Uniform Certificate of General Studies

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Length: 31-35 credits

Purpose: The Uniform Certificate of General Studies (UCGS) is a one-year college program in which all courses are transferable and satisfy lower-division general education requirements at any Virginia public institution of higher education.

Program Description: This program consists of a minimum of 31 credit hours. Students should take the UCGS courses that best suit their intended program of study at the four-year institution. Only classes completed after May 2020 apply toward UCGS completion.

Admission Requirements: Entry into this curriculum is obtained by meeting the admission requirements established by the College. Students must take developmental coursework as required by English and math placement.

Curriculum Requirements: Requirements for the certificate are listed in the curriculum below.

*A grade of “C” or better is required on all coursework for students to earn the UCGS.

Certificate Requirements

Block I (Written Communication) - 6 credits

ENG 111 - College Composition I Credits: 3
ENG 112 - College Composition II Credits: 3

Block II (Arts/Humanities/Literature) - 6 credits

Select two courses (the two courses must be from different categories)

Block III (Social and Behavioral Sciences) - 3 credits

Select one course

ECO 201 - Principles of Macroeconomics Credits: 3
ECO 202 - Principles of Microeconomics Credits: 3
GEO 210 - People and The Land: Intro to Cultural Geography Credits: 3
PLS 135 - U.S. Government and Politics Credits: 3
PSY 200 - Principles of Psychology Credits: 3
SOC 200 - Principles of Sociology Credits: 3
SOC 211 - Principles of Anthropology I Credits: 3
SOC 268 - Social Problems Credits: 3

Block IV (Natural Sciences) - 4 credits

Select one course

BIO 101 - General Biology I Credits: 4
BIO 102 - General Biology II Credits: 4
CHM 111 - College Chemistry I Credits: 4
CHM 112 - College Chemistry II Credits: 4
GOL 105 - Physical Geology Credits: 4
GOL 110 - Earth Systems: An Environmental Geology Perspective Credits: 4
PHY 201 - General College Physics I Credits: 4
PHY 202 - General College Physics II Credits: 4
PHY 241 - University Physics I Credits: 4
PHY 242 - University Physics II Credits: 4

Block V (Mathematics) - 3-5 credits based on pathway

Select one course from student’s pathway

A. Quantitative/Statistics Pathway

MTH 154 - Quantitative Reasoning Credits: 3
MTH 155 - Statistical Reasoning Credits: 3
MTH 245 - Statistics I Credits: 3

B. Calculus Pathway

MTH 161 - Precalculus I Credits: 3
MTH 162 - Precalculus II Credits: 3
MTH 167 - Precalculus With Trigonometry Credits: 5
MTH 261 - Applied Calculus I Credits: 3
MTH 263 - Calculus I Credits: 4
MTH 264 - Calculus II Credits: 4

Block VI (History) - 3 credits

Select one course

HIS 111 - World Civilizations Pre-1500 CE Credits: 3
HIS 112 - World Civilizations Post-1500 CE Credits: 3
HIS 121 - United States History to 1877 Credits: 3
HIS 122 - United States History Since 1865 Credits: 3

Block VII (Specialized General Education Courses) - 6-8 credits

Select two courses [NOTE: For Block VII, the student may complete courses from Blocks I-VI above or any additional course below. Students should align their Block VII course selection with their intended transfer destination’s specific general education or programmatic requirements.]

ART 121 - Drawing I Credits: 3
ART 223 - Life Drawing Credits: 3
ASL 101 - Beginning American Sign Language I Credits: 4
ASL 102 - Beginning American Sign Language II Credits: 4
CST 110 - Introduction to Human Communication Credits: 3
ITE 152 - Introduction to Digital and Information Literacy and Computer Applications Credits: 3
SPA 101 - Beginning Spanish I Credits: 4
SPA 102 - Beginning Spanish II Credits: 4
SPA 201 - Intermediate Spanish Credits: 3
SPA 202 - Intermediate Spanish Credits: 3

Uniform Certificate of General Studies

Certificate Requirements

Block I (Written Communication) - 6 credits

Block II (Arts/Humanities/Literature) - 6 credits

Arts

Humanities

Literature

Block III (Social and Behavioral Sciences) - 3 credits

Block IV (Natural Sciences) - 4 credits

Block V (Mathematics) - 3-5 credits based on pathway

A. Quantitative/Statistics Pathway

B. Calculus Pathway

Block VI (History) - 3 credits

Block VII (Specialized General Education Courses) - 6-8 credits

Minimum Required for Certificate: 31 Credits