In January, the California State University Board of Trustees made changes to the CSU system to regulate the length of under-graduate programs and to alleviate the cost of attendance to CSUs for non-resident students.
The CSU Board of Trustees placed a limit on the number of units a CSU’s academic program is allowed to have for a four-year program. The limit is 120 semester unit or 180 quarter units.
According to Erik Fallis, media relations specialist for CSU public affairs, about 80 percent of the schools of the CSU system programs are in line with the 120 semester unit or 180 quarter unit goal.
Faculty at schools that are not within the goal limit will be in charge of finding ways to have the program fit into the unit limits.
Carl Kemnitz, associate vice president of academic programming, said CSUB has four programs that would need to be trimmed to fit the new regulation. They are nursing which is at 192 units, a concentration of natural science at 183 units and three computer science concentrations that range from 183-185 units.
Physics which was over the 180 unit limit has been trimmed to accommodate the new regulations. The change will be seen when the next course catalog is released according to Kemnitz.
Kemnitz said, “it [changes to unit requirements] goes into effect in the fall 2014 quarter so we have some time to make it happen.”
Fallis said, “this has no restraints on a students exploring many topics or even changing majors it only applies to programs.”
They also do not limit the amount of time a student has to obtain a bachelor’s degree. “We know most of our students are not traditional students. Many come to school part-time or are transfer students from community colleges,” said Fallis.
Certain programs are exempt as the additional units they require are for students going into careers where the extra experience is necessary.
Programs not exempt but over 120 semester units or 180 quarter units will be allowed to petition the CSU board of trustees to remain over the limit.
The changes were made so students who attended a CSU full-time can graduate and obtain a bachelor’s degree in four years, the traditional amount of time expected for a bachelor’s degree.
Fallis said, “We’re [CSU administration] really hoping that faculty can moves over course learning objectives from classes that would fall outside the 120 or 180 units into other classes.”
Alternatively, faculty can offer courses that provide additional depth to a subject that would put a program over its unit limit as electives rather than making them a part of the core 180 unit program.
The other change in January dealt with exempting non-resident students from paying non-resident fees.
Victims of serious crimes which include, but are not limited to, domestic violence, human trafficking, if the student has attended a high school in California for three or more years, graduated from a high school in California, and are enrolled at a CSU or are registered as a student at a CSU according to section 41906.6 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations
This is in compliance with California law AB 540 which allows undocumented and non-resident students to pay the in-state price for tuition at CSUs, Universities of California, or community colleges in the California community college system.
Non-resident students at CSUB are expected to pay an additional $248 per unit according to CSUB’s cost of attendance Web page.
