Students have access to a wide variety of educational programs at SCC, SFCC, and the IEL. A student may choose to complete the first two years of four-year degree programs, select among career and technical program offerings, or upgrade skills in preparation for work or college.
In order to give students an idea of some of the possibilities open to them, a number of suggested programs of study are provided on the following pages. The programs outlined are intended to provide general information. Students should seek detailed information from a counselor, adviser, the campus Counseling Center or Transfer Center.
Students who plan to transfer to a four-year institution after completing the first two years at SCC, SFCC or the IEL are strongly advised to consult with the community college counselor or academic adviser as well as the four-year institution they plan to attend. Requirements may vary according to the program and transfer institution.
More detailed information about the following can be found on subsequent catalog pages.
COLLABORATIVE OPPORTUNITIES
AMERICAN HONORS COLLEGE (AHC)
Community Colleges of Spokane, partnering with American Honors College (AHC), offers high-achieving students rigorous, interactive online courses that lead to transfer opportunities through its network of top-tier four-year university partners. American Honors College classes are taught by SCC and SFCC faculty dedicated to promoting scholastic excellence. A variety of AHC classes are offered each term. For more information, contact:
- SCC 509-533-7038
- SFCC 509-533-3524
ARMY RESERVE OFFICERS TRAINING CORPS (ROTC)
The Reserve Officer's Training Program (ROTC) is an Officer commissioning program for the United States Army. Students who finish the program and graduate from a four-year institution receive a commission and become a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army, National Guard or Reserve. Students who complete ROTC courses receive college credits in addition to the credits received in their academic discipline.
Army ROTC courses are conducted through CCS via a cross-enrollment agreement with Eastern Washington University (EWU). Students can earn the credits for the Basic Course while enrolled at SFCC and SCC in preparation for the Advanced Course. These classes are held at SFCC only.
For more information, call:
CCS DESTINATION EASTERN
CCS Destination Eastern is a joint admissions program for academically eligible students who want to earn the first two years of a four-year degree at SCC, SFCC or an IEL education center, then transfer to Eastern Washington University (EWU) to complete their bachelor's degree. Students enrolled in this program receive specialized joint counseling and advising, quarterly transcript evaluation and registration as an incoming junior at EWU upon completion of the AA-DTA degree. There are admissions requirements, and space in this program is limited to 100 students. For more information, contact a counselor at SCC or SFCC, or e-mail ccsdestination@ccs.spokane.edu.
UNIVERSITY ARTICULATIONS
Community Colleges of Spokane has transfer articulation agreements that provide a "value-added" component to a traditional transfer program by allowing additional transfer credits, optional instructional delivery, preferred admission, etc. View current transfer articulation agreements online.
DEGREE AND CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS
TIME TO DEGREE
A student is eligible to graduate either (1) by completing the degree requirements in effect at the time of initial enrollment within four academic calendar years, or (2) by completing the requirements in effect at the beginning of the last continuous (summer quarter excepted) enrollment or (3) by completing the most recent requirements in effect during the quarter of graduation.
A candidate for a degree may include courses newly approved to meet degree requirements even though the course approval comes after the credit has been earned.
In instances where changes in professional degrees and certificates make the above guidelines inappropriate, the respective division administrator, working with the individual student, shall determine which degree requirements to follow.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Students who plan to receive a two-year degree or a one-year certificate must file a Graduation Application with the graduation evaluator. Students should apply for a degree when they have completed 50% of the degree requirements.
Filing a Graduation Application provides the student with the opportunity to review and check his or her degree or certificate requirements. It allows the student an opportunity to plan or change his/her course schedule to ensure completion of all requirements. It also ensures that all degrees/certificates earned will be correctly posted to the student's transcript.
Degrees/certificates will not be awarded if the student has not fulfilled all financial obligations to the college.
TRANSFER DEGREE PROGRAMS
Transfer degrees include Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science-Transfer (AS-T), Associate of Applied Science-Transfer (AAS-T), Associate of Fine Arts (AFA). See Transfer Degree Programs for more details and Major Related Program degrees.
Career and technical degrees include the Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in a particular state-approved career and technical program. Career and technical certificates also are offered in state-approved programs and Certificate in Fine Arts (CFA) is also offered. See Program Outlines for more details.
