The A.A. degree requirements are recommended for students pursuing a degree such as Art, Business, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, English, History, Mass Communications, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Special Education or Theater.
The general education core curriculum requirements listed below satisfy the statewide Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) and will transfer to participating schools as meeting their lower-division, campus wide general education requirements. Some schools may require admitted transfer students to complete an institution-wide and/or mission-related graduation requirement beyond the scope of the general education core.
A. General Education Core Curriculum—37 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—7 credit hours
Select one course from Physical Sciences and one course from Life Sciences, with at least one being a lab course.
Life Sciences
Physical Sciences
(Note: AST-103, CHM-111, CHM-131, EAS-120, EAS-125, GEL-150, PHS-101, and PHS-103 are courses with lab components)
(Note: CHM-111, CHM-131, PHS-101, PHY-106, PHY-110, PHY-150, PHY-203 require completion of a prerequisite.)
4. Humanities and Fine Arts—9 credit hours
Select three credit hours from Humanities, three hours from Fine Arts and an additional three hours from either Humanities or Fine Arts. All courses are three credit hours unless noted otherwise.
Humanities—select 3 credit hours from:
(Note: ARB-202, FRE-202, LIT-205, 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-226, LIT-228, and PHI-120 are courses examining human diversity from a non-U.S./non-European perspective.)
(Note: HUM-120, HUM-155, 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.)
Select 3 credit hours from either Humanities or Fine Arts courses listed above.
5. Social/Behavioral Sciences—9 credit hours
Select three courses from at least two different disciplines (e.gl., no more than two courses from the same course prefix). 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. Baccalaureate Major/Minor Field and Elective Courses—23 credit hours
Includes lower-division coursework in a student’s major and minor fields, additional hours from the above areas, foreign languages, and other college credit courses. Detailed information for many colleges is located online on the transfer webpage under Transfer Guides. It is recommended to consult the catalog of the transfer college or to reach out to the transfer representative at that institution. Periodic consultation with an academic advisor is strongly recommended.