San Francisco State University
Guidelines for Articulation Agreements with
International Institutions

Download: Articulation Information Package (pdf, 145k)

Written request from institution

• What is the accreditation of the institution? (Verified by SF State)
• Type of articulation wanted by the institution:
  
  2+2 undergraduate degree, 1+2+1 undergraduate degree, 1+1 graduate degree, etc.

SF State will ask the institution making the request to provide the following information

• Type of institution: Two, three, four-year or more institution
• Bulletin/catalog, website, or other document in English with course numbers, descriptions and units per course.
• Degree(s) student receives after finishing academic program (s) at institution
• Units of credit - how are units of credit determined?
  At SFSU one semester unit corresponds to one hour per week for every unit in the fall or spring semester (15 weeks of class meetings). At least two hours of study is expected in preparation for each hour of class. Or three hours of laboratory work per week for 15 weeks. Or two hours of class work in activity-type courses in art, music and speech per week fro 15 weeks. At least one hour of outside preparation is expected for each hour of laboratory or activity class work.
• How many units does it take to graduate with associates’degree, bachelors’degree, and masters’degree?
• Are courses taught in home language or in English?

Conditions for Articulation Agreements

• Students participating in articulation programs are to fulfill all the admission requirements stipulated by SF State.
• Students are to pay regular, non-resident tuition and fees at SF State and are expected to have fulfilled all departmental requirements in order to obtain a degree granted by SF State.
• At the discretion of the SFSU academic departments, the course content of lower-division undergraduate transfer courses may be used to substitute for upper-division course work at SF State, making it unnecessary to complete duplicate work. These courses will not count toward the minimum number of upper-division units required for the undergraduate major and the degree.
• All undergraduate college-level courses taken at partner institutions that are not needed for General Education or major requirements will be counted as general electives.
• Undergraduate English composition and oral communication courses taken at partner universities (equivalent to English 209, 210, and 310 at SF State) may be accepted as meeting the General Education requirements. But these undergraduate courses must require one-year of university-level English as a prerequisite. Students entering the prerequisite course work should generally have 3 years of English preparation at the secondary level or the equivalent. Final determination as to acceptance of undergraduate English Composition and Oral Communication courses for transfer credit will be made by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, consulting with the SF State English Department as needed.
• All college-level courses will be transferred as ungraded units.
• Curriculum articulation is central to these programs, and faculties from both sides need to be intimately involved, particularly in graduate programs.

Undergraduate admission Requirements for F-1 visa students

• University Undergraduate application
• $55 US application fee
• TOEFL: 61 iBT (equivalent to 500 paper) or IELTS 6.0
• Grade Point Average (GPA) 2.5 on 4.0 scale
• Individual articulated courses will be accepted for transfer only if they are completed with a grade of C or better
• Financial Statement showing cost of living and studying for one year
• Sponsor letter, if financially sponsored
• Signed Medical Health Insurance agreement

Graduate admission requirements for F-1 visa students

• TOEFL: 80 iBT for most majors, 96 for MBA and TESOL
• IELTS: 7.0 for most majors (including MBA). TESOL only accepts TOEFL, no IELTS
• GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) for MBA. Percentile in each section is 40 %
• GRE (Graduate Record Exam) is required for certain majors. Percentile in each section depends on the academic major
• Grade Point Average (GPA) 3.0 on 4.0 scale for most majors, some majors required a higher GPA
• Letters for recommendation
• Personal statement
• Most majors have two applications, one to the university and one to the academic department
• Financial Statement showing cost of living and studying for one year
• Sponsor letter, if financially sponsored
• Signed Medical Health Insurance agreement

See attached sheet for tuition and fees
See attached sheet for articulation template
See attached sheet for MOU template

