Associate in Arts Degree

Degree Requirements

(Total Minimum Credits Required: 64)

(A complete list of General Education Core Curriculum transfer courses is available at the Illinois Articulation Initiative website: www.itransfer.org).

Each candidate for an Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree shall:

  1. Select courses to complete the required credits from:
    1. general education core requirement courses,
    2. coursework in the Human Relations, Global/ Multicultural Studies, and Contemporary Life Skills categories and
    3. additional coursework (see Notes at end of A.A. degree) to a minimum of 64 credits.
  2. Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 37 credits in General Education Core Curriculum (Illinois Articulation Initiative course codes are listed in parentheses after each course or sequence) in the Communication, Physical and Life Sciences, Mathematics, Humanities and Fine Arts, and Social and Behavioral Sciences categories as specified below. 
    1. Communication - 9 credits
      Written
      ENGLI 1101English Composition I (C1 900) 13
      ENGLI 1102English Composition II (C1 901R) 13
      Oral
      SPEEC 1100Fundamentals of Speech Communication (C2 900) 13
      1

      Grade of "C" or higher required.

    2. Physical and Life Sciences - 7 to 10 credits
      Select one course from Life Sciences and one course from Physical Sciences. At least one course must have a laboratory component.
      Life Sciences
      BIOLO 1100Survey of Biology (L1 900L)4
      BIOLO 1110Environmental Biology (L1 905L)4
      BIOLO 1120Introduction to Genetics (No Lab) (L1 906)3
      BIOLO 1130Fundamentals of Biotechnology (L1 906L)4
      BIOLO 1151Principles of Biological Science (L1 910L)5
      Physical Sciences
      Chemistry
      CHEMI 1105Contemporary Chemistry (P1 903L)4
      CHEMI 1137 (P1 903L)4
      CHEMI 1205Intro to Forensic Science & Chemistry (P1 903L)4
      CHEMI 1211Survey of General Chemistry (P1 902L)5
      CHEMI 1551Principles of Chemistry I (P1 902L)5
      Earth Science
      EARTH 1101Physical Geology of Earth's Interior (P1 907L)4
      EARTH 1102Physical Geology of Earth's Surface (P1 907L)4
      EARTH 1105Environmental Geology (P1 908L)4
      EARTH 1110Introduction to Meteorology (P1 905L)4
      EARTH 1111Climate and Global Change (No Lab) (P1 905)3
      EARTH 1115Severe and Unusual Weather (P1 905L)4
      EARTH 1119Weather Impacts and Preparedness (No Lab) (P1 905)3
      EARTH 1120Introduction to Astronomy (No Lab) (P1 906)3
      EARTH 1122Astronomy: The Solar System (P1 906L)4
      EARTH 1124Astronomy: Stars and Galaxies (P1 906L)4
      EARTH 1126Observational Astronomy (P1 906L)3
      Select one of the following: 14
      EARTH 1130
      		Introduction to Oceanography (P1 905L)
      EARTH 1131
      		Fundamentals of Oceanography (No Lab) (P1 905)
      EARTH 1135Water Science-Fundamentals of Hydrology (P1 905L)4
      Select one of the following: 14
      EARTH 1140
      		Fundamentals of Earth Science (P1 905L)
      EARTH 1141
      		Introduction to Earth Science (P1 905)
      Physics
      PHYSI 1100Physics (P1 900L)4
      PHYSI 1150Energy and Society (P1 901)3
      PHYSI 1180Physics in the Modern Era: Quarks to Cosmos (P1 900)3
      PHYSI 1201General Physics I (P1 900L)5
      PHYSI 2111Physics for Science and Engineering I (P2 900L)5
      1

      Not both

    3. Mathematics - 3 to 5 credits
      MATH 1218General Education Mathematics (M1 904)3
      MATH 1220Quantitative Literacy (M1 901)3
      MATH 1322Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers II (M1 903)3
      MATH 1533Finite Mathematics (M1 906)4
      MATH 1635Statistics (M1 902) 14
      MATH 2000Survey of Calculus (M1 900-O)3
      MATH 2115Discrete Mathematics (M1 905)3
      MATH 2134Calculus for Business and Social Science (M1 900-B)4
      MATH 2231Calculus and Analytic Geometry I (M1 900-1)5
      MATH 2232Calculus and Analytic Geometry II (M1 900-2)5
      MATH 2233Calculus and Analytic Geometry III (M1 900-3)4
      PSYCH 2280Statistics/Social & Behavioral Sciences (M1 902) 13
      SOCIO 2205Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences (M1 902) 13
      1

      Only one from these three courses may count toward overall degree requirement credit.

