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Associate in Arts & Sciences (AAS)

The Associate in Arts & Sciences degree is designed for students who plan to transfer to four-year institutions after completing the first two years of study at Pierce. The degree enables students to fulfill the undergraduate general education requirements of most four-year degree programs and is also recommended for students who have not yet decided the field they will enter or the four-year institution they will attend.

Pierce College's AAS degree meets the Inter-College Relations Commission's AA Transfer Degree Guidelines for Washington colleges and universities.

General Degree Requirements

1. A minimum of 90 earned credits in courses numbered 100 or above is required to complete the AAS degree. The 90 credits must include at least 60 core requirement credits, 15 core elective (GTE) credits, and 15 general elective credits.
2. English 101 (Composition - Exposition) or English 121 (Composition: Academic and Professional) is required for all AAS degree candidates. Students cannot receive credit for both courses.
3. The "W" requirement has been discontinued. [Read more]
4. A minimum of 25 of the last 45 credits must be earned at Pierce College.
5. A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or better is required.
6. A 1.5 grade (C-) or better for all core requirements and core elective (GTE) courses is required unless prerequisites state otherwise.
7. "Pass" (P) grades may be used only for general elective credits.
8. Independent study credits may be used only for general elective credits.
9. Cooperative work experience/work-based learning credits may be applied to the general elective area only.
10. Once a course has been successfully completed, credits obtained may be used only once, even if that course is listed in more than one category.

Core Requirements

Courses should be selected from the Approved Core Requirements (GER) list (page 45). A minimum of 60 credits must be earned, distributed as follows.

• Communication Skills - 10 credit minimum. Must include English 101 or English 121. Credit cannot be given for both.
• Quantitative/Symbolic Reasoning Skills - five credit minimum. Prerequisite: Mathematics 098 with a grade of 2.0 or better or placement out of Math 098.
• Humanities - 15 credit minimum. Must include at least three different disciplines, with no more than five credits from performance/skills courses.
• Social Sciences - 15 credit minimum. Must include at least three different disciplines.
• Natural Sciences - 15 credit minimum. Must include at least three different disciplines, and must include at least one laboratory course.

Core Electives (GTE)

A minimum of 15 credits must be earned from Pierce College's approved General Transferable Elective (GTE) list. Courses taken for a pass/no pass grade and independent study courses and cooperative work experience/work-based learning courses DO NOT apply to the GTE area.

General Electives

Up to 15 elective credits may be completed, using Pierce College courses numbered 100 or above. A maximum of five activity physical education credits (courses numbered 100-199) may be applied to this area.

Associate in Arts & Sciences - Option B

Students who are sure of the specific four-year program to which they will transfer can design a program to fulfill the senior institution's general admission and program entry requirements. This degree program is not recommended for students who are undecided about their future educational plans.
The student completes an AAS-Option B contract which must be approved by an authorized representative of the senior institution and returned to Pierce College evaluations office. The degree is awarded upon successful completion of the contracted course of study. Contract forms, policies and procedures are available in the advising center.

General Degree Requirements

1. A minimum of 90 credits must be completed, as authorized for transfer by the four-year institution's representative. Students must remain aware of the senior institution's requirements and officially update the Option B contract as needed. Each AAS-Option B student is ultimately responsible for meeting senior institution requirements.
2. The student must earn a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or better and a grade of 1.5 (C-) or better in all core, proficiency, or distribution courses unless prerequisites state otherwise.
3. A minimum of 25 of the last 45 credits must be earned at Pierce College.
4. Courses selected must meet the senior institution's general distribution requirements plus any special proficiency requirements where applicable, or must meet the departmental requirements for entrance. The student should be prepared to provide a copy of the senior institution's current catalog to a Pierce College advisor for assistance in program planning.
5. AAS-option B degree candidate must present to the evaluations office, at least two quarters prior to graduation, a copy of the Option B program contract together with any supporting documentation.

AAS Core Requirements (GER)

60 credit minimum
Course Title Credits

COMMUNICATION SKILLS (10 CREDIT MINIMUM)
*ENGL 101 OR 121 required. Cannot receive credit for both.

