Guided Studies
Associate of Arts
Transfer Major
Decisions on the transferability of courses are made by the four-year colleges and differ from school to school. Students enrolled in this major should contact the Transfer Services Office early in their academic program to determine which courses will transfer to the college of their choice.
Department of Language & Literature
Grupp 105 • Phone (215) 968-8150
Curriculum Code No. 1202
The Guided Studies major provides an efficient vehicle for exploring possible majors while completing some/many courses that will meet requirements of an Associate degree at Bucks and/or earn credits that will transfer as requirements or electives at another institution.
Graduates of this program are able to:
- Articulate and discuss main concepts, features, and applications of two areas of study (Concentrations).
- Articulate personal qualities and interests as they relate to academic, training, and/or career planning.
- Create a plan for an academic or professional career by researching academic, training, and career opportunities, and matching those opportunities with personal qualities and interests.
- Use software programs commonly needed in workplaces and academic settings.
The Guided Studies Concentrations include the following: Creativity and Aesthetics; Culture and Society; Helping Professions and Public Service; Humanities; Management, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Business; Media and Technology; Numbers, Engineering, and Computer Technology; Science, Nature, and Health; Service Industries; Words, Texts, and Communication.
Degree Course Requirements
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| COLL101 Orientation to College | 1 |
| GUID101 Introduction to Guided Studies | 1 |
| COMP110 English Composition I A,2,10 | 3 |
| CISC100 Digital Literacy 9 | |
| OR | |
| CISC110 Introduction to Information Systems 9 | 3 |
| Writing Elective B,C,G | 3 |
| Concentration A Elective Course D,E,G | 12-16 |
| Concentration B Elective Course D,E,G | 12-16 |
| GUID250 Guided Studies Seminar B | 1 |
| Arts/Humanities F,G,1 | 3 |
| Diversity F,G,3 | 3 |
| Information Literacy F,G,4 | 3 |
| Oral Communication F,G,5 | 3 |
| Quantitative Literacy F,G,6 | 3-4 |
| Scientific Literacy F,G,7 | 3-4 |
| Social Sciences F,G,8 | 3 |
| Electives H | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 60-70 |
Recommended Semester Sequence
The recommended course sequence is designed for full-time students who average 15 credit hours per semester. Students may need more time to complete major requirements based on placement testing. This additional time will entail some adjustments to the sequence recommended.
First Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| COLL101 Orientation to College | 1 |
| GUID101 Introduction to Guided Studies | 1 |
| COMP110 English Composition I A,2,10 | 3 |
| Concentration A Elective Course D,E,G | 3-4 |
| Concentration B Elective Course D,E,G | 3-4 |
| CISC100 Digital Literacy 9 | |
| OR | |
| CISC110 Introduction to Information Systems 9 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 14-16 |
Second Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| Concentration A Elective Course D,E,G | 6-8 |
| Concentration B Elective Course D,E,G | 3-4 |
| Writing Elective B,C,G | 3 |
| Information Literacy F,G,4 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15-18 |
Third Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| Concentration A Elective Course D,E,G | 3-4 |
| Concentration B Elective Course D,E,G | 6-8 |
| Oral Communication F,G,5 | 3 |
| Quantitative Literacy F,G,6 | 3-4 |
| GUID250 Guided Studies Seminar B | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours | 16-20 |
Fourth Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| Diversity F,G,3 | 3 |
| Scientific Literacy F,G,7 | 3-4 |
| Social Sciences F,G,8 | 3 |
| Arts/Humanities F,G,1 | 3 |
| Elective H | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15-16 |
A Placement testing required.
B Course requires prerequisite and/or co-requisite.
C Any of the following may be chosen: COMP111, COMP114, JOUR175, MGMT135.
D Consult the list of approved Concentration Elective courses for this Concentration, which appears on the Guided Studies Concentration Information Sheets.
E Courses that count for one Concentration may not also count for the other Concentration.
F Consult the list of approved General Education courses.
G Concentration courses and Writing Electives may also satisfy General Education requirements, as appropriate. Some General Education courses may satisfy more than one General Education requirement, according to the list of approved General Education courses.
H Any college-level course may be chosen.
1 Satisfies Arts/Humanities
2 Satisfies Critical Thinking
3 Satisfies Diversity
4 Satisfies Information Literacy
5 Satisfies Oral Communication
6 Satisfies Quantitative Literacy
7 Satisfies Scientific Literacy
8 Satisfies Social Sciences
9 Satisfies Technological Competence
10 Satisfies Writing