    4. Humanities and Fine Arts - 9 credits
      Select at least one course from Humanities and at least one course from Fine Arts.

      Humanities

      Chinese
      CHINE 2202Intermediate Chinese II (H1 900)4
      English
      ENGLI 1130Introduction to Literature (H3 900)3
      ENGLI 1150Short Fiction (H3 901)3
      ENGLI 1151Novel (H3 901)3
      ENGLI 1152Poetry (H3 903)3
      ENGLI 1153Drama (H3 902)3
      ENGLI 1154Film As Literature (HF 908) 13
      ENGLI 1157Children's Literature (H3 918)3
      ENGLI 1158Bible As Literature (H5 901)3
      ENGLI 1159Greek Mythology (H9 901)3
      ENGLI 1160Native American Literature (H3 910D)3
      ENGLI 1161Multicultural Literatures of the U.S. (H3 910D)3
      ENGLI 1165Literature, Gender, and Sexualities (H3 911D)3
      ENGLI 2220British Literature to 1800 (H3 912)3
      ENGLI 2221British Literature From 1800 Through The Present (H3 913)3
      ENGLI 2223American Literature From the Colonial Period to the Civil War (H3 914)3
      ENGLI 2224American Literature From the Civil War to the Present (H3 915)3
      ENGLI 2226World Literature (H3 907)3
      ENGLI 2227Modern European Literature (H3 907)3
      ENGLI 2228Shakespeare (H3 905)3
      ENGLI 2262Non-Western Literature (H3 908N)3
      French
      FRENC 2202Intermediate French II (H1 900)4
      FRENC 2251Conversation and Composition I (H1 900)3
      FRENC 2252Conversation and Composition II (H1 900)3
      German
      GERMA 2202Intermediate German II (H1 900)4
      GERMA 2251Conversation and Composition I (H1 900)3
      GERMA 2252Conversation and Composition II (H1 900)3
      History 2
      HISTO 1110Foundations of the European World (H2 901)3
      HISTO 1120Europe in the Modern World (H2 902)3
      HISTO 1160World Civilization Since 1300 (H2 907)3
      HISTO 2205History of Asia (H2 903N)3
      HISTO 2220History and Culture of China (H2 903N)3
      HISTO 2225History and Culture of Russia (H2 908)3
      HISTO 2230History and Culture of Japan (H2 908)3
      HISTO 223520th Century World History (H2 903N)3
      HISTO 2245History and Culture of England (H2 908)3
      Humanities
      HUMNT 1102Introduction to Humanities: Ideas and Values (H9 900)3
      HUMNT 1103Introduction to World Mythology (H9 901)3
      HUMNT 1104Women in Arts: Cultural and Artistic Expressions of Gender (H9 907D) 13
      HUMNT 1105Humanities Beyond the U.S. & Europe (H9 904D) 13
      HUMNT 1110The Arts and Cultural Diversity (H9 906D) 13
      HUMNT 1120Introduction to Medical Humanities (H9 900)3
      HUMNT 1150Intersections of Humanities, Math, And Science (H9 900)3
      Italian
      ITALI 2202Intermediate Italian II (H1 900)4
      Japanese
      JAPAN 2202Intermediate Japanese II (H1 900)4
      Korean
      KOREA 2202Intermediate Korean II (H1 900)4
      Motion Picture/Television
      MPTV 1154Film As Literature (HF 908)3
      Philosophy
      PHILO 1100Introduction to Philosophy (H4 900)3
      PHILO 1110Ethics (H4 904)3
      PHILO 1116Environmental Ethics (H4 904)3
      PHILO 1120Logic (H4 906)3
      PHILO 1125Critical Thinking (H4 906)3
      PHILO 1150World Religions (H5 904N)3
      PHILO 2010Ancient Philosophy (H4 901)3
      PHILO 2011Early Modern Philosophy (H4 902)3
      PHILO 2150Philosophy of Religion (H4 905)3
      PHILO 2155Asian Thought3
      Religious Studies
      RELIG 1100Introduction to Religion (H5 900)3
      RELIG 1110Introduction to the Bible: Old Testament (H5 901)3
      RELIG 1120Introduction to the Bible: New Testament (H5 901)3
      RELIG 1150World Religions (H5 904N)3
      RELIG 2155Asian Thought3
      RELIG 2160Judaism, Christianity and Islam (H5 901)3
      Russian
      RUSSI 2202Intermediate Russian II (H1 900)4
      Spanish
      SPANI 2202Intermediate Spanish II (H1 900)4
      SPANI 2206Spanish for Heritage Speakers I (H1 900)4
      SPANI 2208Spanish for Heritage Speakers II (H1 900)4
      SPANI 2251Conversation and Composition I (H1 900)3
      SPANI 2252Conversation and Composition II (H1 900)3


