The American Experience
US History, Constitution and American Ideals (40404)
The D1 requirement is mandated by the State, and must incorporate the following three components:
- US 1 – Historical development of American institutions and ideals
- US 2 – U.S. Constitution and government
- US 3 – California state and local government
Students with no transfer work and/or AP scores
If you started at Cal Poly as a First-Time Freshman with no US History, Government or Politics AP scores or transfer work, the best way to meet the American Experience (Cal Poly D1) requirement would be to take one course here at Cal Poly. Cal Poly incorporates all three components into its designated GE D1 courses.
Students with AP and/or transfer work
If you are a student with all or some US History, Government and Politics transfer work or AP scores, the best way to see what credit you received is to check your D1 requirement in your DPR. If the requirement is GREEN then you have completed the D1 American Experience requirement.
If your D1 is RED, contact the Evaluations unit at evaluations@calpoly.edu to inquire as to the best way to satisfy your D1. This is a complicated requirement and varies on a student by student basis. Here is a chart with multiple ways The American Experience (D1) can be satisfied if not taken at Cal Poly.
| US-1 (one of the following) | US-2 (one of the following) | US-3 (one of the following) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. AP US History | 1. AP Gov and Politics: US only | 1. POLS 111 at Cal Poly (1 unit) |
| 2. A US-1 CCC course* | 2. A US-2 CCC course* | 2. A US-3 CCC course* |
| 3. An appropriate US History course from a private school, out-of-state school, UC or CSU | 3. An appropriate US Government course from a private school, out-of-state school, UC or CSU | 3. An appropriate State and Local government course from a California private school, UC or CSU only |
*To check for D1 component designators at a CCC, go to www.assist.org and, after selecting the appropriate CCC and academic year, click on the link titled: CSU US History, Constitution, and American Ideals Courses. Scroll down to see courses and components. BE AWARE of the ‘Date Approved’ and ‘Date Removed’ column. If it has been “removed” do not take that course.
Note: Anything taken prior to Fall 2004 will need to be manually investigated because Assist did not publish 40404 components until Fall 2004. Note that some courses cover two components.