Steps to Choosing Courses
It’s up to you to know your educational goal and
program requirements. You will use them as
guidelines for selecting courses. There are other
considerations when selecting courses for your
program.
• Have you met all the prerequisites of the
course you want to take? (Refer to the
College Catalog)
• Do you need to plan for any course
sequences?
• Is there a particular course in your major that
you must take as soon as possible because it
is a prerequisite to other courses?
• Are the courses transferable to your chosen
campus if you are pursuing a Bachelor’s
Degree or higher?
• Considering your academic preparation,
strengths, weaknesses and interests, does
this combination of classes appear to be a
reasonable, balanced workload?
• Are you attempting too many difficult classes
in one semester?
Advisors and Counselors are available and
ready to help you answer these questions.
Academic Program
An academic program is made up of the
following:
General Education Courses
General education courses are the foundation
of a college education designed to provide you
with knowledge in a variety of topics. You are
required to take courses from natural sciences,
humanities, social sciences, English and math.
In some cases, a single course may fulfill a major
and a general education requirement. This is
called “double-counting,” but you will receive the
unit credit for the course only once.
Major Courses
Major courses are in your chosen field of study
which applies directly toward your future career.
You study a particular area in-depth through a
prescribed set of courses.
Elective Courses
These are taken purely for your own interest.
They may or may not be part of general
education, your major, or other requirements.
Elective courses can help you meet the minimum
number of units required for your degree.
You may decide to take elective courses which
compliment your major. On the other hand, you
may select elective courses which have nothing
to do with your major. How you put your courses
together depends on your goals, interests and
other commitments in your life.
General
Educa�on
Major
Elec�ves
EDUCATIONAL PLANNING
Diagram of an Associate Degree
COS
Transferable
Units
University
Courses
BA/BS
Degree
Diagram of a Bachelor’s Degree
+
=
Major
(lower
division)
Major (upper
division)
Elec�ves
General
Educa�on
60
Total Units
9