      Fine Arts

      Art
      ART 1100Introduction to Visual Art and Culture (F2 900)3
      ART 2211Art Histories Before 1400 CE (F2 901)3
      ART 2212Art Histories 1400 to 1950 (F2 902)3
      ART 2213Art Histories Since 1950 (F2 902)3
      ART 2214Non-Western Art (F2 903N)3
      English
      ENGLI 1135Introduction to Film Art (F2 908)3
      ENGLI 1145Film History (F2 909)3
      ENGLI 1154Film As Literature (HF 908) 13
      Humanities
      HUMNT 1101Introduction to Humanities: The Arts (F9 900)3
      HUMNT 1104Women in Arts: Cultural and Artistic Expressions of Gender (HF 907D) 13
      HUMNT 1105Humanities Beyond the U.S. & Europe (HF 904N) 13
      HUMNT 1110The Arts and Cultural Diversity (HF 906D) 13
      Motion Picture/Television
      MPTV 1135Introduction to Film Art (F2 908)3
      MPTV 1145Film History (F2 909)3
      MPTV 1154Film As Literature (HF 908)3
      Music
      MUSIC 1100Music Appreciation (F1 900)3
      MUSIC 1104Introduction to American Music (F1 904)3
      MUSIC 1115Introduction to World Music (F1 903N)3
      Theatre
      THEAT 1100Theater Appreciation (F1 907)3
      1

      Interdisciplinary credit (HF) may be earned as either Fine Arts or Humanities.

      2

      Earn no more than 6 History credits in Gen Ed categories. Additional credits in History may be earned as elective credit.

    5. Social and Behavioral Science - 9 credits
      Courses must be selected from at least two disciplines.
      Anthropology
      ANTHR 1000Introduction to Anthropology (S1 900N)3
      ANTHR 1100Cultural Anthropology (S1 901N)3
      ANTHR 1105Practical Anthropology (S1 904D)3
      ANTHR 1130People and Cultures of the World (S1 904D)3
      ANTHR 1200Discovering Archaeology (S1 903)3
      ANTHR 1400Race, Sex and Human Evolution (S1 902)3
      Economics
      ECONO 2200Principles of Economics (S3 900)3
      ECONO 2201Macroeconomics and the Global Economy (S3 901)3
      ECONO 2202Microeconomics and the Global Economy (S3 902)3
      Geography
      GEOGR 1100Western World Geography (S4 900)3
      GEOGR 1105Eastern World Geography (S4 902N)3
      GEOGR 1120Economic Geography (S4 903N)3
      GEOGR 1130Cultural Geography (S4 900N)3
      GEOGR 1140Urban Geography (S4 901)3
      History 1
      HISTO 1130History of the United States to 1865 (S2 900)3
      HISTO 1140History of the United States Since 1865 (S2 901)3
      HISTO 2210History and Culture of Africa (S2 907N)3
      HISTO 2215History and Culture of South Asia (S2 916N)3
      HISTO 2242African-American History (S2 923D)3
      HISTO 2260United States History Since 1945 (S2 901)3
      Political Science
      POLS 1100Introduction to Political Science (S5 903)3
      POLS 1101American Politics (S5 900)3
      POLS 1105State and Local Politics (S5 902)3
      POLS 2203Comparative Politics (S5 905)3
      POLS 2220World Politics (S5 904N)3
      Psychology
      PSYCH 1100General Psychology (S6 900)3
      PSYCH 2230Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence (S6 903)3
      PSYCH 2233Developmental Psychology: Adolescence (S6 904)3
      PSYCH 2235Developmental Psychology: Adulthood (S6 905)3
      PSYCH 2237Developmental Psychology: The Life Span (S6 902)3
      PSYCH 2240Social Psychology (S8 900)3
      Sociology
      SOCIO 1100Introduction to Sociology (S7 900)3
      SOCIO 1120Sociology of Sex, Gender and Power (S7 904D)3
      SOCIO 2210Social Problems (S7 901)3
      SOCIO 2215Race and Racism in America (S7 903D)3
      SOCIO 2220Sexual Relationships, Marriage & Family (S7 902)3
      1

      Earn no more than 6 History credits in Gen Ed categories. Additional credits in History may be earned as elective credit.

