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Programs of Study

Students have access to a wide variety of educational programs at SCC and SFCC. 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.

Suggested programs of study are provided on the following pages. The programs outlined are intended to provide general information. In the event of program elimination or change in requirements, the college will make arrangements to ensure that students enrolled in the program have an opportunity to complete their program in a timely manner with minimal disruption. Students should seek detailed information from a counselor, advisor, 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 or SFCC are strongly advised to consult with the community college counselor or academic advisor as well as the four-year university they plan to attend. Requirements may vary according to the program and transfer university.

Collaborative Opportunities

CCS Destination Eastern

CCS Destination Eastern is a joint admissions program for students who want to earn the first two years of a four-year degree at SCC or SFCC, then transfer to Eastern Washington University (EWU) to complete their bachelor’s degree. Students enrolled in this program receive counseling and advising, quarterly transcript evaluation and registration as an incoming junior at EWU upon completion of the AA-DTA degree.

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.

For more information, contact a counselor at SCC or SFCC.

Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)

Community Colleges of Spokane is a member of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and participates in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) reduced-tuition program. Residents of WICHE states can gain affordable access to two- and four-year college programs outside of their home state. The CCS WUE rate is considerably lower than many state WUE rates and does not have restrictions on transfer students.

Participating states include: Alaska; Arizona; California; Colorado; Hawaii; Idaho; Montana; Nevada; New Mexico; North Dakota; Oregon; South Dakota; Utah; Washington; Wyoming; and the U.S. Pacific territories and Freely Associated States.

For additional information about WUE participating colleges and their programs, visit www.wiche.edu/wue.

For information about WUE at CCS, contact the Admissions and Registration Office at SCC or SFCC.

Degree and Certificate Requirements

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. Recommended application deadlines are:

  • January 31 for graduation at the end of spring quarter
  • March 31 for graduation at the end of summer quarter
  • July 31 for graduation at the end of fall quarter
  • September 30 for graduation at the end of winter quarter

Filing a Graduation Application provides the student with the opportunity to review and check their degree or certificate requirements. It allows the student an opportunity to plan or change their 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.

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 advisor at SCC, SFCC or the off-campus centers.

Residence Credit Requirement

Residence credits are SCC or SFCC credits earned at the college granting the degree or certificate. Residence credit is not associated with where the student lives or resides. Prior Learning credit awards do not count toward the residence credit requirement.

The CCS residence credit requirement for the Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) degree or the Associate in Science-Transfer (AS-T) degree is:

  • At least 30 credits must be earned from SCC or SFCC with at least 15 credits earned at the college awarding the degree.

The CCS residence credit requirement for all other degrees or certificates is:

  • At least one-third (33%) of the credits must be earned from the college awarding the degree or certificate.
  • Courses must have been earned within the last four years and must be specific to the program of study as determined by the department.
  • If the student demonstrates satisfactory competence in the program of study, the department may petition the appropriate academic administrator to waive program specific requirements.

Time to Degree

A student is eligible to graduate by meeting one of the following:

  • Completing the degree requirements in effect at the time of initial enrollment within four academic calendar years
  • Completing the requirements in effect at the beginning of the last continuous (summer quarter excepted) enrollment.
  • 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.

Transfer Degrees

Transfer degrees include:

  • Associate in Arts—Direct Transfer Agreement (AA-DTA)
  • Direct Transfer Agreement/Major Related Program (DTA/MRP)
  • Associate in Science Transfer (AS-T) Tracks 1 and 2
  • Associate in Science-Transfer Track 2—Engineering MRP Pathways (AS-T/MRP)

Associate in Arts–Direct Transfer Agreement (AA-DTA)

The Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA), sometimes called the Associate in Arts or Associate in Arts and Sciences, is the community college degree designed to transfer to most Bachelor of Arts degrees at Washington's four-year colleges. For the agreement to be valid for transfer, it is essential that the degree be completed. Otherwise, each course taken may be evaluated by the receiving college separately, and some courses may not be accepted for transfer that would have been with a completed degree. Students are strongly advised to complete the 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 colleges. Completion of recommended courses in a pre-major for transfer does not assure a student admission to a four-year college 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 colleges 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 college to which they plan to transfer.

Lower-division major requirements vary among four-year schools. Students should consult the college 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 colleges 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 quarter credits.
  • Opportunity to explore several fields of study through the category of up to 25 quarter 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.

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:

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 in Science-Transfer (AS-T)

The Associate in Science-Transfer (AS-T) degree is intended for students majoring in engineering and science who wish to transfer as juniors to a four-year college in Washington.

Students who earn this degree will transfer with about half of the lower division general education courses required by four-year colleges. 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. Several different options are offered with two basic tracks.

The Associate in Science Transfer Track 1 (AS-T 1) degree 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.

The Track 1 degree offered at SCC and/or SFCC supports:

The Associate in Science Transfer Track 2 (AS-T 2) degree 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.

The Track 2 degree offered at SCC and/or SFCC supports:

Associate in Science-Transfer Track 2
Engineering MRP Pathways (AS-T 2/MRP)

AS-T based Major Related Programs help prepare students for their junior year as they pursue a bachelor's degree. MRPs outline the courses students need to be well-prepared for upper-division courses upon transfer.

The Engineering MRPs offered at SCC and/or SFCC include:

For more information, see the transfer program outlines section of this catalog. Students should meet regularly with an instructor in the discipline, a counselor or academic advisor to be sure that requirements specified in these degrees are met.

Other Degrees and Certificates

Certificate in Fine Arts (CFA)

This certificate program provides an opportunity for the student to concentrate his or her program of study in fine arts. The program is suitable for those who wish to pursue art as a profession. The program is not designed with an emphasis on transfer, although all courses in the program are transferable.

A candidate for a Certificate in Fine Arts (CFA) must complete a minimum of 96 quarter-credits with a grade point average of 2.0 or better. The program can be completed in two years. However, a longer time span may be necessary for maturation of skills. Students must submit a portfolio and participate in an exhibition during their final quarter. Art faculty will work closely with students to build a strong portfolio. A review committee of faculty will evaluate the artwork before final approval to recommend awarding a Certificate in Fine Arts.

For more information, see Art (Certificate in Fine Arts) in the program outlines section of this catalog.

Associate in Fine Arts (AFA)

The Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) offers a program of study applicable for transfer to a four year university. The AFA degree does not satisfy the general education requirements of most four-year universities, but all courses are transferable. Students should confirm degree requirements with the university where they intend to transfer.

Students are encouraged to meet with an advisor before enrolling. Students may earn an AFA in:

  • Art
  • Drama
  • Music

For more information, see Fine Arts, Music, or Theatre areas of study in the program outlines section of this catalog.

Other Degrees and Certificates

Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS)

The Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) is a four-year degree that provides upper-division coursework in an applied field. The BAS builds upon associate degrees. The BAS addresses an employer's need to successfully recruit qualified applicants with job-specific technical skills as well as baccalaureate level skills. These degrees are beneficial to employees working in technical fields who wish to be promoted to higher level management or to specialized positions requiring a bachelor's degree.

Spokane Community College offers:

Spokane Falls Community College offers:

Students should meet regularly with a counselor or faculty advisor in their program at SCC or SFCC.

For more information, see the program outlines section of this catalog.

Washington 45


The list of courses in Washington 45 does not replace the Direct Transfer Agreement, Associate in 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 with 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& 114, 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).