General Education SF State Template

Courses At San Francisco State University			Equivalent Courses At Partner Institution
Course	Title	Units	Course	Title	Units
	General Education Area A – English (need 12 units)			General Education Area A – English (need 12 units)
English 209	First Year Composition -- Multilingual	3
English 210	Oral Communication – Multilingual	3
English 310	Second Year Composition--Multilingual	3
Phil 110	Introduction to Critical Thinking I	3
	Total Units Area A	12
	General Education Area B --Science and Math (need 10 units)			General Education Area B --Science and Math (need 10 units)
Math 226 OR Math124	Calculus I OR Elementary Statistics OR similar courses	3 3
Biology 100	Human Biology OR similar course in Life Sciences	3
Ph 111/112 OR Chem 115 OR ASTR 115/116 OR GEOL 100/101	General Physics with Lab General Chemistry with Lab Introduction to Astronomy with Lab Introduction to Geology with Lab	3 5 4 4
	Either the course in physical science or the course in Life Science must include a Laboratory segment	1		Either the course in physical science or the course in Life Science must include a Laboratory segment
	Total Units Area B	10-11			10-12
	General Education Area C – Arts and Humanities (need 9 units – Take three courses of those below or similar			General Education Area C – Arts and Humanities (need at least 9 units – take any three of the following courses)
	World Civilization	3
	Literature	3
	Foreign Language (non-native)	3
	Art	3
	Music	3
		3
		3
	Total Units Area C	9			9
	General Education Area D –Social Sciences (need 9 units)			General Education Area D –Social Sciences (need 9 units)
ECON 101 OR ECON 100 HIST 115	Introduction to Microeconomic Analysis OR Introduction to Macroeconomic Analysis OR World History II OR similar courses in the Social Sciences	3
Hist 120 OR Hist 121	History of the United States through Reconstruction OR History of the United States since Reconstruction	3 3
Pol Sci 200	American Politics	3
	Total Units Area D	9			9
	Area E—Lifelong Understanding and Self Development (3 units )
Psych 200 OR Soc 105	General Psychology OR Sociological Perspectives (if student take both of these courses, one may count for Social Science above)	3 3
	Total Units Area E	3			3

*May be applied to Social Science

To be taken at San Francisco State:

Lower Division:
PLSI 273 Essentials of California History	1 unit
Upper division General Education:	9 units
San Francisco State University requires all graduates to complete a thematic cluster of three upper-division courses. For a complete list of all thematic clusters, see http://www.sfsu.edu/~bulletin/current/ge1.htm. It is sometimes possible to double-count one or two courses used for this purpose with the major.
English Proficiency Exam:	possible 3 units
San Francisco State University requires all students to pass a proficiency examination in written English after they have completed 60 units or take English 410, 411, or 414.

General Principles for Undergraduate Program Articulation

This articulation program is designed to admit highly motivated students whose academic record is at least equivalent to a 2.5 grade point average (B-/C+). Individual courses will be accepted for transfer only if they are completed with a grade equivalent to C- or better. Students are advised to transfer to San Francisco State University (SF State) prior to accumulating 70 semester units or at the end of two years of full-time study or the equivalent.

All college-level courses from two-year institutions will be transferred as lower-division units, with a maximum of 70 semester units.

At the discretion of the SF State academic departments, the course content of lower-division transfer courses may be used to substitute for upper-division course work at SF State, making it unnecessary to complete duplicate work. These courses will not count toward the minimum number of upper-division units required for the major and the degree.

Courses from four-year institutions may be accepted as upper-division units as specified in specific articulation agreements or as appropriate. These courses will count toward the minimum number of upper-division units required for the major and the degree.

All college-level courses will be transferred as ungraded units.

All college-level courses taken at partner institutions that are not needed for General Education or major requirements will be counted as general electives.

English composition and oral communication courses taken at partner universities (equivalent to English 209, 210, and 310 at SF State) may be accepted as meeting the General Education requirements. Generally, these courses must require one-year of university-level English as a prerequisite. Students entering the prerequisite course work should generally have 3 years of English preparation at the secondary level or the equivalent. Final determination as to acceptance of English Composition and Oral Communication courses for transfer credit will be made by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, consulting with the SF State English Department as needed.

