For Science Pre-Majors in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics and Atmospheric Sciences
The Associate of Science degree is designed for students who plan to transfer to science programs at 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 science degree programs. Students are responsible for checking specific major requirements of baccalaureate institutions in the year prior to transferring.
General Degree Requirements
- A minimum of 90 earned credits in courses numbered 100 or above is required to complete the AS degree.
- A minimum of 25 of the last 45 credits must be earned at Pierce College.
- A cumulative college-level grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher is required.
- English 101 (Composition – Exposition) is required.
- A 1.5 grade (C-) or higher is required for all coursework unless prerequisites state otherwise. Coursework with a grade of 0.7 through 1.4 (D’s) may be used for General Elective credit only.
- Pass (P) grades may be used only for General Elective credits.
- Independent Study courses may be used only for General Elective credits.
- Cooperative work experience/work-based learning credits may be applied to the General Elective area only.
- Once a course has been successfully completed, credits earned may be used only once, even if that course is listed in more than one category.
Note: Additional general education, cultural diversity and foreign language requirements, as required by the transfer institution, must be met prior to the completion of a baccalaureate degree.
Science Pre-Major Requirements (minimum of 30 credits required)
- Required of all students:
CHEM 140 General Chemistry (5 credits required) - Third quarter calculus or approved statistics course: (5 credits required) Choose one:
MATH 126 Analytical Geometry & Calculus III
MATH 281 Introduction to Statistics - Physics sequence (15 credits required)
Physics 121 Physics for Science/Engineering I
Physics 122 Physics for Science/Engineering II
Physics 123 Physics for Science/Engineering III - Computer Programming (5 credits required)
Programming language chosen with the help of an advisor based on the requirements of the specific discipline at the baccalaureate institution the student plans to attend. ENGR 142 (Computer Programming C++ for Engineers) is recommended for engineering majors.
Additional Science Requirements (15 credits required)
Courses must be selected from the list of courses below. Note: A two- or three-quarter sequence is recommended to be chosen with the help of an advisor.
List of appropriate courses:
- CHEM 150/160 General Chemistry
- CIS 201-202 Computer Science I, II
- ENGR 110 Engineering Graphics
- ENGR 142 Computer Programming C++ for Engineers
- ENGR 210 Statics
- ENGR 230 Dynamics
- ENGR 240 Mechanics of Materials
- ENGR 260 Thermodynamics
- MATH 205 Linear Algebra
- MATH 224 Multivariate Calculus
- MATH 238 Differential Equations
- MATH 281 Introduction to Statistics
General Required Courses (30 credits)
- Communications — 5 credit minimum. Minimum 5 quarter credits in college-level composition course required: ENGL 101: Composition – Exposition
- Mathematics — 10 credit minimum. Two courses required at or above introductory calculus level. MATH 124/125: Analytical Geometry and Calculus I and II
- Humanities and Social Sciences — 15 credit minimum. Courses listed in more than one category may be used only once. A maximum of 5 credits under the Humanities/Performance/Skills area may be used.
- Humanities 5 credits minimum
- Social Science 5 credits minimum
- Humanities OR Social Science 5 credits minimum
General Electives (15 credits required)
Minimum of 10 credits that satisfy Pierce’s AA Core requirements, i.e., GER-NS, GER-HM, GER-SS, GER-CM or GER-QS. See Associate of Arts (AA) section for specific classes. Maximum of five credits of any college-level course numbered 100 or higher. Physical education activity credits may be used only in this area.
