Program for Accelerated College Education (PACE)

Program for Accelerated College Education
Academic Programs and Graduate Studies/Academic Advising and Career Education
Student Services and Administration Building

PACE Office: SA 2300, 2nd Floor (located inside Academic Advising and Career Education)
Phone: (510) 885-PACE (7223)
Fax: (510) 885-4785
Email: paceoffice@csueastbay.edu
Website: www.csueastbay.edu/pace

Academic Director: Donna Wiley

Program Coordinator: Shannon Coskran

Program Description

PACE is an innovative program which enables working adult students to make accelerated progress toward a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in either Human Development or Liberal Studies. PACE classes are the same as those taken by students pursuing their degrees through the traditional university format. The only difference is the carefully structured course sequence which includes only courses in the evening, weekend and/or online, as well as the dedicated academic advising for PACE students. The PACE Program is also available at the Cal State East Bay Concord Campus.

Convenient Locations

Hayward Hills Campus
Concord Campus

Career Opportunities

Graduates in Human Development enjoy a wide variety of professional career opportunities. Among these are business, consulting, counseling and social services, probation/corrections, and education. The Human Development major is excellent preparation for graduate programs in law, counseling, social work, clinical psychology, public administration, and business administration.

Liberal Studies graduates go on to a broad range of careers and occupations in community services, business, government, early childhood education and the elementary (K-8) teaching profession. The Liberal Studies major is also excellent preparation for law school and graduate work in numerous fields such as public administration and education.

Features

PACE students are provided with a curriculum roadmap consisting of 12 to 13 units per quarter that allows them to complete their degree in two years. All classes are offered evenings, weekends, or online for the convenience of the working adult. The Human Development major can be fully completed online. PACE students also have access to intensive advising services in AACE, and are eligible to apply for the Bernard Osher Reentry Scholarship.

Students who come into the program with all entry requirements met, including sufficient transfer units, may complete the B.A. or B.S. in a minimum of seven quarters.

PACE Priority: Seating is reserved for PACE students in designated classes through the first pass of regular registration. PACE registration privileges only apply to the first pass of registration. Students placed on a waitlist for a course will be taken in the order in which they were placed on the waitlist. Also, students who miss the first class may be dropped.

Preparation

The best preparation for entry into the PACE Program is the completion of lower division General Education requirements. PACE welcomes inquiries from community college counselors and prospective students. Pre-admission advising for potential transfer students is available through pre-admission counselors at the Welcome Center. To schedule an appointment, call (510) 885-2256.

Specific PACE entry requirements are:

Acceptance for admission to Cal State East Bay must be completed before applying to the PACE program. For university admission information and criteria visit the Admission Office’s website. To meet with a pre-admission counselor to find out if you meet the admission criteria or to learn more about the admission process, please visit their website.
Must be a newly admitted transfer student. PACE does not admit current students or a student that started at Cal State East Bay as a freshman.
Must be working at least 25 hours per week.
Must be 25 or older.
Must be willing to take a minimum of 8 units per quarter while enrolled at Cal State East Bay.
Lower division General Education course work must be completed for PACE admission. Please consult with a community college transfer advisor regarding CSU East Bay’s lower division GE requirements.
Must pursue a major supported by PACE. Currently PACE only supports Human Development and Liberal Studies majors.

Students who have not completed the Cal State East Bay or PACE entry requirements are encouraged to do so, either at CSU East Bay or at their community college, and reapply.

Admission

Application to PACE is a two-step process. Prospective students must first apply to the university using the CSUMentor online application. Students must then complete the PACE application, which is available online from the PACE website, www.csueastbay.edu/pace.

PACE applicants are evaluated for acceptance into the PACE program after they are admitted to the university. Students will be notified of their acceptance into the program by email. Students are normally admitted to PACE in Fall Quarter each year due to the cohort nature of the program. However, students may apply for other quarters and will be accepted into the program on a space available basis. Students who have not completed the PACE entry requirements are encouraged to do so, either at Cal State East Bay or at their community college, and reapply to the program when they are completed.

Program Structure and Requirements

PACE students are provided with a program curriculum roadmap that provides a quarter-by-quarter schedule of their program’s course offerings. Students are expected to follow the roadmap as closely as possible, taking a minimum of eight units each quarter, or risk being discontinued from the PACE program. These roadmaps are available on the PACE website.

Major Requirements

See the Human Development chapter or Liberal Studies chapter in the undergraduate section of the catalog.