Associate of Science (General Degree Requirements)

Schoolcraft Degree and Program Code

AS - ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE# AS.00042

Another program code may be specified for specific programs, such as the Pre-Pharmacy program.

Description

The associate of science (AS) degree is for students who plan to pursue a baccalaureate degree in a science-related field. Schoolcraft’s students may complete the degree by following the requirements specified by the transfer institution and Schoolcraft College (SC).

Degree Focus

Transfer:  Completion of a broad distribution of liberal arts courses in English, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences distribution areas that may be used to meet transfer requirements toward a baccalaureate degree with an intended focus toward the sciences and related fields.

English Composition*

Minimum 3 credit hours.

Completion of a minimum of one English composition course.

• ENG 101 , ENG 102 , or  ENG 221  

English Composition or Communication*⁺

Minimum 3 credit hours.

Completion of a minimum of a second English composition course.

• ENG 101 , ENG 102 , or ENG 221       OR

​Completion of a communication arts course.

• COMA 103 , COMA 200 , COMA 202 ,  COMA 212 , or  COMA 240  

Humanities⁺

Minimum 4 credit hours.

Completion of a minimum of two humanities courses from two different disciplines. Art, Communication Arts⁺, English (Literature), Foreign Language, History+, Humanities, Music, Philosophy or Theatre

Mathematics

Minimum 20 credit hours.

Completion of a minimum of one mathematics course from Schoolcraft’s approved Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) course list.
Completion of a minimum of two natural science courses from two different disciplines. One must be a lab science course. Biology, Chemistry, Earth, Geography+, Nutrition and Food Science, or Physics

Natural Sciences

Social Sciences⁺

Minimum 6 credit hours.

Completion of a minimum of two social science courses from two different disciplines.
Anthropology, Economics, Geography⁺, History⁺, Political Science, Psychology or Sociology

Major Area of Study

General Electives

Course Level

All courses that apply to this degree must be at the 100- through 400-level with an overall minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 unless a higher cumulative grade-point is stipulated by the specific program.

Credit Requirement

Minimum 60 credit hours.

Institutional Requirements

Completion of all Schoolcraft College Core Abilities and a minimum of 24 credit hours of associate-level Schoolcraft College General Education requirements in English, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences.

The Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) may be used to fulfill the Schoolcraft College General Education requirements.

PLEASE NOTE: Students may not use the same History (HIST) course to satisfy both the humanities and social sciences distribution areas. Additionally, students may not use the same communication arts (COMA) course to satisfy both the humanities and English communications distribution areas. Only certain Geography courses can be used for a natural science or social science course.

There are three (3) types of courses that may be used toward fulfilling associate degrees at Schoolcraft College: liberal arts, applied liberal arts, and occupational. Applied liberal arts or occupational courses may not account for more than 15 credits in an AS degree. While the applied liberal arts courses provide immediate skill-building opportunities, their transferability and value should be discussed with an academic advisor. Most transferable courses may be found in the Schoolcraft College MTA requirements.

Types of Courses

There are two primary types of courses that may be used towards fulfilling credentials such as certificate, associate, or bachelor’s degrees at Schoolcraft College (SC).   The nature, goals, and use of each course determines the type of course and how it applies toward each credential at Schoolcraft College or at transfer institutions.  The two types of courses include occupational and liberal arts courses.

1. Occupational Courses - Occupational courses have a direct career relationship and focus on developing necessary knowledge and skills to enter the workforce within the chosen field of study-e.g., ACCT 103 , EMT 115 , MFG 211 , WELD 120 . Occupational courses may or may not transfer to another institution. The course description in the catalog will indicate if the course is an occupational course.  No SC occupational course may be used toward SC General Education (SCGE) or to meet the requirements for Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA).

2. Liberal Arts Courses - Liberal Arts courses provide general knowledge and theory in English communication, humanities, natural sciences, mathematics, and social sciences areas. Liberal Arts courses may fall into three categories:

   • Applied Liberal Arts - Courses that are focused on building particular skills through the practice and application of talents or concepts-e.g., ART 248 , ENG 205 , CAB 102 , THEA 204 , MUSIC 114 , COLLS 105 . Applied Liberal Arts courses typically do not transfer to other institutions.  A subset of these courses may be used toward meeting the requirements for SCGE. The course description in the catalog will indicate if the course is an applied liberal arts course.

   • Liberal Arts used for Schoolcraft College General Education (SCGE) - Courses that are theory-based or application-based which offer a wide distribution of experiences to students across multiple disciplines-e.g., ENG 100 , PSYCH 153 , HIST 138 , MATH 106 . These courses may or may not transfer to another institution. Liberal Arts courses that do not transfer are typically applied in nature, such as MATH 106 . Liberal Arts courses that are intended to transfer are typically theory-based. The course description will indicate if the course fulfills a general education component -e.g., PSYCH 153 .

   • Liberal Arts Courses used for Transfer - Courses which are theory-based and offer a wide distribution of experiences to students across multiple disciplines-e.g., PSYCH 153 , BIOL 101 , ECON 201 , ART 120 , MATH 111 . These courses are a sub-set of the Liberal Arts used for SCGE which meet both SCGE and the requirements for the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA). The MTA identified courses that are intended to meet the general education requirements at transfer institutions are identified in the course description. Information about the MTA requirements may be found at https://www.mitransfer.org/michigan-transfer-agreement.

*Credentials - documentation of satisfactory completion of courses that result in a nationally recognized acknowledgment of learning and skills. Schoolcraft College offers skills certificate, certificate, associate and bachelor degree credentials.

Liberal Arts Courses Fulfilling Schoolcraft College General Education and/or Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) Requirements 

Liberal Arts courses will typically transfer to another institution. They provide general knowledge and theory in the English Communication, humanities, natural sciences, math, and social sciences. Transferability of courses should be discussed with your academic advisor and may be dependent on the receiving institution.

Select the links below to view the list of courses in each distribution area that fulfill general education and/or MTA requirements.

• English Communication
     

• Humanities
    

• Mathematics
    

• Natural Science
    

• Social Science
    

Key

* = Only these courses or a combination of courses may be used to satisfy the final requirement for MTA English Communications.
+ = Students may not use the same History course to satisfy both the humanities and social sciences requirements. Additionally, students may not use the same Communication Arts course to satisfy both the humanities and English communication requirements. Only certain Geography courses can be used for a natural science or social science course.