BUS 250 Business Communications 5
*ENGL 101 Composition - Exposition 5
ENGL 102 English Composition - Writing About Lit. 5
ENGL 103 Composition - Argumentation & Research 5
ENGL 110 Natural History Essay 5
ENGL 111 Technical Writing 5
*ENGL 121 Composition: Academic & Professional 5
JOURN 102 Intro. to Newswriting 5
JOURN 103 Intro. to Feature Writing 5

QUANTITATIVE/SYMBOLIC REASONING SKILLS (5 CREDIT MINIMUM)
Prereq: MATH 098 with a grade of 2.0 or better or placement above MATH 098.

ANTHR 230 Intro. to Archaeology 5
BUS 201 Business Statistics 5
CHEM 139 Prep. for General Chemistry 5
CIS 201 Computer Science I 5
CIS 202 Computer Science II 5
ECON 212 Principles. of Economics (Micro) 5
MATH 107 Intro. to Contemporary Math 5
MATH 114 Applied Algebra, Geometry & Trigonometry 5
MATH 121 Pre-Calculus I 5
MATH 122 Pre-Calculus II 5
MATH 124 Analytic Geometry & Calculus I 5
MATH 125 Analytic Geometry & Calculus II 5
MATH 126 Analytic Geometry & Calculus III 5
MATH 156 Finite Mathematics 5
MATH 157 Elements of Calculus 5
MATH 281 Intro. to Statistics 5
PHIL 120 Intro. to Logic 5

HUMANITIES (15 CREDIT MINIMUM)
Select from at least three disciplines. No more than five credits from performance/skills courses. For Performance/Skills Courses, see the end of the Humanities Listing.

ART 100 Intro. to Art 5
ART 110 Art Appreciation 5
ART 145 History of Art (Contemporary) 5
ENGL 108 Grammar and Punctuation 2
ENGL 109 Language Awareness: Semantics 3
ENGL 111 Technical Writing 5
ENGL 112 English Grammar 5
* ENGL 121 Composition: Academic & Professional 5
ENGL 122 Applied Composition II 5
ENGL 200 Intro. to Literature 5
ENGL 201 Intro. to Fiction 5
ENGL 202 Intro. to Drama 5
ENGL 203 Intro. to Poetry 5
ENGL 204 The Bible as Literature 5
ENGL 205 Intro. to Mythology 5
ENGL 207 Native American Literature 5
ENGL 210 Intro. to American Literature 5
ENGL 211-213 British Literature 5
ENGL 220 Literature of U.S. Slavery & Abolition 5
ENGL 221-224 American Literature 5
ENGL 230 Women Writers: Voices from Intern. Mosaic 5
ENGL 231-233 Creative Writing 5
ENGL 234 Intro. to Shakespeare 5
ENGL 239 World Literature
ENGL 240 Intro. to Linguistics 5
ENGL 245 Creative Writing: Special Projects 5
ENGL 251 Advanced Composition I 5