(Signed) Dean of Undergraduate Studies

Science and Engineering Template for Undergraduate Majors

Course	Title	Units	Course	San Francisco State University Title	Units
			Biol 230	Introductory Biology I	5
			Biol 240	Introductory Biology II	5
			Biol 313	Principles of Ecology	3
			Biol 355	Genetics	3
			Biol 580	Limnology	3
			Biol 582	Biological Oceanography	3
			Chem 115	General Chemistry I: Essential Concepts of Chemistry	5
			Chem 215	General Chemistry II: Quantitative Applications of Chemistry Concepts	3
			Chem 216	General Chemistry II Laboratory:Quantitative Applications of Chemistry Concepts	2
			Chem 333	Organic Chemistry I	3
			Chem 334	Organic Chemistry I Laboratory	1
			Chem 335	Organic Chemistry II	3
			Chem 336	Organic Chemistry II Laboratory	1
			Csc 201	Introduction to Computer Programming for Non-majors	3
			Csc 313	Data Structure	3
			Csc 413	Software Development	3
			Csc 640	Software Engineering	3
			Csc 645	Computer Networks	3
			Csc 675	Introduction to Database Systems	3
			Engr 100	Introduction to Engineering	1
			Engr 100+101	Introduction to Engineering & Engineering Graphics	1+1
			Engr 102	Statics	3
			Engr 106	Introduction to Engineering Laboratory	1
			Engr 200	Materials of Engineering	3
			Engr 201	Dynamics	3
			Engr 205+206	Electric Circuits & Circuits and Instrumentation Laboratory	3+1
			Engr 303	Engineering Thermodynamics	3
			Engr 305	Linear Sytems Analysis	3
			Engr 309	Mechanics of Solid	3
			Engr 356+357	Basic Computer Architecture & Basic Digital Laboratory	3+1
			Engr 456	Computer Systems	3
			Geol 100	Introduction to Geology	3
			Geol 101	Introduction to Geology Laboratory	1
			Geol 270	Environmental Geology	3
			Geol 102	Introduction to Oceanography	3
			Geol 310	Planetary Climate Change	4
			Metr 100	Introduction to Meteorology	3
			Metr 102	Introduction to Oceanography	3
			Metr 310	Planetary Climate Change	4
			Math 109	College Algebra and Trigonomitry	3-4
			Math 110	Business Calculus	3
			Math 226	Calculus I	4
			Math 227	Calculus II	4
			Math 228	Calculus III	4
			Math 245	Elementary Differential Equations and Linear Algebra	3
			Math 324	Probaility and Statistics with Computing	3
			Math 330	Discrete Mathematics	3
			Astr 115	Introduction to Astronomy	3
			Phys 220	General Physics with Calculus I	3
			Phys 222	General Physics with Calculus I Laboratory	1
			Phys 230	General Physics with Calculus II	3
			Phys 232	General Physics with Calculus II Laboratory	1

Template Business Administration

			San Francisco State University Basic Courses for All Business Administration Majors
Course	Title	Units	Course	Title	Units
			ACCT 100	Principles of Financial Accounting	3
			ACCT 101	Principles of Managerial Accounting	3
			ACCT 307	Accounting Information Systems	3
			BUS 360	Business Communication	3
			BUS 682	Environment of Business	3
			BUS 690	Seminar in Business Policy and Strategic Management	3
			DS 110 Or Math 110	Mathematical Analysis for Business Or Business Calculus	3 3
			DS 212	Business Statistics I	3
			DS 412	Operations Management	3
			ECON 100	Introduction to Macroeconomic Analysis	3
			ECON 101	Introduction to Economic Analysis II	3
			FIN 350	Business Finance	3
			IBUS 330	International Business and Multicultural Relations	3
			ISYS 263	Introduction to Information Systems	3
			ISYS 363	Information Systems for Management	3
			MATH 110	Business Calculus	3
			MGMT 405	Introduction to Management and Organizational Behavior	3
			MGMT 407	Economics for Managers	3
			MKTG 431	Marketing	3

Abbreviations: Accounting (ACCT); Business (BUS); Decision Sciences (DS); Economics (ECON); Finance (FIN); International Business (IBUS); Information Systems (ISYS); Management (MGMT); Marketing (MKTG)

All courses must be completed with a grade of C- or better.

Students from other universities who wish to graduate from San Francisco State University with a major in Business Administration will need to complete the necessary General Education courses and all of the courses above for which there is no Equivalent.

For the remainder of courses necessary for various Business Administration majors, go to http://cob.sfsu.edu/cob/undergraduate-programs/overview.cfm and follow the links to Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

(Signed) Dean, College of Business

Agreement Regarding Articulation of Bachelor’s Degree Program(s) in XXXXX Between XXXXX University/College
and San Francisco State University

The parties to this articulation agreement are XXXXX University/College and San Francisco State University (SF State).

XXXXX University/College and San Francisco State University agree to sponsor a program such that a student who successfully completes classes specified in the attached articulation programs at XXXXX University/College and successfully completes all requirements in a bachelor’s degree program in XXXXX at SF State will receive the appropriate bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University.

ARTICULATION PROGRAMS (ATTACHED TO THIS AGREEMENT)

The initial programs will be for General Education and the Bachelor of XXXXX in (major) and the Bachelor of XXXXX in (major), although students who have completed the General Education requirements of San Francisco State University may enroll in a different major if they wish. The articulated programs have been reviewed and approved by the appropriate faculty and administrators of XXXXX University/College and the appropriate faculty and administrators of SF State. The attached articulation programs may be updated at any time during the tenure of this agreement with the consent of both parties.

