Bachelor Degrees Overview

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
  • Earn a grade of D (1.0) or higher in each course taken at Clark College, unless otherwise specified. A grade of D- (0.7) or lower will not satisfy degree requirements. Many programs require higher grades, such as C (2.0), for each course in the program. Students are recommended to check with their program for specific requirements.
  • 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 a Bachelor’s degree. 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 Bachelor’s degree. 
  • Cooperative Work Experience: No more than fifteen (15) credits/units may be applied to a degree.
  • Pass/Fail Grading Option: Forty-five (45) 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 a Bachelor’s degree unless specifically allowed by the program.
  • CTE Dual Credit (formerly Tech/Prep): CTE Dual 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.
  • A student may be up to one (1) unit/credit short within an individual distribution area as long as at least sixty (60) distribution area credits/units are satisfied. 
  • Credit by Subject Area: Ten (10) credits/units maximum from any single subject area can be used to fulfill Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences distribution requirements.
  • World Language: Five (5) credits/units maximum in 100-level world language can be used to fulfill Humanities distribution requirements. Additional 100-level world language coursework can be used to meet Specified or General Elective requirements.
  • Physical Education (PE) Activity: Three (3) credits/units maximum in PE activity can apply toward a transfer degree.

General BAS and BS Degree Requirements

  1. Students must earn a cumulative college-level grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.00, 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)

An additional 20 credits of 300/400 level distribution coursework or electives from the ICRC Handbook generally transferable list of courses. Course designations that can apply: [HA, HB, NS, OC, PPI, Q, SE, SS, WC].

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.

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)