Foreign Language
CHNSE 101-103 Elementary Chinese 5
FRNCH 101-103 Elementary French 5
FRNCH 201-203 Intermediate French 5
GERMN 101-103 Elementary German 5
GERMN 201-203 Intermediate German 5
JPNSE 101-103 Elementary Japanese 5
KREAN 101-103 Elementary Korean 5
KREAN 201-203 Intermediate Korean 5
RUSSN 101-103 Elementary Russian 5
RUSSN 201-203 Intermediate Russian 5
SIGN 120-122 American Sign Language 5
SPAN 101-103 Elementary Spanish 5
SPAN 201-203 Intermediate Spanish 5
HIST 101-103 History of Civilizations 5
HIST 168 Vietnam War as History 5
HIST 230 Concise History of Science & Technology 5
HIST 241-244 United States History 5
HIST 260 Hist. of Russia & Soviet Union 5
HIST 264 History of the Pacific Northwest 5
HIST 270 Intro. to the Far East 5
HIST 272 Survey of Middle East History 5
HIST 277 The Cold War 5
HIST 280 Intro. to Chinese Civilization 5
HIST 284 Intro. to the Balkans 5
HUMAN 101-103 Western Thought & Culture 5
HUMAN 105 Black Thought & Culture 5
HUMAN 106 Ethnic Thought and Culture 5
HUMAN 107 Native American Legends & Performance 5
HUMAN 120 Intro. to Folklore 5
HUMAN 125 Nat. Amer. Dance: Ceremony & Perf. 5
HUMAN 204 American Popular Culture 5
HUMAN 205 NW Native American Culture: Totems & Cedars 5
HUMAN 210 American Cinema & Society 5
HUMAN 241 Science & Humanities 5
HUMAN 277 British Life & Culture 5
JOURN 101 Intro. to Mass Media 5
JOURN 102 Intro. to Newswriting 5
JOURN 103 Intro. to Feature Writing 5
MUSIC 100 Intro. to Rock and Roll 5
MUSIC 101 Intro. to Music 5
MUSIC 103 Intro. to Jazz 5
MUSIC 110,112,114 Music Theory I,II,III 5
MUSIC 210,212,214 Music Theory IV,V, VI 5
PHIL 100 Intro. to Philosophy 5
PHIL 150 Intro. to Ethics 5
PHIL 210 Philosophy of Religion 5
PHIL 230 Contemporary Moral Problems 5
SPCH 100 Speech Communication 5
SPCH 105 Intercultural Communication 5
SPCH 110 Fundamentals of Public Speaking 5
SPCH 115 Small Group Communication 5
SPCH 120-122 American Sign Language 5
SPCH 210 New Media Presentation 5
THTR 150 Intro. to Theatre Arts 5
THTR 160 Intro. to Film & Video 5

Humanities Performance/Skills (5 credit maximum)
ART 101-103 Design 5
ART 107-109 Photography 5
ART 111-113 Drawing 5
ART 150-152 Printmaking 5
ART 190-192 Photography Workshop 5
ART 201-203 Painting 5
ART 255-257 Printmaking Workshop 5
ART 275-277 Painting Workshop 5
MUSIC 120-122 Class Piano 1.5
MUSIC 126-127 Class Guitar 1
MUSIC 130-139, 230-239 Private Instruction 0.5
MUSIC 140, 240 College Choir 2
MUSIC 144, 244 Concert Choir 2.5
MUSIC 145, 245 Jazz Choir 2.5
MUSIC 146, 246 Vocal Jazz Lab 2.5
MUSIC 150, 250 College Band 1
MUSIC 157, 257 Jazz Ensemble 2
MUSIC 165, 265 Small Groups Workshop 2
MUSIC 170-172, 270-272 Ensemble 1
MUSIC 174, 274 Vocal Ensemble 2
THTR 170-172 Digital Film/Technical Theatre 5
THTR 260-262 Acting for Stage & Digital Film 5
THTR 280-285 Theatre Production 1

SOCIAL SCIENCES (15 CREDIT MINIMUM)
Select from at least three disciplines.

