General Studies, Certificate

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Program Mission

The Certificate in General Studies is a transfer program. It is designed to provide the first year of an associate or baccalaureate degree with the flexibility needed to meet the needs of students who have a variety of backgrounds and interests. This program appeals to students who want to fulfill the basic degree requirements of the College.

Program Goals

The goal of the Certificate of General Studies is

To enable students to acquire the general education competencies expected of an Certificate of General Studies graduate
To provide the coursework that will allow students to transfer with minimal or no loss of credit

Program Learning Outcomes

Students completing the Certificate of General Studies Degree will

Demonstrate competence in written and verbal communication skills, quantitative reasoning and critical thinking

Specific Degree Requirements

Students wishing to earn a Certificate of General Studies from South Louisiana Community College must:

Have a degree program adjusted SLCC cumulative average of 2.0.
Have earned at least 25 percent of the credit hours required for the degree through SLCC courses.
Have earned at least a “C” in each course unless stated by a specific program.
Used no more than one-third credit in required major courses and no more than 50 percent of credit hours total from non-traditional sources, Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), to meet the degree requirements, unless required by a specific program.
Have completed at least the number of credits stipulated in the degree program.

General Education Requirements

(27 Total Credit hours)

English 6 Credits
Mathematics 3 Credits
Natural Science 6 Credits
Social/Behavioral Science 3 Credits *2000 Level or above
Fine Arts 3 Credits
Humanities 3 Credits
General Education Elective - Humanities, Math, Naural Science, Social/Behavioral Science

Notes: Students who plan to transfer after completion of the certificate should discuss their plans with an advisor from the college of intended transfer to assure transferability of credits.

Curriculum Guide

Semester 1

ENGL 1010 Rhetoric & Composition 3 Credits
Elective¹ 3 Credits
MATH 1105 College Algebra 3 Credits
Social/Behavioral Science 3 Credits²
Fine Arts Elective 3 Credits³

Total: 15

Semester 2

ENGL 1020 Composition & Critical Thought 3 Credits
Humanities ⁴
Natural Science 3 Credits ⁵
Elective¹ 3 Credits
General Education Elective 3 Credits⁷

Total: 15

Certificate of General Studies Total Credits: 30

Must have a grade of “C” or higher in all courses.

¹SFSE 1003 Seminar in First-year Student Experience is highly recommended for any student with less than 24 credits (either from transfer or previous SLCC enrollments), especially for students taking 00XX courses in ENGL and MATH, and for students who may wish to transfer to a baccalaureate institution. Students should only consider an alternative Elective to SFSE if they are not intending to further pursue an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree at SLCC or in transfer (e.g. either intention only to complete the CGS or enroll in a terminal/Applied program of study following completion of the CGS).

²Choose from the following courses: ANTH, CJUS, ECON, GEOG, PSYC, or POLI, and must be at the 2000 course level or above.

³ Fine Arts options: ARTS, MUSC, THEA

⁴Humanities options: HIST, 2XXX ENGL (except ENGL 2045 and 2070), or CMCN (except CMCN 1170, 1270, and 2145)

⁵Choose from BIOL, CHEM, GEOL, PHSC, PHYS.

⁶Choose from any of the above noted courses as well as Foreign Language, MCIS, ACCT, GBUS, SPCH and CMCN. Students should work with their adviser to determine the best selection of Electives. Students intending on eventual transfer are highly recommended to consider taking a 2nd MATH, a 2nd Social/Behavioral Science, a 2nd Natural Science, an ENGL literature course or a SPCH course.

⁷Select General Education Elective from: Humanities, Social Sciences, English, Math, Natural Sciences and Fine Arts.

Note: Students must meet GPA of 2.0 with all 10 courses. Students must also earn 3 of these courses at SLCC.