College level courses taken that are not needed for General Education or major requirements will be counted as general electives. All courses must be completed with a grade of C- or better and students may transfer no more than 70 units to San Francisco State University. All transfer courses will be ungraded, lower division units unless they are specifically accepted for upper division credit in the attached articulation programs. At the discretion of the SF State academic departments, the course content of transfer courses may be used to substitute for upper division course work at SF State, making it unnecessary to complete duplicate work; but the upper division minimums for the major and the degree still apply.

The parties to this agreement understand and agree to the following:

• Students who wish to complete degree programs at SF State must meet all requirements for admission to SFSU as transfer students and apply according to agreed upon deadlines. General information about transfer procedures is available online at http://www.sfsu.edu/prospect/apply/transfer.html. Specific information about the requirements for transfer is at http://www.sfsu.edu/prospect/costs/fees.html. These sources are always kept up to date. If there are questions about particular requirements, questions should be directed to the SFSU campus liaison.
• Students of XXXXX University/College who are admitted to SF State will be expected to pay the same tuition and fees required of all students studying with a non-immigrant F-1 student visa while studying at SF State.
• If the (major) faculty or the (major) faculty of either participating institution makes changes in the requirements for their degree programs, the articulated programs that are attached must be revised to reflect the new degree requirements.
• Both parties will identify a liaison to ensure regular communication concerning program and student progress, and to work closely on new program issues as they come up.
• During students’ first two years of study, XXXXX University/College will provide all needed advising and services to students in the program, so that students may meet SF State requirements and transfer to SF State in a timely manner.
• SF State will provide all required advising and services while students are enrolled at SF State, to assist in keeping the legal status and successful completion of the academic program.
• SF State will assist the students of XXXX University/College in the process of transferring to SF State, including advising on application, housing, visa process, and course registration.
• Students in the program may progress at different speeds. Therefore, some students may take longer than four years to complete the bachelor’s degree requirements, which will be allowed provided that such students are monitored and provided counseling to ensure continued progress toward completing the program.
• SF State will assist the students’ F-1 visa applications to its best ability.
• This agreement is effective on the date signed by both parties and for five years.
• Each party has the right to discontinue the arrangements of this agreement with advance notification to the other party. Notwithstanding the termination of this agreement, the parties agree to honor the terms of the agreement for any students who are enrolled at SF State until those students complete their program.

For XXXXX University/College	For San Francisco State University
XXXXX	XXXXX Dean, Undergraduate Studies
Date	Date

Attachments:
1. Program articulation for XXXXX
2. Program articulation for XXXXX

Memorandum of Understanding Between San Francisco State University and XXXXX University/College

1. This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recognizes the intention of San Francisco State University and XXXXX University/College to establish a relationship to work together for their mutual benefit and the benefit of their students.
2. These collaborative activities include the development of course articulation agreements in order to facilitate student selection of courses for transfer from XXXXX University/College to SF State. These agreements are, at this time, to be in the following areas:
   • Courses to fulfill General Education Program requirements
   • Courses comparable to major preparation courses for the major in XXXXX
3. XXXXX University /College will work closely with San Francisco State University faculty on course development. SF State faculty will participate in XXXXX University/College course development and instruction as possible and as appropriate. Specific arrangements for San Francisco State University faculty will be negotiated separately.
4. It is agreed by both parties that students applying to San Francisco State University will submit a California State University (CSU)/SF State admission application during the open filing period and meet all admission eligibility requirements. Since dates and requirements are subject to change, it is advisable to consult the SF State website at http://www.sfsu.edu/prospect/costs/fees.html for current information.
5. The cost of non-California resident tuition and fees for one academic year (two semesters) at San Francisco State University is available on the SFSU website at http://www.sfsu.edu/prospect/costs/fees.html. These fees are subject to change without notice.
6. The San Francisco State University name and logo will not be used in any promotional materials without the prior review and written approval of SF State.
7. The liaison for this program at SF State will be XXXXX and for XXXXX will be XXXXX.
8. This initial agreement shall be valid for four years. It will be automatically renewed unless one or both parties notify the other party in writing of termination six months prior to the effective date. Each party agrees to inform the other of changes in curriculum or other circumstances that affect these agreements. Each party has the right to discontinue the arrangements of this MOU with advance notification to the other party. Notwithstanding the termination of this agreement, the parties agree to honor the terms of the agreement for any students who are enrolled at SF State until those students complete their program.
9. SF State assumes no financial or personal responsibility for actions taken by the students whether willful or neglectful with respect to any programs that may result from this MOU.

Signatures and Dates

Robert A. Corrigan President San Francisco State University	XXXXX President XXXXX University/College
Date	Date

San Francisco State University
International Student 2009-10 Estimated Expenses

DEPENDENTS: $5,000 per year for spouse/each child

Update Oct 2009