The general education core curriculum requirements listed below do not satisfy the entire statewide Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) general education core; therefore, students who complete this degree must meet the general education requirements for their bachelor's degree after transferring to a four-year institution. Some schools may also require admitted transfer students to complete an institution-wide and/or mission-related graduation requirement beyond the scope of the general education core. Students interested in a science or math discipline as a four-year major should consult the catalog of their transfer school and an academic advisor for appropriate requirements.
The A.S. degree requirements are recommended for students planning to pursue a degree such as Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, Mathematics, Physics or Technology.
A. General Education Core Curriculum (IAI): 32 credit hours
1. Communication (9)
2. Mathematics (3)
3. Life and Physical Sciences (8)
4. Humanities and Fine Arts (6)
5. Social/Behavioral Sciences (6)
B. Additional Degree Requirements: 6 credit hours
C. Baccalaureate Major/Minor and Elective Courses: 24 credit hours
A. General Education Core Curriculum—32 credit hours
The general education core curriculum constitutes that part of an undergraduate education that develops breadth of knowledge and the expressive skills essential to more complex and in-depth learning throughout life. To develop breadth of knowledge, general education courses acquaint students with the methods of inquiry of the various academic disciplines and the different ways these disciplines view the world. The academic disciplines comprising the general education curriculum are the physical and life sciences, the humanities and fine arts, the social and behavioral sciences, and interdisciplinary combinations of these. To develop expressive skills, the general education curriculum requires courses that enhance written and oral communication and quantitative reasoning skills.
The foundation skills of communication (reading, writing, speaking, and listening), critical thinking and analysis/synthesis, quantification, and the use of resources (including technology and the library) are to be embedded in every general education course (adapted from Illinois Articulation Initiative, 2000).
1. Communications—9 credit hours
(Note: COM-101 and COM-102 require completion of a prerequisite.)
(Note: COM-103 satisfies the requirements of Public Act 87-581 addressing course work in human relations.)
2. Mathematics—3 credit hours (minimum)
| MTH-120 | General Education Mathematics | 3 |
| MTH-122 | Math for Teachers II | 3 |
| MTH-139 | Probability and Statistics | 4 |
| MTH-143 | Finite Mathematics | 4 |
| MTH-145 | Calculus for Business & Social Science | 4 |
| MTH-150 | Calculus I/Analytic Geometry | 5 |
| MTH-151 | Calculus II/Analytic Geometry | 5 |
| MTH-152 | Calculus III/Analytic Geometry | 4 |
| MTH-212 | Statistics for Business | 4 |
| MTH-215 | Discrete Mathematics | 3 |
(Note: All MTH courses above require completion of a prerequisite.)
3. Physical and Life Sciences—8 credit hours
Select four credit hours from Life Science and four hours from Physical Science. All courses are four credit hours unless noted otherwise.
Life Science—select 4 credit hours from:
Physical Science—select 4 credit hours from:
(Note: CHM-111, CHM-131, PHS-101, PHY-106, PHY-107, PHY-110, PHY-111, PHY-150, PHY-203 Require completion of a prerequisite.)
(Students transferring a life and/or physical science course INTO Moraine Valley may fulfill this requirement with a three-hour non-lab science course and a four-hour lab science course for a total of seven credit hours. Native Moraine Valley students will need a total of eight credit hours.)
(Note: Each of the Physical and Life Science courses shown above has a one-hour laboratory component included within the course structure and contact hours, with the exception of PHY-106/ PHY-107 and PHY-110/ PHY-111. Moraine Valley students must take both to fulfill credits for Physical Science.)
4. Humanities and Fine Arts—6 credit hours
Select three credit hours from Humanities and three hours from Fine Arts. All courses are three credit hours unless noted otherwise.
Humanities—select 3 credit hours from:
(Note: ARB-202, FRE-202, LIT-213, LIT-214, LIT-215, LIT-216, LIT-217, LIT-218, LIT-219, LIT-220, LIT-221, LIT-222, LIT-223, LIT-224, LIT-225, LIT-226, LIT-227, LIT-228, LIT-230, SPA-202, and SPA-213 require completion of a prerequisite.)
(Note: HUM-135, HUM-140, HUM-145, LIT-266, LIT-228, and PHI-120 are courses examining human diversity from a non-U.S./non-European perspective.)
(Note: HUM-120, LIT-219, LIT-227, and LIT-230 are courses examining human diversity within the United States.)
Fine Arts—select 3 credit hours from:
(Note: LIT-227 requires completion of a prerequisite.)
(Note: ART-209, HUM-135, HUM-140, and HUM-145 are courses examining human diversity from a non-U.S./non-European perspective.)
(Note: HUM-120 examines human diversity within the United States.)
5. Social/Behavioral Sciences—6 credit hours
Select courses from at least two different disciplines. All courses are three credit hours.
(Note: PSY-202, PSY-210, SOC-204, and SOC-215 requires completion of a prerequisite.)
(Note: ANT-202, GEO-101, GEO-102, GEO-201, HIS-210, HIS-215, HIS-220, PSC-210, PSC-225, and PSC-245 are courses examining human diversity from a non-U.S./non-European perspective.)
(Note: SOC-210 and SOC-215 are courses examining human diversity within the United States.)
B. Additional Degree Requirements—6 credit hours (minimum)
Associate in Science Degree
Select three credit hours (minimum) from college-level MTH courses excluding MTH-102, MTH-109, MTH-133, and MTH-135.
Select three credit hours (minimum) from BIO, CHM, EAS, GEL, NAT, PHS, or PHY prefixes.
C. Baccalaureate Major/Minor Field and Elective Courses—24 credit hours
Includes lower-division coursework in a student’s major and minor fields, additional hours from the above areas and other college credit courses. Students should refer to baccalaureate major summaries and transfer guides available in the Academic Advising Center. Periodic consultation with an academic advisor is strongly recommended. Also see “Foreign Language” section.