  3. Fulfill these requirements in the categories specified

    1. Complete at least one course from the Human Relations category. 

    2. Complete at least one course from the Global/Multicultural Studies category. 

    3. Complete at least one course from the Contemporary Life Skills category. 

  4. Select courses to complete the minimum required 64 credits from General Education Core Curriculum courses, elective courses, and up to 10 credits in Career/Technical Education courses.

  5. Satisfy graduation requirements for all associate degrees.

  6. Earn no more than six credits in History in the Humanities and Fine Arts, and Social and Behavioral Sciences categories combined for general education credit. Additional credits in History from general education or other categories may be earned as elective credit, unless restricted by degree requirements.

  7. Earn no more than four credits in Physical Education activity courses.

  8. Only one of the following courses may count toward the degree: Mathematics 1428 or Mathematics 1431.

  9. Earn no more than 16 credits in courses numbered 1800 or 2800, 1840 or 2840, 1820 to 1829, and 2820 to 2829, or labeled as independent study, experimental/pilot, selected topics or field/experiential.

  10. Earn no more than 12 credits with a satisfactory/fail grade option in courses counted toward elective credit.

  11. Earn General Education Core Curriculum course credit with letter grades, not satisfactory/fail grades.

  12. Earn no more than 42 credits for the Communication, Physical and Life Sciences, Mathematics, Humanities and Fine Arts, and Social and Behavioral Sciences categories by demonstrated competence through the Advanced Placement Program (AP), designated course-specific subject examinations of the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and the College of DuPage Proficiency Through an Instructor Program.

  13. Earn the remaining credits in courses that normally apply to a bachelor’s degree as indicated in the transfer program guides.

Notes: For help in choosing additional coursework beyond the General Education Core to fulfill this degree, students should consult a Student Success Counselor or Program Advisor from their area of interest for suggestions regarding course selection from the range of offerings in a specific field of study.

There is no guarantee that elective or Career/Technical Education courses will transfer as specific course equivalents to a baccalaureate-granting institution or other colleges. The transferability of these courses needs to be validated with a transfer institution.

Degree-seeking students should complete the General Education Core Curriculum and required sequence courses before transfer to another participating IAI institution to guarantee the completion of lower division general education coursework.

Suggested Semester Sequence

Plan of Study Grid
First SemesterCredits
Select one of the following: 3
GEN ED
English Communication
  
ENGLI 1101
 English Composition I  
GEN EDMathematics 3
GEN EDSciences 3
PROGRAM ELECTIVEGlobal/Multicultural Studies 3
PROGRAM ELECTIVEElective 3
 Credits15
Second Semester
Select one of the following: 3
GEN ED
Communications
  
ENGLI 1102
 English Composition II  
GEN EDHumanities/Fine Arts 3
GEN EDSocial and Behavioral Science 3
PROGRAM ELECTIVEElective 3
PROGRAM ELECTIVEElective 3
 Credits15
Third Semester
Select one of the following: 3
GEN ED
Communications
  
SPEEC 1100
 Fundamentals of Speech Communication  
GEN EDHumanities/Fine Arts 3
GEN EDSocial and Behavioral Sciences 3
PROGRAM ELECTIVEContemporary Life Skills 3
PROGRAM ELECTIVEElective 3
PROGRAM ELECTIVEElective 3
 Credits18
Fourth Semester
GEN EDHumanities/Fine Arts 3
GEN EDSocial and Behavioral Sciences 3
GEN EDSciences  
PROGRAM ELECTIVEHuman Relations 3
PROGRAM ELECTIVEElective 3
 Credits12
 Total Credits60

Program Milestones

First Semester

  • Consider joining or visiting with a professional, cultural or interest-based Student Club.

Second Semester

  • If you have not done so yet this semester, it is important to make an appointment with a Faculty or Program Advisor to discuss your future academic progress.