Designated officials at CSUB will provide students with guidance in the selection of programs designed to prepare them for subsequent study in professional schools oriented toward careers in such fields as business administration, theology, forestry, and college teaching.  Help with decisions concerning professional study is available through the Counseling Center (Health Center, 654-3366) and the individual schools.

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Pre-Engineering

Although CSUB does not offer a degree in engineering, students can complete a substantial portion of lower division courses required for engineering programs elsewhere.  Students at CSUB enjoy the benefits of a liberal arts general education in small classes while preparing for more specialized study in engineering at other institutions.

Students who have completed the core mathematics and science sequences have been readily accepted by other universities, public and private, both within and outside of California.  Formal arrangements for preferential admission to several other universities in the CSU system have been completed, and this program is currently being expanded.  At present, the CSUB main campus has a formal articulation agreement with California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. 

Most engineering programs are highly structured and very demanding, and careful selection of courses for transfer programs is strongly urged.  Students interested in the pre-engineering program are advised to consult with the pre-engineering advisor in the Department of Physics and Geology (SCI 273, 654-3027) for information and assistance in planning course work.

Special Consideration for Transfer to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo - For many Kern County residents, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo offers the most attractive engineering program.  CSUB has reached an agreement with Cal Poly whereby students who complete the specified transfer program at CSUB are given “special consideration” for admission.  While there is no formal guarantee, completion of the following courses provides the student with a strong possibility of admission.

Basic course requirements:

•     CHEM 211, 212 General Chemistry

•     COMM 108 Strategies of Public Communication

•     CMPS 221 Programming Fundamentals

•     ENGR 160/161 Introduction to Engineering

•     ENGR 207 Electric Circuits

•     ENGR 240 Statics

•     ENGL 101 Introduction to Literature: Text and

      Contexts

•     ENGL 110 Writing and Research

•     MATH 201, 202/222, 203, 204, Calculus sequence

•     MATH 302 Ordinary Differential Equations

•     PHIL 102 Logical Reasoning

•     PHYS 221, 222, 223, Calculus-based Physics sequence

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Joint Engineering Program - Pre-engineering students interested in computer or electrical engineering can complete all of the required general education courses, all prerequisite courses, and all engineering courses through the third year at either the CSUB main campus or CSUB-Antelope Valley campus.  This joint engineering program is a specifically designed, seamless, program offered as a collaborative effort by CSUB, CSU Fresno, and CSU Northridge.  Students who satisfy the three-year curriculum requirements can go directly to either CSU Fresno or CSU Northridge to complete their fourth-year studies and obtain their engineering degree.

The third-year engineering courses (and lower-division courses not offered locally) will be provided to the CSUB main campus and CSUB-Antelope Valley campus using distance-learning technology by the engineering colleges at CSU Fresno and CSU Northridge.   Upper-division general education courses will be provided by CSUB.  The regularly scheduled engineering classes, given by CSU Fresno and CSU Northridge will be transmitted to TV studio classrooms at CSUB main campus and CSUB-Antelope Valley campus.  Students at the CSUB campuses will receive direct instruction and will be able to communicate with the instructors in real time via two-way video and audio.

Students selecting this program will enroll at either CSU Fresno or CSU Northridge.  Once the engineering major is selected, the program sequence will include courses from all three of the participating institutions.  For course offerings, consult the current Schedule of Classes.

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Pre-Law - Law schools are more concerned about the general quality of an applicant’s undergraduate education rather than about his/her having taken specific courses.  Students can major in any discipline they desire, but they must maintain a high GPA and develop good writing, speaking/listening, critical thinking/logical reasoning, and problem solving skills.  Advice on preparation for law school is available to CSUB students from the pre-law advisor in the Political Science Department (BDC A, 654-2353).

The University offers pre-law concentrations, within each of the Philosophy, Economics, and Political Science baccalaureate degree programs.  These concentrations provide the appropriate broad preparation desired by law schools.  Students wishing to prepare for law school may complete one of these majors with the pre-law concentration.  Students should read the relevant section of this catalog for each discipline (pages 202, 260, 267) for information on specific requirements.

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Pre-Medical - The University offers course work to meet the requirements of medical and other professional schools in the health sciences, including dentistry, physical therapy, clinical laboratory sciences, optometry, physician’s assistant, veterinary medicine, and pharmacy.  Although these professional schools do not always require a bachelor’s degree, they generally encourage basic preparation and a broad general education leading to that degree before specialization.  Most students obtain a baccalaureate degree in the natural sciences, e.g., Biology or Chemistry, but other majors are also accepted, provided that the student has completed the required courses.  Typically, mathematics and computer science (one year each), physics (one year), chemistry (two years), and biology (two years) are required.  Courses recommended for CSUB students to satisfy these requirements include:

•     BIOL: 201, 202, 203, 304, 305;

•     Chem: 211, 212, 213, 331, 332, and 333 or 340

•     Math: 191,192 or 201, 202

•     Phys: 221, 222, 223 or 201, 202, 203

Since the admissions requirements vary among the diverse medical programs and institutions, interested students should acquire a list of specific requirements from professional schools of their choice.  Sources of information include the Career Development Center, the Walter Stiern Library, and the internet.  Students are urged to consult with appropriate faculty advisors as soon as possible to plan course selections.  These advisors and further information can be located through the Department of Biology (SCI I Room 227, 661-654-3089), Department of Chemistry (SCI II Room 273, 661-654-3027), or the Office of the Dean for Natural Sciences & Mathematics (SCI I Room 104, 661-654-3450).