DIRECT TRANSFER AGREEMENTS - ASSOCIATE OF ARTS (AA-DTA)
The Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) Associate Degree - called the Associate of Arts (AA) is the community college degree designed to transfer to most Bachelor of Arts degrees at all public and many private Washington four-year institutions. In order for the agreement to be valid for transfer, however, it is essential that the degree be completed. Otherwise, each course taken may be evaluated by the receiving institution separately, and some courses may not be accepted for transfer that would have been with a completed degree. For this reason students are strongly advised to complete the appropriate transfer degree prior to transfer.
Transfer guides are available from counselors and at the SCC and SFCC Transfer Centers. Students planning to transfer should consult these guides as well as information provided by the four-year institutions. Completion of recommended courses in a pre-major for transfer does not necessarily assure a student admission to a four-year institution or a specific program. Some colleges use screening procedures (cumulative GPA, test scores, major GPA, etc.) for acceptance into certain majors and programs.
Many four-year institutions have an admissions requirement of two years of a single foreign language in high school or two to three quarters of a single foreign language in college. Additional foreign language courses may be required for graduation. Students should check this requirement carefully for the institution to which they plan to transfer.
Lower-division major requirements vary among four-year schools. Therefore, students should consult the four-year institution to which they plan to transfer for specific program requirements. Careful planning is important in order to meet specific requirements.
For most majors in the arts, humanities and social sciences, the Direct Transfer Agreement provides the best pathway. Degrees based on the DTA - degrees structured under the DTA umbrella - provide:
- Priority consideration in the admissions for most humanities and social science majors in most four-year institutions ahead of non-degreed transfers.
- Completion of lower division general education requirements.
- Credit for all courses completed within the DTA up to and in some cases beyond 90 credits.
- Opportunity to explore several fields of study through the category of up to 25 credits of elective courses.
- Opportunity to complete prerequisites for a future major.
For more information, see the transfer program outlines section of this catalog. For a description of courses, see the course descriptions section of this catalog.
Reciprocity Agreement
Washington community and technical colleges (CTCs) offer reciprocity to students transferring within the CTC system who are pursuing the Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) degree or the Associate in Science-Transfer (AS-T) degree. Students who completed an individual course that met distribution degree requirements or fulfilled entire areas of their degree requirements at one college will be considered to have met those same requirements if they plan to complete the same degree when they transfer to another community or technical college in Washington. These degree requirements include Communication Skills, Quantitative Skills, or one or more Distribution Area requirements. Students must initiate the review process and must be prepared to provide necessary documentation. For complete information, students should contact an academic adviser at SCC, SFCC or the IEL.
DIRECT TRANSFER AGREEMENTS/MAJOR RELATED PROGRAMS (DTA/MRP)
To help transfer students better prepare for the junior year, two-year and four-year institutions work together to create transfer associate pathways outlining the appropriate courses in order for students to be well prepared to enter the major upon transfer - Major Related Program (MRP) pathways follow one of the two statewide transfer agreements - the DTA format or the Associate in Science (AS-T) format.
Several MRP degrees follow the DTA guidelines and thus share the same benefits as described above, but provide specific preparation for the specific majors identified:
- Associate in Biology DTA/MRP
- Associate in Business DTA/MRP
- Associate in Math Education-DTA
- Associate in Pre-Nursing DTA/MRP
- Associate in Elementary Education DTA/MRP
Students interested in learning more about any of the MRP requirements in any specific area should seek advising from experts in those disciplines, counselors or the SCC and SFCC Transfer Centers. Students completing one of these MRPs will have that specific degree posted on their transcript; the more general DTA will not be posted. For more information, see the transfer program outlines section of this catalog.
ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE-TRANSFER (AS-T)
The Associate of Science-Transfer (AS-T) degree is intended for students majoring in engineering and science who wish to transfer as juniors to four-year institutions in Washington.
Students who earn this degree will transfer with about half of the lower division general education courses required by four-year institutions. Remaining general education courses may be taken after transferring. This degree allows students to concentrate on fulfilling pre-major coursework in their intended field of study. A number of different options are offered with two basic tracks.
The Associate of Science Transfer (AS-T) Degree #1 is designed to prepare students for upper division study in the areas of biological sciences, environmental/resource sciences, chemistry, geology, and earth science. Completing the AS-T degree will prepare students for upper division study; it does not guarantee students admission to the major. Track 1 degrees offered at SCC and/or SFCC include:
- Biological science, environmental/resource sciences, chemistry, geology and earth science.
