Associate of Science (AS) Degree Requirements

The Associate of Science (AS) two-year degree is intended for students who wish to take their first two years of coursework at an Oregon community college, then transfer to a particular four-year institution to complete a degree in the designated discipline. The Associate of Science degree has both general education and discipline specific requirements. At LBCC, the AS degree is designed to facilitate transfer to Oregon State University (OSU) and the courses listed have been agreed on by OSU as acceptable towards a four-year degree. Students who complete this degree and are accepted to OSU will be admitted as having completed all lower-division general education (Baccalaureate Core) requirements but not necessarily school, department, or major requirements with regard to courses or GPA. Students who choose the AS degree will be included when eligible in the Beaver Transfer Direct program and their application information will be sent to Oregon State unless the student chooses to opt out.

Students who plan to transfer to OSU are encouraged to apply to the Degree Partnership Program (DPP) once eligible. DPP students can be dual-enrolled at LBCC and OSU while receiving financial aid from either institution based on their total credits and are considered students at both institutions, even if only attending classes at one. DPP students taking classes at LBCC have access to OSU advisors to plan their academic path.

For students who do not plan to transfer to OSU, courses taken as part of an AS degree transfer to other four-year institutions on a course-by-course basis. The assignment of LBCC credits to particular requirements of other schools is made by the institution to which the transfer is being made. Students are encouraged to consult with an advisor to ensure they fully understand degree and transfer requirements.

To be awarded an AS degree, students must:

• Complete a minimum of 90 credits of college-level coursework (see individual degrees for specific credit requirements). A maximum number of 24 non-traditional credits beyond any required by a given program can be used towards a degree. See the non-traditional credit section of this catalog for more information.
• Complete at least 24 credits at LBCC, 15 of which must be in the major field. Note: Credits granted for prior learning cannot be applied to this requirement.
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.25 at the time the AS degree is awarded.
• Complete WR 121Z with a grade of C or better.

Note: A single course cannot count towards all three of the General Education, Liberal Arts Core, and major requirements. However, a single course can count towards two of them (e.g., both General Education and major). Credits fulfilling two requirements will only be counted once.

In addition, no single course may be used by a student to satisfy more than one general education area even if a course has been approved in more than one area.

General Education Outcomes

Listed below are the general education course areas for the AS degree. Specific courses that meet these requirements are listed in this catalog and are available from program advisors. No single course may be used to satisfy more than one subject area even if a course has been approved in more than one area.

AH: Arts and Humanities: General

Upon successful completion of an Arts and Humanities: General general education requirement, students will be able to:

• Describe genres, forms, perspectives, events and/or ideas that have shaped and recorded the human experience.
• Analyze examples of human expression and/or human perspectives in changing cultural and/or historical contexts.
• Employ humanistic, theoretical, and/or philosophical methods to explore the human experience.

GH: Arts and Humanities: Global

Upon successful completion of an Arts and Humanities: Global general education requirement, students will be able to:

• Describe genres, forms, perspectives, events and/or ideas that have shaped and recorded the global human experience.
• Analyze the social and/or cultural impact of inequitable systems in relation to the global movement of people, ideas, objects, artistic forms, and/or technologies.
• Employ humanistic, theoretical, and/or philosophical methods to explore the human experience.

CM: Communication, Media, and Society

Upon successful completion of the Communication, Media, and Society general education requirement, students will be able to:

• Identify communication and media processes as they relate to social phenomena.
• Describe different forms of communication and media and the degree to which they meet the needs of diverse audiences and contexts.
• Apply communication theory to the development and delivery of speech communication products.

DO: Difference, Power, and Oppression: Foundations

Upon successful completion of a Difference, Power, and Oppression: Foundations general education requirement, students will be able to:

• Explain how ascribed differences are socially constructed, change over time, and impact our and others' lived experiences.
• Articulate—using historical and contemporary examples—how ascribed differences, combined with inequitable distribution of power across cultural, economic, social, and/or political institutions, result in racism and intersect with other forms of systemic oppression.
• Describe how assets and resilience demonstrated by members of systemically marginalized communities and cultures play a role in dismantling racism and other systems of oppression.

QA: Quantitative Literacy and Analysis

Upon successful completion of the Quantitative Literacy and Analysis general education requirement, students will be able to:

• Identify relevant quantitative variables and their relationship(s) in a problem.
• Solve quantitative problems using appropriate mathematical tools.
• Demonstrate reasonableness of a solution and describe limitations of method. 

SA: Scientific Inquiry and Analysis

Upon successful completion of a Scientific Inquiry and Analysis general education requirement, students will be able to:

• Utilize scientific language, concepts, hypotheses, theories, and laws of basic natural sciences.
• Apply the cyclical process of science and think critically by constructing consistent explanations and drawing conclusions based on empirical evidence and current scientific understanding.
• Articulate the consequences and implications of science for society, daily life, and decision-making.

SO: Social Science

Upon successful completion of a Social Science general education requirement, students will be able to:

• Explain the informal and formal structures and processes and institutions and human behavior.
• Describe how quantitative and qualitative data are used to explain human behavior.
• Characterize your individual role in the structures, processes, or institutions of society.

WF: Writing Foundations

Upon successful completion of the Writing Foundations general education requirement, students will be able to:

• Write in varied styles with attention to audience, purpose, and genre, incorporating how language use relates to rhetorical situations.
• Create texts that synthesize multiple viewpoints around a central idea supported with evidence.
• Evaluate information critically using sources and foundation citation skills.

WE: Writing Elevation

Upon successful completion of a Writing Elevation general education requirement, students will be able to:

• Construct rhetorically-informed texts that adapt to new writing situations, audiences, and relevant knowledge domains.
• Synthesize diverse perspectives in complex conversations using critical analysis and genre-appropriate writing styles and conventions.
• Integrate critically-evaluated sources in knowledge-domain-specific documents and arguments.

Foreign Language Requirement

Students transferring to any Oregon public four-year institution must complete two terms (8 credits), or demonstrate equivalent proficiency in a world language prior to transferring. In addition, students who plan to earn a BA degree must complete a total of six terms (24 credits), or demonstrate equivalent proficiency, in a world language prior to earning their BA. Students interested in studying Spanish may complete these requirements at LBCC.

Electives

A maximum of 12 credits of Career Technical Education (CTE) coursework can be taken to fulfill elective requirements (unless otherwise specified by individual degree requirements).