Degrees and Certificates

The program-specific Associate in Arts and Sciences (AA) transfer degree is for students who are sure of the baccalaureate institution they wish to attend.  This may be a good option for students who plan to earn a bachelor’s degree in a professional field.  Students must work closely with their program advisor to design a program that will fulfill the transfer institution’s general admission and program entry requirements.  Students should expect to have courses evaluated on a course-by-course basis upon transfer to the upper division.  The LCC program advisor and the appropriate department chair must approve the intended program, and the student must file an intent to earn this degree when applying for graduation from LCC.

To earn an AA, you need:

• General Requirements for Earning an Associate Degree (above).
• Communications requirement—15 credits: ENGL& 101 English Composition I, ENGL& 102 Composition II or ENGL& 235 Technical Writing, and CMST& 220 Intro to Public Speaking or CMST& 230 Small Group Communication.
• Other: 70 credits minimum - approved by the program advisor and the appropriate department chair.

The Direct Transfer Agreement associate degree, sometimes called the Associate in Arts or Associate in Arts and Sciences degree, is the community college degree designed to transfer to most bachelor of arts degree programs at Washington’s four-year institutions.

Degrees structured under the DTA umbrella provide:

• Admissions consideration at public universities for most humanities and social science majors vs. non-degreed transfers.
• Completion of lower division general education requirements although may not meet all individual institutional requirements.
• Completion of the DTA degree generally provides a student with a minimum of 90 quarter or 60 semester credits upon entry to a four-year institution.
• Opportunity to explore several fields of study through the category of up to 30 credits of elective courses.
• Opportunity to complete prerequisites for a future major.

To earn an AA-DTA, you need:

• General Requirements for Earning an Associate Degree (above).
• Communications requirement—15 credits: ENGL& 101, ENGL& 102 or ENGL& 235, and CMST& 220 or CMST& 230.
• Quantitative/symbolic reasoning skills requirement— 5 credits— Intermediate Algebra Proficiency required. Choose one of the following: MATH& 107 or higher with the exception of MATH& 131.
• Humanities requirement—15 credits from at least two areas on the Distribution List. No more than 10 credits from any one discipline; no more than 5 credits in performance skills courses; no more than 5 credits in foreign language at the 100 level. Courses may be credited toward no more than one distribution.
• Social Sciences requirement—15 credits from at least two areas on the Distribution List. No more than 10 credits from any one discipline. Courses may be credited toward no more than one distribution.
• Natural Sciences requirement—15 credits. Selected from at least two disciplines on the distribution list for transfer degrees including 5 credits of lab courses. At least 10 credits must be in physical, biological and/or earth sciences. No more than 10 credits from any one discipline and no more than 5 credits from Computer Science, Mathematics, and Engineering. Courses used to satisfy this requirement may not be used to satisfy the Quantitative Skills requirement.
• Diversity requirement—5 credits. Courses that meet this requirement may also be used toward other graduation requirements and will be designated in course schedules.
• Electives—of the remaining credits taken to earn 90 credits for the degree, no more than 15 credits may be taken from the restricted course list.

AA-DTA degree options are arranged by area of concentration in the Programs of Study section of this catalog.

Major Related Program (MRP) degrees build on the Associate in Arts - Direct Transfer Agreement degree for students in the arts, humanities and social sciences, and the Associate in Sciences - Transfer degree for students in engineering and science-based fields. Two- and four-year colleges work together to create these programs so that LCC graduates can transfer smoothly into the bachelor degree program of their choice.

Specific requirements for the different MRP degrees are located in the Programs of Study section of this catalog.

The Associate in Applied Science-Transfer degree is built upon the technical courses required for job preparation but also includes a college-level general education component common in structure for all such degrees. Public and private universities are not required to accept AAS-T degrees. Students must check with their advisor at Lower Columbia College and a representative from the college they plan to attend to determine the specific transfer and admission requirements in their field of study.