The Associate of Science Transfer (AS-T) Degree #2 is designed to prepare students for upper division study in the areas of engineering, computer science, physics, and atmospheric science. Completing the AS-T degree will prepare students for upper division study; it does not guarantee students admission to the major. Track 2 degrees offered at SCC and/or SFCC include:
- Computer science, physics and atmospheric science.
- Engineering:
- AS-T in Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering MRP
- AS-T in Computer and Electrical Engineering MRP
- AS-T in Mechanical/Civil/Aeronautical/Industrial/Pre-Engineering
For more specific information on these MRPs, see the transfer program outlines section of this catalog. It is highly recommended that students meet on a regular basis with an instructor in the discipline, a counselor or academic adviser at SCC, SFCC or the IEL to be sure that requirements specified in these degrees are met.
ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE-TRANSFER (AAS-T)
Some career and technical programs of study may offer an Associate of Applied Science-Transfer (AAS-T) degree that is designed to provide transfer opportunities for students desiring to continue on towards achieving a baccalaureate degree at specific universities. An AAS-T degree is a degree awarded in a career and technical discipline that contains a minimum of 20 transferable general education credits in communications, quantitative reasoning, and social science, humanities or science. Not all programs offer the AAS-T. Consult with a program faculty member or an academic adviser/counselor to determine if your program of study offers an AAS-T and into which four-year institutions it transfers. AAS-T degrees do not transfer to all four-year institutions.
For more information, see Corrections, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, or Fire Science in the program outlines section of this catalog.
ASSOCIATE OF FINE ARTS (AFA)
A primary purpose of the Associate of Fine Arts is to offer a program of study applicable for transfer to a four-year institution. While the Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degree does not satisfy the general education requirements for most four-year institutions, all courses are transferable. Students should consult the catalog and/or transfer manual of the school to which they plan to transfer before selecting courses.
The AFA degree prepares students to transfer to a four-year institution with a minimum of 90 credits, which include many general university requirements. Students may earn an AFA in art, drama or music. Students are encouraged to meet with an art adviser before enrolling.
For more information, see Art, Drama, or Music in the program outlines section of this catalog.
The list of courses in Washington 45 does not replace the Direct Transfer Agreement, Associate of Science Tracks I and II or any Major Related Program agreement, nor will it guarantee admission to a four-year institution.
A student who completes courses selected from within the general education categories listed below at a public community, technical, four-year college or university in Washington State will be able to transfer and apply a maximum of 45 quarter credits toward general education requirement(s) at any other public and most private higher education institutions in the state.1
For transfer purposes, a student must have a minimum grade of C or better (2.0 or above) in each course completed from this list.
Students who transfer Washington 45 courses must still meet a receiving institution's admission requirements and eventually satisfy all their general education requirements and their degree requirements in major, minor and professional programs.
"First Year Transfer List" of general education courses:
- Communications (5 credits) - ENGL& 101, ENGL& 102
- Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning (5 credits) - MATH& 107, MATH& 148 or MATH& 151
- Humanities (10 credits in two different subject areas or disciplines2) - PHIL& 101, MUSC& 105, DRMA& 101, ENGL& 111, or HUM& 101
For colleges that use History as a Humanities: HIST& 116, HIST& 117, HIST& 118, HIST& 146, HIST& 147, HIST& 148
- Social Science (10 credits in two different subject areas or disciplines) - PSYC& 100, SOC& 101, POLS& 101, POLS& 202
For colleges that use History as a Social Science: HIST& 116, HIST& 117, HIST& 118, HIST& 146, HIST& 147, HIST& 148
- Natural Sciences (10 credits in two different subject areas or disciplines) - BIOL& 100, BIOL& 160 w/ lab, ASTR& 100, ASTR& 101 with lab, CHEM& 105, CHEM& 110 with lab, CHEM& 121 with lab, CHEM& 161, CHEM& 162, ENVS& 100, ENVS& 101, PHYS& 121, GEOL& 101 with lab.
- Additional 5 credits in a different discipline can be taken from any category listed above.
NOTE: Although these courses are listed under categories, the actual course may satisfy a different general education category at a receiving institution.
1 Many private non-profit colleges and universities have distinct general education requirements. Students should check with institution(s) they plan to attend regarding application of transfer credits that will meet general education requirements.
2 Disciplines are sometimes called subject or subject matter areas and designated by a prefix (i.e. PHIL for Philosophy and POLS for Political Science).
