Associate Degree (A.S./A.A.) General Education Requirements

This plan meets the minimum 18-unit general education requirement for an associate degree awarded by Southwestern College. A minimum of 60 total units should include general education courses, degree/program course requirements and elective courses are required to earn an associate degree. Additional competency and graduation requirements are available at the end of this page. Students are strongly advised to see a counselor for assistance in developing an educational plan.

ATTENTION: The Southwestern College Associate Degree Requirements will change in next year's 2025-2026 catalog due to updated Title 5 (55061) California Code of Regulations. Consult with an academic counselor regarding catalog rights.

Courses listed in more than one area

New course(s) to General Education area.

Modified course title and/or number

See catalog archives for historical General Education area.

Courses with semester and date in brackets indicate General Education approval in area. A courses taken prior to approval date is not approved for meeting a General Education requirement. Refer to catalog archives for General Education approved prior to FA 2017.

Approved Ethnic Studies Courses: These courses meet the Southwestern College Graduation Requirement (effective fall 2023).

Additional Competency and Graduation Requirements

Unit and Scholarship Requirement

Students must satisfactorily complete the following in order to meet associate degree requirements:

• a minimum of 60 units of degree level coursework.
• satisfy all competency and graduation requirements.
• maintain a minimum 2.00 or higher grade point average (or "Pass") for all Southwestern College general education coursework.
• all courses required for the major or area of emphasis must be completed with minimum 2.00 or higher grade point average (or "Pass") in each course.
• complete one additional course (3 units) from Area A, B, C or D if needed to satisfy the 18 unit minimum requirement per Title 5 Associate Degree Requirements.

Competency Requirements

Writing Competency Requirement

The Southwestern College English Writing competency requirement is met by satisfactory completion (grade of “C” or better or “Pass”) in the following:

• ENGL 115 College Composition: Reading and Writing Analytically
• ENGL 115H Honors College Composition: Reading and Writing Analytically
• ESL 115A College Composition for Multilingual Students

Note: Competency requirements may also be met by satisfactory scores on specified Advanced Placement (AP), College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), International Baccalaureate (IB) Exams or by receiving credit for prior learning experiences as deemed equivalent by discipline faculty per Board Policy and Administrative Procedure 4235 Credit for Prior Learning.

A student who has received a college degree from an accredited U.S. institution will not be required to meet any competency requirements for graduation.

Reading Competency Requirement

The Southwestern College reading competency requirement is met by satisfactory completion (grade of “C” or better or “Pass”) in one of the following:

• RDG 158 College Reading
• ENGL 115 College Composition: Reading and Writing Analytically
• ENGL 115H Honors College Composition: Reading and Writing Analytically
• ESL 115A College Composition for Multilingual Students

Mathematics Competency Requirement

The Southwestern College mathematics competency requirement can be satisfied in any one of the following ways:

• Satisfactory completion (grade of “C” or better or “Pass”) of an intermediate algebra course or any transferable mathematics course (minimum of 3 semester units).
• Satisfactory completion (documented grade of “C” or better or “Pass” for both semesters) of a high school or adult school course in intermediate algebra, such as Algebra II or Integrated Math 3, or a high school or adult school course with similar or more advanced content and rigor. Qualifying high school or adult school courses completed outside of the United States may be accepted for establishing competency.
• Satisfactory completion (minimum of 3 semester units with a grade of “C” or better) of a transferable statistics or quantitative reasoning course in any discipline at or above the level of the course typically known as Intermediate Algebra (either Intermediate Algebra or another mathematics, statistics, or quantitative reasoning course at or above the same level, with the same rigor and with Elementary Algebra as a prerequisite, approved locally).

Additional Graduation Requirement: Ethnic Studies - Effective fall 2023

The Southwestern College Ethnic Studies requirement is met by satisfactory completion (grade of “C” or better or “Pass”) of a transferable course in ethnic studies. If a Southwestern College course is approved to meet the California State University General Education (CSUGE), Area F or Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC), Area 7 requirement respectively, then the course is automatically approved to meet the Southwestern College Ethnic Studies requirement.

The Ethnic Studies Requirement may be taken as a major preparation course, General Education course, or an elective course. Approved courses are AFRO/HIST 111 (FA21), ASIA/HIST 113 (FA21), MAS/HIST 142 (FA21), MAS 100 (FA22), MAS 110 (FA22), MAS 170 (FA21), and NAIS/HIST 153 (FA24). Approved Ethnic Studies courses have an @ footnote.

Residency Requirement

The student must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 12 degree-applicable units to satisfy degree requirements at Southwestern College. Credits obtained through Credit for Prior Learning are not accepted for satisfying graduation residency requirements.