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Catalog Rights

Catalog Rights and Continuous Enrollment Policy

The MSJC Catalog year is Fall, Spring, and Summer, and the MSJC Catalog is revised and updated annually. Catalog rights refer to the specific set of requirements, as established in an MSJC catalog for a specific year, which a student must satisfy to qualify for a certificate or degree. Within the MSJC Catalog are policies, procedures, major requirements, and course descriptions - all of which may impact graduation requirements. Students’ individual graduation requirements are not always subject to these annual updates depending on the students’ catalog year. 

Students’ catalog rights are established by the first term a student attends MSJC and enrolls in a course earning an evaluative/non-evaluative symbol. Students maintain rights to a particular set of graduation requirements, which is referred to as catalog rights, when the student remains continuously enrolled (or ensure no gaps in attendance).  

Maintaining Catalog Rights at MSJC 

A student’s catalog rights are maintained provided: 

  • The student continues enrollment (enrollment in one course per calendar year, January 1-December 31) at MSJC or at any regionally accredited institution.  
    • In order to maintain catalog rights based on the initial semester of enrollment, at least one type of evaluative or non-evaluative symbols must have been posted on the official college transcript. Evaluative symbols included but are not limited to grades of “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, “F”, “P” or “NP” and may include +/- designations. Non-Evaluative symbols include but are not limited to grades of “I”, “IP”, “RD”, "EW" or “W” and are not used in calculating grade point averages. 

Continuous Enrollment 

  • Continuous enrollment at MSJC is defined as attendance in one semester within a calendar year (January 1- December 31).
  • Students who have been continuously enrolled  by attending MSJC or any other regionally accredited institution will maintain the initial catalog year from when they first began taking courses and may elect to qualify for graduation from MSJC under catalog requirements in effect either: 
    • At the time they entered MSJC and began taking courses  
    • At the time they graduate MSJC 
    • At the time they began attending any regionally accredited institution; 
  • NOTE: While the student may graduate based on any one of the catalogs in effect during their continuous enrollment, all of the requirements in that one catalog must be met. Students may not combine requirements from more than one catalog to satisfy the graduation requirements. In the event that required courses have been discontinued, students may petition for substitution.  

CSU Ethnic Studies Catalog Rights 

  • MSJC aligns to the catalog rights requirements for Ethnic Studies set forth by the CSU Chancellors Office. For information on the CSU Ethnic Studies and Catalog Rights requirement please refer to the CSU Ethnic Studies Catalog Rights Chart. 

High School Dual Enrollment Students and Concurrent High School Enrollment 

  • Dual enrollment students who start at a CCC may establish CCC catalog rights in the semester they first start taking courses (excluding non-credit courses) at a CCC, but students are advised to contact their transfer institution for details on how catalog rights are established after transfer. 

Notes: 

  • The above catalog rights and continuous enrollment definitions align with the CCC, Title 5 policies, and the CSU Chancellor's Office policies. This alignment ensures that no student is unfairly penalized in terms of general education certifications, transfer, and admission. 
  • Per the Catalog Right for Dual Enrollment Policy, CCC student may establish catalog rights in the semester they first start taking courses at a CCC, but the CSUs will not honor those catalog rights, as dual enrollment students may only establish catalog rights with the CSU after they graduate from high school. 
  • The California State Universities (CSUs) catalog rights are governed by Title 5, § 40401. Some CSUs may honor CCC catalog rights policies and extend their applicability to all students, in practice. 
  • Regardless of catalog rights and continuous enrollment, the CSUs and UCs will honor completion of general education coursework at a CCC provided the course was on the approved GE certification list at the time the course was completed. 
  • For more information on transfer general education, please see the Cal-GETC Catalog Rights Chart.
  • The University of California (UC) has no systemwide catalog rights policy. UC will continue to accept appropriate CCC certifications of IGETC and Cal-GETC for incoming students for the time being.