue to follow the guidelines outlined in General Studies Maroon.
The General Studies Maroon curriculum also requires 35 credit hours. Within these 35 hours, 29 credits are designated as lower-division, and 6 credits should be upper-division in L (Literacy and Critical Inquiry) and HU/SB (Humanities, Arts and Design or Social-Behavioral Sciences) areas. Similar to General Studies Gold, first-year composition is also a mandatory requirement.
The core knowledge areas for General Studies Maroon are:
- HU: Humanities, Arts and Design and SB: Social-Behavioral Sciences (combined 12 credits)
- SQ and SG: Natural Sciences (combined 8 credits)
- MA and CS: Mathematical Studies (combined 6 credits)
- L: Literacy and Critical Inquiry (3 credits)
General Studies Maroon also includes awareness areas designed to broaden your perspective:
- C: Cultural Diversity in the United States
- G: Global Awareness
- H: Historical Awareness
Navigating transfer requirements can be complex, and understanding your General Studies obligations at ASU is key. If you have any questions regarding your specific General Studies requirements, it is highly recommended to reach out to your academic advisor. You can find your advisor’s contact information in the Academic Support Team box in My ASU. Your advisor can provide personalized guidance based on your transfer credits and academic goals, ensuring you are on the right path to graduation.
