Thinking about getting a bachelor’s degree and want to know the bachelor degree requirements?
This post will share everything you need to know about bachelor degree requirements to help save you create a plan to graduate on time.
Getting a bachelor’s degree is so exciting! But there is so much to know beforehand so that you can make good decisions and avoid wasting your time.
Being the first in my family on both sides to get a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree was hard. I had no clue what bachelor degree requirements were needed to graduate, and no one in my family could explain it to me.
It took me time figure it out through reviewing and creating a plan of my own on how I would graduate. I felt like another number, and it was hard to meet with counselors because it always seemed like they were unavailable.
From personal experience, here is what you need to know about bachelor degree requirements so that you can graduate without wasting time.
Community College or University?
You can go to a community college or a university. If you decide to go to a community college, you can transfer out with the same requirements and it will save you SO MUCH MONEY. That’s what I did!
Max out your transferrable credits
If you go to a community college, max out your transferable credits to 70 units so that the rest can be fulfilled at the university you attend. You do not need to rush to a university, save yourself the money, and transfer after 70 units so that the rest of your courses can come from the university and your bachelor’s degree program.
Bachelor Degree Requirements and Tracks
Bachelor Degree Requirements and Tracks- two tracks can lead you to obtain your bachelor’s degree.
⁃ You can get an associate’s degree
⁃ Take only general education courses + transfer
Every University has different requirements
Every university has different. For example, you will need to get on the UC track or CSU track. The difference is one is a state university, and the other is a university. Make sure your general education requirements fulfill the requirements. For example, the University of Arizona or Arizona State University track.
General Education Requirements
These are the requirements that you need to obtain any degree, whether it be an associate’s degree or you can fulfill the requirements for your bachelor’s degree program. It typically takes one year and a half to 2 years to complete these requirements if you attend full time. Full-time is 12 or more units a semester.
General education courses require you to take courses, such as psychology, biology with a lab, algebra, music, foreign language, and other random courses.
English/ Math Sequences
Your community college or university has course sequences for English and math. Not all of those courses apply to your bachelor degree requirements. These courses only help you work toward the units you need, such as college algebra that will apply toward your bachelor degree.
You must know lower-level courses such as elementary algebra is not considered a transferable course toward your bachelor degree requirements. Check your university’s course sequence for English and Math because it is only intermediate algebra, college algebra, and college-level English that counts toward your bachelor degree requirements.
Units to graduate with a bachelor’s degree
You will need 124 units to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. That means you can calculate these between your transferable general education courses and upper-division courses. Depending on your program, for example, a degree in business, psychology, etc. you may fall short to 114 units or 118 units.
University Courses
At your university, some courses are considered lower-division courses and upper-division courses. Lower-division courses are courses that you can take at a university or a community college. The university will call these courses lower-division courses.
Upper-division courses are the courses that apply toward your bachelor degree requirements. These courses are only courses that transfer from university to university as they are set apart for your specific program to help you obtain a bachelor’s degree.
Once you are at 70 units of lower-division courses (general education courses), you will want to begin taking your upper-division courses. These vary from program to program. For example, my online program had 48 units, so I fell short on courses at the end.
Don’t worry about this because every university has a certain amount of university units that you need to complete to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. Everything you will take is within the 124 units you need to graduate. So even with 70 general education units, 48 units, I made the cut requirement for the university units by taking another two classes. All requirements were completed, and I graduated with 124 units.
Your college will have requirements for the state that you need to transfer to a university or for your graduation requirements. These requirements will cover five to six different categories then help you to receive an associate’s degree. The units will add up to a total that applies toward your bachelor degree requirements.
Once you have completed 60 units minimum at a community college you can transfer to a university. I recommend completing 70 transferable units.
The categories that your university or community college will look at are in these six domains. Typically you will need a certain amount of classes covered in these six areas.
Here are courses geared toward your bachelor degree requirements and fall under the general education domain. These courses will be:
English Language Communication and Critical Thinking
⁃ English Composition (college English)
⁃ Critical Thinking
⁃ Communication studies (speech)
Most universities will require one course in each of these three domains.
Scientific Inquiry/ Quantitative Reasoning
⁃ Statistics, College Algebra, Calculus
Arts and Humanities
⁃ Arts: Sculpture, Western Art, Cinema, Dance, Music, Photography, Theatre
⁃ Humanities: Foreign language, English literature, History, Philosophy
Social and Behavioral Sciences
⁃ Anthropology, Communication, Economics, History, Politics, Psychology, Sociology
Physical and Biological Sciences
⁃ Astronomy, Chemistry, Earth Science, Geology, Biology, Physics
If you are not a science major, you will need one science in both categories, but most likely only one science with a lab!
Life-Long Learning
⁃ Higher level of language or specific courses for your college
Depending on your college, you will only need 2-3 courses in each of the categories for your bachelor’s degree unless I have listed otherwise.
Although you have options, remember you do not need an associate’s degree unless you want to take more classes and work with that degree or graduate as a milestone. Otherwise, you can transfer or love toward your bachelor’s degree with 60-70 units depending on your major. Science majors are usually 60 units, and other majors like psychology or sociology will want to take 70 transferable units.
Most of the classes are similar to those you have taken in high school. This is the time to explore what you are passionate about and what you like learning.
Make sure you look at your bachelor’s degree program pre-requisites so that you can complete the lower division courses within your 124 units before you enter your bachelor’s program.
If you attend a Christian University, you will be required to complete specific biblical courses that may be specific to that university and may not count towards another university. Those courses will be needed to graduate with your bachelor’s degree.
Sometimes it is hard to meet with a college counselor. Because it has been difficult for me too. I hope this post helps you feel like you have a much better understanding moving forward with your bachelor degree requirements. There is so much to cover, but this post breaks down all the information and what you can expect to need for your bachelor’s degree!
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