ANTHR 104 The American Mosaic: Cultures of U.S. 5
ANTHR 105 World Prehistory 5
ANTHR 110 Survey of Anthropology 5 ANTHR 201 Prehistoric Mesoamerica 5
ANTHR 220 Social Anthropology 5
ANTHR 230 Intro. to Archaeology 5
ANTHR 240 Women in Cross Cultural Perspectives 5
ANTHR 250 Indians of North America 5
ANTHR 260 Northwest Coast Indians 5
BUS 101 Business and Society 5
BUS 240 Human Relations in the Work Place 5
CJ 110 Criminal Justice in America 5
CJ 120 Constitutional Rights 5
CJ 140 Corrections in America 5
CJ 200 Crime & Justice in America: Issues 5
CJ 202 Concepts of Criminal Law 5
CJ 215 Drugs & Society 5
ECE 111 Intro. to Early Childhood Education 5
ECON 110 Survey of Economics 5
ECON 212 Principles of Economics (Micro) 5
ECON 213 Principles of Economics (Macro) 5
ECON 230 Contemp. Economic Issues 5
GEOG 100 Intro. to Geography 5
GEOG 200 Cultural Geography 5
GEOG 205 Intro. to the Physical Environment 5
GEOG 207 Economic Geography 5
HIST 101-103 History of Civilizations 5
HIST 130 Legacies: History of Women 5
HIST 168 Vietnam War as History 5
HIST 235 Science & Society - 20th Century 5
HIST 241-244 United States History 5
HIST 260 Hist of Russia & Soviet Union 5
HIST 264 History of the Pacific NW 5
HIST 270 Intro. to the Far East 5
HIST 272 Survey of Middle East History 5
HIST 277 The Cold War 5
HIST 280 Intro. to Chinese Civilization 5
INTS 107 Intro. to International Studies 5
LAW 205 Amercan Legal System 5
LAW 206 Business Law 5
PHIL 100 Intro. to Philosophy 5
PHIL 119 Practical Reasoning 5
PHIL 150 Intro. to Ethics 5
PHIL 210 Philosophy of Religion 5
PHIL 220 Social Philosophy: The Individual 5
PHIL 230 Contemporary Moral Problems 5
PHIL 240 Philosophy of Law 5
POLS 201 Intro to Politics & Government 5
POLS 202 American Government & Politics 5
POLS 203 International Relations 5
POLS 210 U.S. Federal Indian Policy 5
PSYCH 110 General Psychology 5
PSYCH 201 Psychology of Adjustment 5
PSYCH 205 Human Development 5
PSYCH 210 Social Psychology 5
PSYCH 225 Human Sexuality 5
PSYCH 230 Introduction of Personality 5
PSYCH 235 Abnormal Psychology 5
SOC 110 Survey of Sociology 5
SOC 211 Marriage and the Home 5
SOC 212 Sociology of Death 5
SOC 220 Gender Roles in Society 5
SOC 225 Human Sexuality 5
SOC 230 Social Problems 5
SOC 270 Social Deviance 5

NATURAL SCIENCES (15 CREDIT MINIMUM)
Choose at least one laboratory science.

ANTHR 210 Physical Anthropology 5
ASTR 100 Intro to Astronomy 5
ASTR 101 Astronomy 5
BIOL 100 Biology for Non-Science Majors 5
BIOL 101 General Biology 5
BIOL 118 Human Anatomy & Phys. for Non-Sci. Majors 5
BIOL 120 Elementary Anatomy & Physiology 5
BIOL 201 Principles of Biology I (Cellular) 5
BIOL 202 Principles of Biology II: Zoology 5
BIOL 203 Principles of Biology III: Botany 5
BIOL 240 Anatomy & Physiology I - Lecture 4
BIOL 241 Anatomy & Physiology I - Lab 2
BIOL 250 Anatomy & Physiology II - Lecture 4
BIOL 251 Anatomy & Physiology II - Lab 2
BIOTC 110 Intro. to Biotechnology 5
BUS 201 Business Statistics 5
CHEM 100 Basic Chemistry (non-lab) 5
CHEM 101 Intro. to Inorganic Chemistry 5
CHEM 102 Intro. to Organic & Biochem 6
CHEM 105 Chemistry for Non-Scientists 5
CHEM 139 Preparation for General Chemistry 5
CHEM 140-160 General Chemistry 5
CIS 201 Computer Science I 5
CIS 202 Computer Science II 5
CIS 203 Computer Science III 5
ENGR 101 Intro. to Engineering 5
ENVIR 120 Essentials of Environmental Science 5
ENVIR 140 Western Water Problems 5
ENVIR 150 Environmental Issue 5
ENVIR 210 Environmental Geology 5
ENVIR 220 Earth Resources & the Environment 5
GEOG 205 Intro. to the Physical Environment 5
GEOL 100 Earth Systems Science 5
GEOL 101 Physical Geology 5
GEOL 103 Earth History 5
GEOL 117 Introduction to Weather 5National Parks 5
GEOL 210 Environmental Geology 5
GEOL 220 Earth Resources & the Environment 5
HSCI 119 Human Health and Disease 5
HSCI 140 Contemp. Health Science Problems 5
HSCI 151 Personal & Community Health 5
HSCI 161 Human Nutrition 5
HSCI 200 Human Stress - Its Nature & Control 5
HSCI 210 Wellness 5
MATH 107 Intro. to Contemporary Math 5
MATH 114 Applied Algebra, Geom. & Trig. 5
MATH 121 Pre-Calculus I 5
MATH 122 Pre-Calculus II 5
MATH 124 Analytic Geometry & Calculus I 5
MATH 125 Analytic Geometry & Calculus II 5
MATH 126 Analytic Geometry & Calculus III 5
MATH 156 Finite Mathematics 5
MATH 157 Elements of Calculus 5
MATH 224 Multivariate Calculus 5
MATH 281 Intro. to Statistics 5
MICRO 201 General Microbiology 5
NSCI 150 Nature 5
NSCI 160 Environmental Biology 5
NSCI 170 Marine Biology 5
NSCI 235 Science & Society - 20th Century 5
NSCI 241 Science & Humanities 5
OCEAN 101 Intro. to Oceanography 5
OCEAN 170 Marine Biology 5
PHIL 120 Intro. to Logic 5
PS 101 Intro. to Physical Science 5
PS 125 Energy & Man 5
PHYS 101 Survey of Physics 5
PHYS 114, 115, 116 General Physics I, II, III 5
PHYS 121,122,123 Physics for Science & Engineering I, II, III 5

