Bachelor Degrees Overview

Updated 9/8/25.  See correction page for details

Degree Options

  • Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS)
  • Bachelor of Science (BS)

General Degree Requirements

Except for the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Dental Hygiene, in addition to completing a two-year degree (AA, AFA, AAS, AAT, AAS-T, AST1, AST2) students must also:

Complete all of the major or distribution area requirements:

  • Complete a minimum of one hundred and eighty (180) college-level credits/units
  • Complete a minimum of sixty (60) upper division (300- or 400-level) credits/units
  • Maintain a minimum cumulative college-level grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 or higher
  • Complete a minimum of thirty (30) credits/units minimum at Clark College to meet the Academic Residency requirement

General Degree Credit/Unit Restrictions

  • Academic Credit for Prior Learning (ACPL): No more than forty-five (45) credits/units of ACPL can be applied to the Associate in Arts, Associate in Science Tracks 1 & 2, Bachelor of Applied Science, and Bachelor of Science degrees. This includes any combination of credits/units earned through test credit (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Cambridge International), course challenges, or certification crosswalks.
  • College Level Examination Program (CLEP): Students may request up to fifteen (15) CLEP credits/units to be applied to a degree. Credits/units will be used to fulfill General Elective requirements only.
  • Cooperative Work Experience: No more than fifteen (15) credits/units may be applied to a degree.
  • Course Challenge: Students may use credits/units earned from successful course challenges toward their degree or certificate, and the credits/units will apply towards academic residency requirements.
  • Military Experience: Credits/units may be earned by previous military experience but cannot exceed twenty five percent (25%) of the credits/units required for the degree or certificate. Please contact Credentials Evaluations at Clark College for further information.
  • Pass/Fail Grading Option: Sixty (60) credits/units maximum in courses with Pass/Fail grading option can apply toward the degree.
  • Special Projects: No more than fifteen (15) credits/units of Special Projects coursework will be allowed toward the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) and Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees unless specifically allowed by the program.
  • Tech Prep/Direct Credit: Tech Prep/Direct Credit courses that are part of a transfer degree program and fall into the restricted area on the Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) degree are limited to 15 credits/units. If Tech Prep/Direct Credit courses apply to a career-technical degree or certificate, there is no limit on the number of credits/units that can be applied.

General BAS and BS Degree Requirements

  1. Students must earn a cumulative college-level grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0, as calculated by the degree-awarding institution. Please refer to specific programs for additional GPA requirements.
  2. General education courses will include courses earned at either the associate degree and/or bachelor's degree level, based on the total required 180 credits/units.

Basic Requirements (15 credits/units)

Communication Skills

(10 credits/units)

Must include at least two communication courses to include a minimum of one English composition course; e.g. ENGL&101. Remaining credits/units may be fulfilled by an additional composition course, designated writing-intensive course, or basic speaking skills course (e.g. speech, rhetoric, or debate).

Quantitative/Symbolic Reasoning Skills

(5 credits/units)

  • Five (5) credits/units of college level mathematics (a course with a Mathematics prefix numbered 100 or above) that furnishes the quantitative skills required in the commonly recognized educational transfer pathways toward a baccalaureate degree. Accepted courses in these pathways are: Pre-calculus or higher, Mathematics for Elementary Education, Business Pre-calculus/Finite Mathematics, Statistics, and Math in Society;

- or -

  • Five (5) credits/units of a symbolic logic course that focuses on (a) sentence logic with proofs and (b) predicate logic with quantifiers and proofs and/or Aristotelian logic with Venn Diagrams.

Distribution Requirements (35 credits/units)

Humanities

(5 credits/units)

A maximum of five (5) credits/units of List B (performance) Humanities coursework can be applied. A maximum of five (5) credits/units of 100-level world language can be applied.

Social Science

(5 credits/units)

Natural Sciences with lab component

(5 credits/units)

At least five (5) credits/units in physical, biological and/or earth sciences. Must include at least one laboratory course.

Additional General Education Courses (20 credits/units)

Remaining general education courses needed to achieve the required 60 credits/units must be selected from the Basic and Distribution Requirements listed above.

300 and 400 Level General Education Courses

In addition to 100/200-level courses, colleges may elect to develop 300/400-level general education courses that best suit the curriculum needed for the baccalaureate degree. These courses must be selected from the Basic and Distribution Requirements listed above. Students who are enrolled in a combination of upper- and lower-division courses will be charged for all credits/units based on the upper-division tuition schedule.

Refer to specific program requirements for further information.

General Information on the Transfer of Courses and Grades

The grades assigned in transferable courses by the sending institution will not be altered by the receiving institution. They also are not used in calculating students' Clark College grade point average (GPA). Courses completed with a grade of D or above will normally be accepted in transfer to Clark College or to another institution. Courses completed with a grade of D- will not apply toward completion of a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree at Clark College. Nontraditional grading practices require special handling, depending on the nature and circumstances of the program from which and to which a student is transferring, but receiving institutions will take steps to assure all students receive equitable treatment.

Students who have earned a baccalaureate degree from an institution accredited by one of the following agencies will have met the general education requirements (basic and distribution areas) for a baccalaureate degree from a Washington State community or technical college. Students must still complete program-specific general education degree requirements if not otherwise satisfied.

•    Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC)
•    Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
•    Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS)
•    Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
•    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
•    Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
•    New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
•    WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)