Degree Requirements
Focus Areas
Associate of Arts and Associate of Science students who have not picked a more traditional degree program will choose three Focus Areas from the following list of options in order to provide structure to their studies while also providing them with the flexibility to explore a number of disciplines that they are interested in. A minimum of 21 credits must be completed within the three chosen Focus Areas.
To qualify for an Associate of Arts degree students must complete a minimum of two (out of three total focus areas) Associate of Arts focus areas. The following focus areas are considered Associate of Arts: Anthropology, Art, Communication, Criminal Justice, Education, English, History, Languages, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, and Theatre.
To qualify for an Associate of Science degree students must complete a minimum of two (out of three total focus areas) Associate of Science focus areas. The following focus areas are considered Associate o Science: Biology, Business, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Exercise Science, Mathematics & Statistics, and Physics.
Note - Courses cannot count as both a general education course and a focus area course.
Freshman Year - Fall Semester
- ENGL 1010 - English Composition I Credits: 3
- Western Experience Credits: 1
- Quantitative Literacy Credits: 3
- Human Society and the Individual Credits: 3
- Focus Area Course Credits: 3
Subtotal: 13
Freshman Year - Fall Semester Notes:
- In addition to ENGL 1010 , students may be required to also take ENGL 1011 (2 credits) due to placement, adding 2 additional credits to their graduation total.
- Students must complete 3 focus areas. See Focus Areas and Focus Area Courses listed below.
Freshman Year - Spring Semester
Subtotal: 16
Freshman Year - Spring Semester Notes:
Sophomore Year - Fall Semester
- Creative Expression Credits: 3
- Human Culture Credits: 3
- Critical Thinking Credits: 4
- Focus Area Courses Credits: 6
Subtotal: 16
Sophomore Year - Fall Semester Notes:
- See Focus Areas and Focus Area Courses listed below.
Sophomore Year - Spring Semester
- General Electives Credits: 3-9
- Focus Area Courses Credits: 6-12
Subtotal: 15
Sophomore Year - Spring Semester Notes:
- General Electives: Any courses 1000 level or higher and adding up to 3-9 semester hours.
- See Focus Areas and Focus Area Courses listed below.
Anthropology
A minimum of nine (9) Anthropology (ANTH) credits.
Art
A minimum of nine (9) Art (ART) credits.
Biology
(A minimum of eight (8) credits from the following list)
Business
A minimum of nine (9) credits from any of the following categories:
- Accounting (ACCT)
- Business Administration (BADM)
- Business (BUSN)
- Economics (ECON)
- Decision Science (DSCI)
- Finance (FIN)
- Management (MGT)
- Marketing (MKT)
Chemistry
(A minimum of eight (8) credits from the following list)
Communication
A minimum of nine (9) Communication (COMM) credits.
Computer Science
A minimum of seven (7) Computer Science (COSC) credits.
Criminal Justice
A minimum of nine (9) Criminal Justice (CRMJ) credits.
Education
A minimum of nine (9) credits from any of the following categories:
- Curriculum and Instruction Education (EDCI)
- Elementary Education (EDEL)
- Exceptional Child Education (EDEX)
- Foundations of Education (EDFD)
- General Education (EDUC)
- Instructional Technology (ITEC)
Engineering
A minimum of nine (9) Engineering (ES) credits.
English
A minimum of nine (9) English (ENGL) credits.
Exercise Science
A minimum of eight (8) credits from the following categories:
- Kinesiology (KIN)
- Health Education (HLED)
History
A minimum of nine (9) History (HIST) credits.
Language
A minimum of eight (8) language credits from the following categories:
- Spanish (SPAN)
- Sign Language (ASL)
- French (FREN)
- Or, an approved language examination score such as CLEP.
**All eight credits must be in a single category (e.g. 8 credits of SPAN, 8 credits of ASL, etc.)**
Mathematics & Statistics
(A minimum of nine (9) credits from the following list)
Physics
A minimum of eight (8) Physics (PHYS) credits.
Political Science
A minimum of nine (9) Political Science (POLS) credits.
Psychology
A minimum of nine (9) Psychology (PSYC) credits.
Sociology
A minimum of nine (9) Sociology (SOC) credits.
Social Work
A minimum of nine (9) Social Work (SOWK) credits.
Theatre
A minimum of nine (9) Theatre (THEA) credits.
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