General Transferable Electives (GTE)

The following courses (see A and B below) have been approved by Pierce College as General Transferable Electives/Core Electives. It is the student's responsibility to ensure courses will be accepted for transfer by the receiving institution.

A. Any of the approved CORE distribution courses designated as Communication, Quantitative/Symbolic Reasoning, Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences with the exception of performance/skills courses
AND/OR
B. Courses numbered 100 and above listed in the departments in the next column:
Please note: Independent study classes and cooperative work experience/work-based learning classes in any department, as well as pass (P) grade, CANNOT be applied to the GTE area.

GTE APPROVED COURSE, BY DEPARTMENT

ACCOUNTING All except 175, 250-253, 255-258, 287
ALCOHOLISM & DRUG ABUSE 110, 120, 140, 170, 270
ANTHROPOLOGY All
ART All except those listed as performance/skills courses.
ASTRONOMY All
BIOLOGY All
BIOTECHNOLOGY 110, 200
BUSINESS All except 100, 103, 107, 111, 120, 279, 135
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT All except 104, 108, 110, 192
CHEMISTRY All except 119
COMPUTER INFO SYSTEMS (CIS) All except 101
CRIMINAL JUSTICE All
DIGITAL DESIGN All
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION All except 101-110, 131-139, 141-149
ECONOMICS All
ENGINEERING All
ENGLISH All except 104, 105, 115, 117-119
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE All
FASHION MERCHANDISING All
FOREIGN LANGUAGE All except SIGN 100 & 101
GEOGRAPHY All
GEOLOGY All
HEALTH SCIENCE All except 105, 110, 111, 278
HISTORY All
HOME ECONOMICS 230
HUMANITIES All except 115
INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES All except 115
JOURNALISM All except 111, 112, 211, 212
LEGAL STUDIES All
MATHEMATICS All
MICROBIOLOGY 201
MILITARY SCIENCE All to ROTC programs only
MUSIC All except those listed as performance/skills courses
NATURAL SCIENCE All
OCEANOGRAPHY All
OFFICE PROFESSIONS All except 100, 101, 149, 150-151, 155, 201-203, 211-222, 230-231, 245-249, 250-252, 254-256, 260
PARALEGAL STUDIES All except 280-282
PHILOSOPHY All
PHYSICAL EDUCATION All courses numbered 200 and above except 201 (Courses numbered 100-199 may be used as General Electives)
PHYSICAL SCIENCE All
PHYSICS All
POLITICAL SCIENCE All
PSYCHOLOGY All except 102, 103, 105-108, 119, 140, 150, 202
SIGN LANGUAGE All except 100, 101, 130
SOCIAL SERVICE/MENTAL HEALTH 100, 140, 170, 215
SOCIOLOGY All
SPEECH All
THEATRE All except 288 and those listed as perform./skills courses