Associate in General Studies Degree

Degree Requirements

(Total Minimum Credits Required: 64)

Each candidate for the Associate in General Studies (A.G.S.) degree shall:

  1. Select courses to complete the required credits from:
    1. general education core requirement courses,
    2. coursework in the Global/Multicultural or Contemporary Life Skills category,
    3. Career/Technical Education courses, and
    4. additional coursework to a minimum of 64 credits.
  2. Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 27 credits in general education courses as specified below. 
    1. Communication - 9 credits
      Written
      ENGLI 1101English Composition I3
      ENGLI 1102English Composition II3
      Oral
      SPEEC 1100Fundamentals of Speech Communication3
      or SPEEC 1120 Small-Group Communication
      or SPEEC 1150 Introduction to Business Communication
      Total Credits9
    2. Physical and Life Sciences - 3 to 5 credits
      Select at least one course with a laboratory component.
    3. Mathematics - 3 to 5 credits
      Select a minimum of 3 credits of 1000-level or higher (except MATH 1102 Mathematics for Health Sciences, MATH 1104 Mathematics for Horticulture, and MATH 1120 Mathematical Foundations for Diagnostic Medical Imaging Sonographers) to meet general education requirements. Only one of the following three statistics courses will count toward overall degree requirement credit: MATH 1635 Statistics, PSYCH 2280 Statistics/Social & Behavioral Sciences, or SOCIO 2205 Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Only one of the following courses may count toward overall degree credit: MATH 1428 College Algebra With Applications or MATH 1431 Precalculus I.
    4. Humanities and Fine Arts - 6 credits
      Select courses from at least two subject areas.
    5. Social and Behavioral Sciences - 6 credits
      Select courses from at least two subject areas.
  3. Global/Multicultural Studies or Contemporary Life Skills - 2 credits
    Complete at least two credits from the Global/Multicultural Studies or Contemporary Life Skills category.
  4. Select courses to complete the required minimum of 64 credits from general education courses, elective courses and Career/Technical Education courses to a maximum of 37 credits.
  5. Satisfy graduation requirements for all associate degrees.
  6. Earn no more than 42 credits 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Earn no more than 4 credits in Physical Education activity courses.
  9. Earn no more than 12 credits with a satisfactory/fail grade option.
  10. Earn no more than 6 credits from History, the Humanities and Fine Arts, and the Social and Behavioral Science categories combined. Additional credits in History may be earned as elective credit.