About this degree
The NPC Associate of General Studies (AGS) degree is designed for those who wish to enhance their personal development with the equivalent of two years of post-high school education but are not planning to transfer to a four-year college or university or prepare for a specific vocational career.
The Associate of General Studies (AGS) degree is the most flexible of the degrees offered at NPC. With this degree you learn the basics of mathematics, English, science, history and a wide variety of other subjects, allowing you the chance to explore many different disciplines.
The AGS degree provides you with recognized learning credentials. If you work, statistics show that employees who have an associate degree earn more money and are more likely to be promoted than employees without a college degree. If you decide to pursue further educational goals in the future, the AGS degree provides you with a solid background of learning that will ease the transition to a four-year college or university.
NPC Requirements
- The Associate of General Studies (AGS) degree requires 64–65 hours of course credits with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on
a 4.0 scale.
- Students must complete 31–32 general education credits.
- Some courses have placement requirements or prerequisites that may result in coursework beyond the 64–65 credits. For information about prerequisites, see an NPC academic adviser.
- Students must meet with an NPC academic adviser to select a program of courses that will best meet the student’s goals.
- Students with an associate or higher degree will not be considered for this program.
- In most general education courses, special emphasis is placed on developing written communication skills with intensive writing requirements. Race and ethnic issue awareness is embedded throughout the general education requirements.
Degree Requirements
64 to 65 Total Credits
English • 6 credits
- ENL 101 College Composition I • 3 credits
Plus one of the following:
- ENL 102 College Composition II • 3 credits
- ENL 109 Technical Writing • 3 credits
Mathematics • 3 or 4 credits
Select one of the following, or a higher mathematics course for which MAT 121 is a prerequisite.
- MAT 105 Mathematics for General Education • 3 credits
- MAT 112 Algebra II: Intermediate • 3 credits
- MAT 121 Intermediate Algebra • 4 credits
Discipline Studies
Arts and Humanities • 6 credits
Select two courses from at least two disciplines.
- ART 101 Understanding Art • 3 credits
- ART 115 Art History I • 3 credits
- ART 116 Art History II • 3 credits
- ENL 220 World Literature I • 3 credits
- ENL 221 World Literature II • 3 credits
- ENL 224 English Literature I • 3 credits
- ENL 225 English Literature II • 3 credits
- HUM 150 Humanities in the Western World I • 3 credits
- HUM 151 Humanities in the Western World II • 3 credits
- MUS 150 Music Appreciation • 3 credits
- PHL 101 Introduction to Philosophy • 3 credits
- PHL 105 Introduction to Ethics • 3 credits
- SPT 130 Introduction to Theatre • 3 credits
- SPT 150 Introduction to Film • 3 credits
- SPT 155 History of Television • 3 credits
Physical and Biological Sciences • 4 credits
- BIO 100 Biology Concepts • 4 credits
- BIO 105 Environmental Biology • 4 credits
- BIO 160 Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology I • 4 credits
- BIO 181 General Biology I • 4 credits
- BIO 182 General Biology II • 4 credits
- CHM 130 Fundamental Chemistry • 4 credits
- CHM 151 General Chemistry I • 4 credits
- CHM 152 General Chemistry II • 4 credits
- GEO 111 Physical Geography • 4 credits
- GLG 101 Introduction to Geology I - Physical • 4 credits
- GLG 102 Introduction to Geology II - Historical • 4 credits
- PHY 113 General Physics I • 4 credits
- PHY 114 General Physics II • 4 credits
Social and Behavioral Sciences • 6 credits
Select two courses from two disciplines.
- *ANT 102 Cultural Anthropology • 3 credits
- BUS 140 Principles of Economics - Macro • 3 credits
- BUS 141 Principles of Economics - Micro • 3 credits
- *GEO 110 World Regional Geography • 3 credits
- *HIS 105 U.S. History to 1877 • 3 credits
- *HIS 106 U.S. History since 1877 • 3 credits
- *HIS 155 Western Civilization to 1700 • 3 credits
- *HIS 156 Western Civilization since 1700 • 3 credits
- POS 110 American Government • 3 credits
- PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology • 3 credits
- PSY 200 Psychology of Adjustment • 3 credits
- PSY 240 Developmental Psychology • 3 credits
- SOC 120 General Sociology • 3 credits
- SOC 121 Social Problems in America • 3 credits
- SOC 130 Racial, Ethnic & Gender Relations in Modern
Society • 3 credits - SOC 225 Sociology of the Family • 3 credits
Courses marked with an asterisk (*) meet requirements for Contemporary Global/International or Historical Awareness.
Additional Discipline Studies • 6 credits
Select a minimum of six additional credits from the Discipline Studies courses, or from these courses.
Foreign Language
- FRE 101 Elementary French I • 4 credits
- FRE 102 Elementary French II • 4 credits
- GER 101 Elementary German I • 4 credits
- GER 102 Elementary German II • 4 credits
- SPA 101 Elementary Spanish I • 4 credits
- SPA 102 Elementary Spanish II • 4 credits
Computer Science
- CIS 105 Computer Applications and Information Technology • 3 credits
Verbal Communication
- SPT 120 Public Speaking • 3 credits