The Associate in Science - Transfer degree is designed for community and technical college students seeking to major in engineering and science. Degrees structured under the AS-T umbrella provide:

• Admissions consideration at public universities for most science and engineering majors vs. transfer students without a degree.
• Completion of similar lower division general education requirements as first-year and second-year university students in engineering or science-based fields.
• Credit for all courses completed within the AS-T up to 90 credits. In some cases more credits may be accepted.
• Opportunity to complete math and science prerequisites for the chosen major.

There are two AS-T degree options:

• Option One: biological sciences, environmental or resource sciences, chemistry, geology, and earth sciences.
• Option Two: computer science, engineering, physics, and atmospheric sciences.

For either of these options, you must work closely with your advisor and enroll in courses that meet your transfer institution’s requirements.

To earn an AS-T, you need:

• General Requirements for Earning an Associate Degree (above).
• Communications requirement—ENGL& 101 (5 credits).
• Mathematics requirement—MATH& 151 and 152 (10 credits).
• Humanities/Social Sciences requirement—15 credits.
• Pre-major program courses specific to the appropriate track. It is recommended that all sequence courses be completed at one institution.
• Remaining courses specific to the appropriate track: 10-15 credits.

To earn an AAS, you need:

• Minimum of 90 credits in courses numbered 050 and above.
• Communications requirement—5 credits. ENGL& 101, ENGL& 102, or ENGL 110; BUS 119; or CMST& 220. See specific program planners for communication course requirements for each program of study.
• Quantitative skills requirement—5 credits. MATH& 107 or higher, MATH 105, MATH 106 or BUS 104. See specific program planners for math course requirements for each program of study.
• Human Relations requirement—2-5 credits. ANTH& 206; BUS 144, BUS 150, or BUS 240; SUDS 102 or SUDS 215; HDEV 110; PSYC& 100; SOC& 101; or CMST& 210.
• Note: courses that meet Human Relations requirement may also be used to satisfy another requirement of the degree.
• Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Humanities requirement—10 credits. At least 5 credits each in two of these three areas.
• Minimum of 45 credits for specific courses identified in the degree program and recommended by the advisor.
• No more than 6 credits in PHED activity courses; no more than 15 credits in Cooperative Work Experience, Tutoring, and/or Independent Study. No more than 15 pass/fail credits, except when a pass/fail class is required by a specific program or when earned as non-traditional credits. Students must maintain a 2.0 GPA in graded courses.
• Diversity requirement—5 credits. See quarterly schedule for diversity classes. Courses that satisfy this requirement may also be used to satisfy other graduation requirements.

• 45 credits or more.
• Communications requirement—5 credits.
• Quantitative skills requirement—5 credits.
• Social Science/Human Relations requirement—5 credits.
• Some programs also have a Natural Sciences and/or Health requirement.

This short-term program of occupational training consists of a sequence of courses totaling 1-44 credits. Many students choose to continue earning credits, going on to earn a certificate of proficiency or an associate degree.

Admission to the BAS programs is selective and requires a separate application process. While meeting the minimum entrance requirements is essential, it does not guarantee admission. When the number of qualified applicants exceeds available enrollment spaces, a competitive admission process is implemented. Specific requirements for the BAS-OLTM and BAS-TE degrees are located in the Programs of Study section of this catalog.

Admission to the BSN program is selective and requires a separate application process. While meeting the minimum entrance requirements is essential, it does not guarantee admission. When the number of qualified applicants exceeds available enrollment spaces, a competitive admission process is implemented. Specific requirements for the BSN are located in the Programs of Study section of this catalog.

The Bachelor of Science (BS) degree is designed to prepare students for advanced study or professional careers in scientific, technical, or applied fields. BS programs emphasize critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, and discipline-specific expertise. Lower Columbia College offers a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS). This 180-credit program prepares graduates to pursue careers in a wide variety of computing-related fields. The program is anchored with core courses that provide a solid foundation in both the theoretical and practical aspects of computer science. Students pursuing a BSCS degree at Lower Columbia College must meet general education distribution requirements in addition to program-specific coursework. Specific requirements for the BSCS are located in the Programs of Study section of this catalog.