What is Articulation?
The process that facilitates the successful transfer of students from community colleges to undergraduate baccalaureate programs. It is the process of developing formal written agreements that explain how courses transfer from one institution to another, either “as comparable to” or acceptable in lieu of” specific course requirements at four year institutions.
Contact Information
Michael West
Academic Affairs
Articulation Officer and Honors Counselor
(408) 741-4037
[email protected]
Fox Room 215
General Information
Types of Articulation Agreements
General Education Articulation Agreements identify a pattern of courses that fulfill lower division general education requirements. Patterns include:
- Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
- CSU General Education (CSU-GE) Breadth Requirements
- Independent College specific pattern.
Which pattern a student should follow is dependent on the transfer university and specific major being considered. Consult with a West Valley College Counselor for assistance with understanding the most appropriate choice.
- Lower Division Major Preparation Articulation Agreements describe lower division major preparation (or courses) to be completed in order to be a eligible for transfer.
- Elective Course Articulation Agreements describe specific courses taken at a community college that will transfer; however, do not fulfill any specific requirements (GE or Major Preparation) other than as transferable units.
The final responsibility for successfully achieving an educational goal rests with the student. Information found on these web pages is designed to be helpful; however, information is subject to frequent changes so students are strongly recommended to consult with a counselor.
Frequently Asked Questions about Course Articulation
Each university system has its own program requirements. These requirements vary with the student’s intended major. An articulation agreement is an agreement with a four-year institution that specifies which West Valley College courses may be transferred to meet general education, elective, or major requirements.
The process begins with the approval of a course first by the Curriculum Committee. If it is approved prior to the catalog printing deadline (usually in mid spring), the course will be listed in the next academic year’s catalog. Courses approved by our Curriculum Committee and gain Board approval may be submitted for approval for inclusion on the UC Transfer Course Agreements (TCA) list and the CSU Baccalaureate list. Our courses must be approved for the Transferable Course Agreement (TCA) and CSU-B lists before any secondary agreements (such as Course to Course, IGETC, CSU- GE, or Pre-Major courses) may be initiated.
Requests for articulation should be made to the Articulation Officer for each course in which articulation is requested.
- Course-to-Course Agreement: to determine if a specific course taken at one college will satisfy a requirement at another college
- General Education
- CSU General Education-Breadth (CSU GE-B): courses that students may take to satisfy the lower division GE requirements for the CSU campuses.
- Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC): students may use to satisfy lower division general education requirements at the CSU or UC system. IGETC is not recommended for high unit majors (see counselor)
- Campus Specific General Education: pattern specific to a university campus.
It takes several months to a year, or sometimes longer, to get a new course or a revised course approved for all the appropriate transfer articulation lists.
The ASSIST repository contains the statewide student transfer information for California public colleges. It displays reports of how course credits earned at one California public college or university can be applied when transferred to another. ASSIST is the official repository of articulation for California's public colleges and universities (CC, CSU, UC) and therefore provides the most accurate and up-to-date information available regarding student transfer within public institutions in California."
Incoming transfer students should follow these steps for credit/transcript evaluation:
- Send or drop off sealed/official transcripts to West Valley College Counseling Department at: 14000 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, CA 95070
- After the completion of 12 units, request an evaluation with counseling department administrative staff.
- Once evaluation results are received via email, schedule an appointment with a counselor to consult evaluation via Starfish.
- If requesting substitutions for general education or major requirements, consult with counselor on appropriate steps for substitution.
*Note: student can consult records and prospective substitutions with counselor prior to evaluation results, but substitutions cannot be approved until official records are received by West Valley College.
California Private Colleges and Universities Agreement
The following list represents Articulation Agreements and/or unofficial transfer course equivalencies with selected CA private colleges and universities. Some of the information represents actual formal articulation agreements, while those without formal agreements list information made available through the university website.
Disclaimer: The websites listed below provide general information regarding transfer course equivalencies, which are for planning purposes only. Information is subject to change at any time without notice; and do not guarantee an award of transfer credit. For official evaluation of transferable courses from West Valley College, please contact the Admission Office of each university.
The links below are not representative of all private institutions or all transferable courses.
Out-of-State Agreements
The following list represents Articulation Agreements and/or unofficial transfer course equivalencies with selected out-of-State colleges and universities. Some of the information represents actual formal articulation agreements, while those without formal agreements list information made available through the university website.
Disclaimer: The websites listed below provide general information regarding transfer course equivalencies, which are for planning purposes only. Information is subject to change at any time without notice; and do not guarantee an award of transfer credit. For official evaluation of transferable courses from West Valley College, please contact the Admission Office of each university.
The links below are not representative of all private institutions or all transferable courses.
- Arizona State University
- Augusta State University
- Bastyr University Washington
- Boise State University, Idaho
- Brigham Young University-Hawaii
- Central Michigan State University
- Clemson University, South Carolina
- Colorado State University
- Dixie State College,Utah
- East Carolina University, North Carolina
- East Tennessee State University
- Fort Lewis College, Colorado
- Franklin University, Ohio
- George Mason University, Virginia
- Georgia Southern University
- Gonzaga University, Washington
- Hawaii Pacific University
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania
- Kansas State University
- Linfield College, Oregon
- Michigan State University
- Montana State University, Bozeman
- Montana State University, Great Falls
- North Carolina State University
- North Eastern University, Massachusetts
- Northern Michigan University
- Notre Dame De Namur University, California
- Oregon State University
- Pacific Lutheran University
- Penn State
- Plymouth State University, New Hampshire
- Purdue University, Indiana
- Sam Houston State College, Texas
- Seattle Pacific University, Washington
- Southwest Baptist University, Missouri
- Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
- Syracuse University, New York
- Texas Tech University
- University of Arkansas
- University of Alabama
- University of Central Missouri
- University of Georgia
- University of Hawaii, Mãnoa (ADT)
- University of Idaho
- University of Iowa
- University of Kansas
- University of Michigan
- University of Michigan (Flint)
- University of North Georgia
- University of Oregon
- University of South Dakota
- University of Texas at San Antonio
- Virginia Tech
- Washington State University
- Washington State, St. Louis) Engineering and Applied Science
- Wayne State University Michigan
- Western Kentucky University