catalog - Prairie State College

DEGREES,CERTIFICATES,COURSES42DEGREES, CERTIFICATES, COURSESTRANSFER DEGREESTRANSFER DEGREE GUIDELINESThe A.A.,A.S.,A.A.T. and A.F.A. degrees meet the guidelines ofthe Illinois Articulation Initiative “Transferable GeneralEducation Core Curriculum” and the Illinois CommunityCollege Board “Guidelines for Associate Degrees Designed forTransfer” (see page 171).TRANSFER DEGREE ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTSStudents applying for admission to a baccalaureate transferprogram must have 15 high school credits distributed asfollows:4 credits in English (written and oral communication, literature)3 credits in Mathematics (introductory through advancedalgebra plus geometry)3 credits in Social Studies (emphasizing history and government)3 credits in Science (laboratory science)2 credits in electives (foreign language, art, music, vocationaleducation)(Illinois Public Act 86-0954)Students who have academic deficiencies in these minimumrequirements can satisfy these deficiencies upon successfulcompletion of 24 transferable credit hours (with a minimumGPA of 2.0) which must include ENG 101 Composition I (3),COMM 101 Principles of Communication (3), one social sciencecourse, one four-credit laboratory science course and onecollege-level mathematics course.TRANSFER DEGREE GRADUATIONREQUIREMENTSPrairie State College offers four transfer degrees:• Associate in Fine Arts:Art (A.F.A.),• Associate in Arts (A.A.),• Associate in Science (A.S.), and• Associate of Arts in Teaching (A.A.T.).Candidates for these degrees must fulfill the followingrequirements:1. Enrolled at Prairie State College for the two semestersimmediately preceding graduation, successfully completing atleast 15 credit hours at Prairie State College (excludingproficiency credits).2. Candidates for the A.F.A. Degree must complete 61 credithours including the Transferable General Education CoreCurriculum of 31-32 credits. Candidates for the A.A. or A.S.Degree must complete 62 semester hours of college creditas specified, including Transferable General Education CoreCurriculum of 37-41 credits.3.Attained a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 ona 4.0 scale in all Prairie State College courses.4. Filed appropriate evidence of high school graduation or GEDcertification with the Admissions and Records Office.5. Satisfied the U.S. and State of Illinois Constitution requirementsby submitting a high school transcript that proves thetest was successfully completed in high school, or by takingPOLSC 140 or 152 or a proficiency exam.2006-2008 CATALOGTRANSFER DEGREE COMPONENTSThere are three components of degree programs:TheTransferable General Education Core Curriculum, the area ofconcentration or major field, and electives.I. TRANSFERABLE GENERAL EDUCATION CORECURRICULUM REQUIREMENTSA.A./A.S. Degrees: 37-41 credit hoursA.F.A. Degree: 31-32 credit hoursA.A.T. Degree: 39-40 credit hoursThe goal of general education is to develop individuals with sensitivity toand a comprehensive understanding of the world in which they live. Ageneral education encourages development of moral values, habits ofcritical thinking and introspection, intellectual sophistication and an orientationto learning and investigation that will last a lifetime. The complexityand diversity of American society challenges individuals to widentheir sympathies and visions, and develop and adapt their skills to understandthe human condition and function in and respond to changingworld needs. In order to be a successful and contributing member ofAmerican society and a citizen of the world, a person needs both tovalue diversity and recognize and reinforce similarities among people. Tomeet these goals, the general education curriculum requires courses thatenhance written, oral communication and quantitative reasoning skills.AREA A: COMMUNICATION• A.F.A.,A.A.,A.S.,A.A.T.: 9 credit hoursCommunication is the art of expressing and exchanging ideas creativelyin speech or writing, in an organized manner, using critical judgmentskills. The complexities of the modern world demand that individualsdevelop the ability to think independently and have a mastery of bothoral and written communication skills. Because these skills provide afoundation for success in later academic work, these courses must becompleted early in the degree program. These acquired skills form thebasis for all other courses in the undergraduate curriculum. These skillswill continue to be developed, reinforced and refined throughout theentire academic program. Satisfactory completion of the required writingcourse sequence, ENG101 Composition I and ENG102Composition II, will mean a grade of “C” or better in both courses.The following 3 courses (9 credit hours), including a two-course sequence inwriting and one course in oral communication, are required:Writing Course Sequence [IAI Code]ENG 101 [C1 900] Composition I - with a grade of C or better (3)Note: All students must complete the English 101 Exit Test with a passinggrade in order to pass ENG101ENG 102 [C1 901R] Composition II - with a grade of C or better (3)Oral Communication [IAI Code]COMM 101 [C2 900] Principles of Communication (3)AREA B: HUMANITIES AND FINE ARTS• A.A.,A.S.,A.A.T.: 9 credit hours• A.F.A.: 6 credit hoursStudy in the humanities and fine arts develops an understanding of whatit means to be human as individuals confront the struggles and aspirations,comedies and tragedies, achievements and failures of human existence.These courses examine the dreams, traditions and culturalexpressions of people throughout time who have wrestled with thebasic questions that confront all human beings in the course of theirlives—identity, beauty, courage, love, truth, justice and morality. Tounderstand what it means to be human, one must understand oneself inrelation to the natural world and in relation to others. One must beable to reflect on ideas and confront presuppositions from one’s ownand other cultures, and respond creatively. By moving beyond personaland cultural limits and relating to common human experiences and traditions,individuals can choose thoughtful and constructive action, bothin the present and the future.Select 2 or 3 courses (6 or 9 credit hours), with at least one courseselected from fine arts and at least one course from the humanities: