Degree Requirements

 

Degree Requirements

Johnson State College offers students two pathways to an undergraduate degree: 

On campus at JSC, students can choose from among 25 bachelor's programs, three associate's degrees, a certificate, and 11 teaching licensure programs while taking advantage of the College's many services, programs, and activities. 

Through the External Degree Program, students throughout Vermont who have at least 60 credits can complete a bachelor's degree in one of five majors and/or earn teaching licensure through online and weekend courses close to home. 

More information about all JSC options appears in the following pages.

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Requirements for a Bachelor's Degree

For Campus-Based Students

• Completion of at least 120 credit hours of work (not including basic skills credits). 

• Achievement of a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 (on a scale where A equals 4.00).

• Completion of the General Education Core Curriculum.

• Completion of Graduation Standards.

• Completion of Plan of Study approved by the sponsoring department.

• Completion of all course work in the major as declared in the student's approved Plan of Study.

• At least 30 of the last 39 credits applying toward the degree must be earned from Johnson State College.

• At least 39 credits must be at the 3000/4000 (upper) level.

For EDP Students

• Completion of at least 120 credit hours of work (not including basic skills credits). 

• Achievement of a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 (on a scale where A equals 4.00).

• Completion of the EDP General Education Requirements.

• Completion of Graduation Standards.

• Completion of a Degree Plan approved by the sponsoring department.

• Completion of all course work in the major as declared in the student's approved Degree Plan.

• At least 39 credits must be at the 3000/4000 (upper) level.

• EDP students must complete at least two semesters and at least 30 credits while in EDP (24 credits if student has at least 6 prior credits from JSC)

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Requirements for an Associate's Degree

Completion of an Associate's Degree requires:

• Completion of at least 60 credit hours of course work (not including basic skills credits).

• A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 (on a scale where A equals 4.00).

• At least 30 of the credits applying toward the degree must be earned from Johnson State College.

• Students in the Associate of Arts (A.A.) in general studies program must complete the Fundamental Skills and Disciplinary Exploration (taking one course from each of the seven sub-categories) components of the GECC.  Students in all other associate's programs must complete ENG-1051 and 1052, one semester of mathematics, and four Disciplinary Exploration courses, one each from categories A (Arts and Humanities), B (Natural Sciences), C (Anthropology/Sociology/Psychology) and D (Political Science/Economics) of the GECC.

• Associate degree candidates are not required to complete the Writing Proficiency Exam.

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Requirements for Earning a Second Degree

A Second Bachelor's Degree

Students who already hold a bachelor's degree from another institution or from Johnson State College may earn a second degree by completing the following requirements:

• Completion of at least an additional 30 credits through Johnson State College.

• Completion of the requirements of a major unique from the first bachelor's degree major. 

• Requirements for double majors also apply (see below).

• Achievement of a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00.

A Second Associate's Degree

Students who already hold an associate's degree from another institution or from Johnson State College may earn a second degree by completing the following requirements:

• Completion of at least an additional 15 credits at Johnson State College.

• Completion of the requirements of a major unique from the first associate's degree.

• Requirements for double majors also apply (see below).

• Achievement of a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00.

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Requirements for a Double Major

Students wishing to earn a degree with a double major must meet the following requirements:

• Completion of degree requirements as listed under Requirements for a Bachelor's Degree.

• Completion of the requirements of two unique majors.

• For baccalaureate degrees, at least 30, and for associate's degree, at least 15, of the credits used to complete each major must be in courses not used to meet the requirements in the other major.

• Students must submit two separate Plans of Study, one for each major.  Each Plan of Study must be signed by an advisor from the department and by the department chair.

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Requirements for Academic Minors

An academic minor shall consist of a minimum of 18 credits in a discipline or field, at least six of which shall be at the 3000/4000 level.  In general, students may not use the same courses used to satisfy requirements in one major to also satisfy requirements in a minor.  Any questions should be referred to the department chair of the department sponsoring the minor.  (See inside cover of hard copy for a list of approved academic minors.)

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General Education Requirements

General Education Core Curriculum

(for campus-based students)

The GECC is designed to introduce students to a broad range of the liberal arts and sciences and to prepare them to become informed citizens of a democratic society. The GECC has the following components:

First-Year Seminar Course: 

Beginning Fall 2007, all students entering JSC with fewer than 30 credits must take a First-Year

Seminar Course (FYS).  Several FYS courses are offered in both the fall and spring semesters.

• Part I: Fundamental Skills requires students to complete three lower-division courses in writing and two in mathematics, and to pass the Writing Proficiency Examination.

• Part II: Disciplinary Exploration requires students to complete a minimum of seven lower-division courses emphasizing the primary concepts, methods of inquiry and major achievements of the arts and humanities, the natural sciences and the social sciences.

• Part III: Interdisciplinary requires students to complete three upper-division, interdisciplinary courses, including one focused on a theme determined annually by the Faculty Assembly Committee on General Education. These courses use a topical approach and combine the tools of analysis from two or more disciplines.

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First-Year Seminar                                                    3 credits

Part I: Fundamental Skills                                       15-16 credits

A. Requirements in expository writing (9 credits):

1.  ENG-1051

College Writing

(3 credits)

2.  ENG-1052

Exposition and Analysis*

(3 credits)

3. At least one writing intensive course.

(The fall and spring semester course bulletins identify courses that are writing intensive.)

4. Writing Proficiency Examination.

*(ENG-1052 should be taken after successfully completing ENG-1051.)

• All students seeking a baccalaureate degree must pass the Writing Proficiency Exam in order to graduate.  Effective academic year 2002-2003, the exam will be administered as part of ENG 1052, Exposition and Analysis. Students who do not attempt the exam at that time will receive a grade of Incomplete for the course. The Incomplete will be converted into a grade when students take the exam in a subsequent semester. Neither passing nor failing the exam will affect the letter grade for the course. Students who fail the Writing Proficiency Exam must take The Self-Sufficient Writer; those who fail the exam once may attempt it a second time before taking this course.

B. Requires two courses in mathematics (6-7 credits):

MAT-1020

Intermediate Algebra

MAT-1221

Finite Mathematics

MAT-1320

Pre-Calculus

MAT-1531

Calculus I*

MAT-2030

Probability and Statistics

MAT-2140

Modeling the Environment

*Will satisfy the full, two-course requirement in itself. 

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Part II: Disciplinary Exploration                      18-19 credits

One course from each of the following sub-categories, other than the sub-category that includes the student's major (one may be writing intensive-see Part I):

A. Arts and Humanities

       1. Literature/Philosophy          

COM-2050 

Introduction to Film Study

ENG-1310

Introduction to Literature

ENG-2171 

World Literature I

ENG-2172 

World Literature II

ENG-2281

Survey of English Literature I

ENG-2282 

Survey of English Literature II

ENG-2321 

Survey of American Literature I

ENG-2322

Survey of American Literature II

ENG-2510

Women and Literature

PHI-1010 

Introduction to Philosophy

PHI-1040  

Introduction to Ethics

2. History/Foreign Languages

HIS-1111

World History I

HIS-1112

World History II

HIS-1211

American History I

HIS-1212

American History II

FRE-1111

French I

FRE-1112

French II

SPA-1011

Spanish I

SPA-1012

Spanish II

3. Fine and Performing Arts

ART-1011

Drawing I

 

ART-1140

Design

  

ART-2251

Sculpture I

 

ART-2301

Photography I

 

ARH-2011

Survey of Western Art I

 

ARH-2012

Survey of Western Art II

 

DAN-1010

Fundamentals of Dance

 

MUS-1015

Meet the Masters

 

MUS-1030

Music Fundamentals

 

THA-1041

Introduction to Theater Arts

 

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B. Natural Sciences (minimum of 7 credits; at least one course must include a laboratory)

1. Life Science

BIO-1210

Introduction to Biology

 

BIO-1211

Introduction to Biology:Ecology & Evolution

 

BIO-1212

Introduction to Biology:Cells & Genetic Basis of Life

 

2. Physical Science

CHE-1031

General Chemistry I

ENV-1040

Introduction to Oceanography

ENV-1050

introduction to Earth Science

PHY-1041

Physics I

PHY-1042

Physics II

C. Anthropology/Sociology/Psychology

ANT-1010

Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

SOC-1010

Introduction to Sociology

PSY-1010

Introduction to Psychology

D. Political Science/Economics

ECO-1020

Introduction to Economics

ECO-2020

Macroeconomics

ECO-2030

Microeconomics

POS-1010

Introduction to Political Science

POS-1020

American Politics and Government

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Part III: Interdisciplinary                                           9 credits

Open Interdisciplinary: Two courses from the following list of

approved courses. (Beginning Fall 2007, if you entered JSC with fewer than 30 credits and were required to take a First-Year Seminar Course, you are only required to take one Open Interdisciplinary Course from this section.)

ARH-3210

Women in Art

BUS-3250

Organizational Behavior & Management

DAN-3010

The Renaissance Spirit

EDU-3020

Educational Psychology

EDU-3110

Literature for Children

ENG-3270

Myth and Myth Making

HIS-3040

Ancient Civilizations of the New World

HUM-3045

The Bible: History, Literature, Spirituality

HUM-3110

Native American History and Culture

HUM-3115

Native American Worldview and Spirituality

HUM-3120

The Abenaki and Their Neighbors

HUM-3125

Religions of the World

HUM-3150

People and Cultures of the Middle East and North Africa

HUM-3160

African Culture

HUM-3170

Popular Culture in America

HUM-3310

Culture through Cuisine

INT-3010

Natural Landscapes and Literature

INT-3130

Compassion and You: An Introduction to Mahayana Buddhism

INT-3150

Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

INT-3210

The Holocaust: An Interdisciplinary Approach

MUS-3040

Jazz in America

MUS-3220

History of Blues

MUS-3330

Worlds of Music

PHI-3150

Philosophy Through Literature

POS-3050

Environmental Ethics and Politics

POS-3220

Genocide: Inhumanity Across the Ages

PSY-4080

Psychology and the Civil War

SOC-3040

Youth Culture and Cultural Studies

SOC-3080

Wellness and Alternative Medicine

THA-3010

Shakespeare: "On the Stage and on the Page"

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Thematic Interdisciplinary

INT-4730

Topical Seminar: Peace and War (required for all seniors)

            

   Note:

• Business, elementary education, hospitality and tourism management, health science, outdoor education, and liberal arts majors must take the disciplinary exploration course in each of the seven sub-categories above.

• For students majoring in liberal arts, no course taken to satisfy GECC requirements can be counted as part of the major.

• For students with a documented learning disability in mathematics, MAT-1070, Mathematics in our Culture, will count as one of the required mathematics courses to fulfill the GECC. For more information, please contact the Learning Specialist in the Academic Support Services Office.

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EDP General Education Requirements

(for EDP students)

Students enrolled in the External Degree Program must earn at least 60 credits in liberal arts. These credits must include the following components of general education:

Key Skills (6 credits)

• Mathematics (3 credits)

• Rhetorical Expression: (ENG-1220, 3 credits), or earn a waiver by successfully completing the Writing Assessment Essay. This requirement must be met by the end of a student's second semester or after completion of 15 credits in EDP. ENG-1220 meets the College's graduation requirement in writing for EDP students, and no other course or experiential credits can substitute for it.

Integrated Knowledge (25 credits)

• Individual and Human Relationships (6 credits). English literature or writing, languages, communications, psychology or other courses with a focus on understanding self and others.

• Social and Historical Relationships (6 credits). Sociology, history, political science, economics, law and other courses focusing on social institutions, movements, and problems past and present. At least three credits must emphasize an historical perspective.

• Environmental and World Relationships (7 credits). Sciences (physical, biological, environmental, health). At least four credits must use or study scientific method, including a lab or field study.

• Universal and Philosophical Relationships (6 credits). Studies with a focus on transcendent issues, symbolic systems, and aesthetic understanding. At least three credits must be in a consciously speculative field such as philosophy, religious studies, mythology, aesthetic or symbolic theory. Other credits can be in areas such as art, music or drama.

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Graduation Standards

Johnson State College and the rest of the Vermont State College system has established a graduation standard in writing, and is in the process of establishing graduation standards in quantitative reasoning, information literacy and oral communication. The colleges will design and implement assessments for each of these areas according to a schedule determined by the Council of Presidents. Successfully fulfilling graduation standards at one VSC institution will be accepted as fulfillment of the standards at any other VSC institution for an equivalent associate or bachelor degree. The VSC and the colleges will report regularly on student performance on the assessments.

Students should expect electronic and hard copy communications about the required graduation standards, including their implementation schedule and the means to satisfy them.  Students will be responsible for fulfilling these graduation standards, according to the published implementation schedule.

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