Goal #2: Understand Your First Year Classes! IS
Congrats, you have completed the first goal of our New Student Counseling workshop. We hope that you are feeling more confident about the steps you have taken and your next steps. In this section of the workshop, we will...
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What Do You Need to Transfer and/or Graduate with an Associate’s Degree?Many students who attend PCC come to the campus because they are looking to graduate with a college degree (Called an Associate’s Degree) or are looking to start at PCC and use their credits to “Transfer” to another college or university. For both of these goals, students will take PCC courses to accumulate college units, similar to “credits” in high school. Most students looking to graduate and/or transfer to a UC or CSU school are to reach 60 transferrable units at PCC.Units vary for private and out-of-state universities/colleges. If you are considering transferring to one of these, please inform us on the intake form. |
While working towards 60 units, most courses that students take will fall into one of three categories. The three types of courses include:
1. General Education – (Also called General Eds., G.E, and Gen. Eds.):
General education classes are core requirements outside of your major preparation needed to earn an associate degree and/or transfer to a university/college. Your academic goals will affect whether you will need general education courses and which courses are required. Examples of general education classes include:
- English
- Math
- Science
- Arts and Humanities
- Social and Behavioral Science
2. Major Preparation (Also called Major Prep):
These types of classes are specific to your personal, educational goal. For example, if a student is pursuing a nursing career, major preparation classes would include Anatomy, Chemistry, and Physiology.
3. Electives:
When students have completed their Major Preparation and General Education but still need more units to get to 60, Elective courses can be used! Depending on your major, you may or may not need elective units, so this category of classes usually is not the biggest priority during your first year.
Let's Review Your General Education Options:
Now that you have learned about the different types of courses let's review your general education options.
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