Quick Facts
Degree Transfer Degree
Areas of Study Liberal Studies
Associate in Arts for Transfer | SC Program: AA-T.4003

Do you enjoy learning and helping others better understand the world around them? Becoming an elementary teacher will allow you to share your love of learning with the next generation.

The Associate in Arts in Elementary Teacher Education for Transfer degree provides students with a core of lower division courses required to transfer and pursue a bachelor's degree in liberal studies. Elementary Teacher Education incorporates introductory courses from a range of disciplines including science, mathematics, literature, social sciences, and the arts. This program introduces students to the theory of education and early field experience.

Choose your path

Map your education by viewing the program map for the degree or certificate you’re interested in earning below. Meet with a counselor to create your official comprehensive education plan.

A program map shows all the required and recommended courses you need to graduate and a suggested order in which you should take them. The suggested sequence of courses is based on enrollment and includes all major and general education courses required for the degree.

Fall Semester, First Year

16 Units Total
ENGL 1A
GE M 4
College Composition
ENGL 1A
Units 4
Note: For students who would benefit from further instruction and individual support while taking their first college-transfer level English course, ENGL 1AX is a recommended alternative to ENGL 1A.

This course develops the reading, critical thinking, and writing skills necessary for academic success, emphasizing expository and argumentative writing as well as research and documentation skills. As a transferable course, it presupposes that students already have a substantial grasp of grammar, syntax, and organization, and that their writing is reasonably free from errors. A research paper is required for successful completion of the course. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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MATH 41A
GE M 3
Concepts of Elementary Mathematics
MATH 41A
Units 3
This course emphasizes the development of quantitative reasoning skills through in-depth investigations of mathematics topics, which include: patterns and sequences, inductive and deductive reasoning, problem solving, logic, set theory, set of real numbers and its subsets.
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ECE 9
GE M 3
Child Growth and Development
ECE 9
Units 3
This course provides an in-depth examination of the major physical, psychosocial, and cognitive/language developmental milestones for children, both typical and atypical, from conception through adolescence. There will be an emphasis on interactions between maturational processes and environmental factors. While studying developmental theory and investigative research methodologies, students will observe children, evaluate individual differences and analyze characteristics of development at various stages. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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ART 1
GE M 3
Introduction to Art
ART 1
Units 3
This course provides a general introduction to art that offers a look at works of art through the study of theory, terminology, themes, design principles, media, and techniques, with an introduction to the visual arts across time and diverse cultures. This course is recommended as a Humanities elective. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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GEOG 8
M 3
World Regional Geography
GEOG 8
Units 3
This course will introduce students to the world's major geographic regions. This course will increase student awareness of geographic concepts by examining the physical, cultural, economic and political characteristics of the major realms of the world through the unifying concept of the geographic region. This course will illustrate the importance of the world's geographic regions and how they interrelate. The location of important geographic features such as mountain ranges, rivers, countries, and major cities will be an important part of the course. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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Spring Semester, First Year

16 Units Total
ENGL 1B
GE M 3
Literature and Composition
ENGL 1B
Units 3
This course emphasizes the development of critical thinking and writing skills through close study of the major genres of literature: poetry, drama, short story and novel. Students receive further instruction and practice in analytical writing, developing arguments about literary works and the critical reception of those works. In discussion and writing, students will also examine arguments as such, learning to identify sound as well as fallacious reasoning in critical assessments of literature. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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ESCI 12
GE M 4
General Earth Science
ESCI 12
Units 4
Note: Required field trips when offered face to face.

This is a survey course designed for non-science majors. It spans the Earth-related sciences, including geology, oceanography, meteorology, and astronomy. In general, the course focuses on physical processes and materials as related to each discipline. Topics include the geologic evolution of the Earth, economic resources derived from the Earth, Earth materials, evolution and character of the oceans, ocean-atmosphere interactions, atmospheric processes including weather and climate, the solar system and Earth as part of the universe. Using an Earth systems approach, lecture and laboratory will consider concepts centered on the sustainable use of natural resources. The laboratory portion of this course provides hands-on activities that support and demonstrate lecture concepts. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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HIST 2
GE M 3
World Civilization to 1500 C.E.
HIST 2
Units 3
Advisory: Essay-writing skills and eligibility to enroll in a transfer-level English Composition course, or English Placement Level 6 or higher

This course is a comparative survey of the major ancient world civilizations which developed between 3500 B.C.E. and 1500 C.E. It examines political institutions, religious ideologies, the rise and fall of empires, and the major cultural innovations of each of the major world civilizations. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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CMST 60
GE M 3
Public Speaking
CMST 60
Units 3
This course is an introduction to the process of human communication with an emphasis on public speaking. The subjects covered are speech topic selection, audience analysis, information competency (e.g. researching, evaluating, and using supporting materials), presentation outlining, principles of effective speech delivery, critical evaluation of speeches, and presentation of informative and persuasive speeches. Most students will have the opportunity to be recorded and to use presentational technology. College-level writing skills will be expected on all papers, outlines, and short essays. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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EDUC 1
M 3
Introduction to Education
EDUC 1
Units 3
Advisory: ENGL 1A with a grade of C or higher

This course introduces students to the American public education system, kindergarten through twelfth grade. Topics include professional ethics, governance and financing of public education, historical and philosophical foundations, and contemporary issues. The course introduces California's content standards, curriculum frameworks, and teaching performance expectations. Students complete a minimum of 45 hours of structured observations in public school classrooms in cooperation with at least one instructor-approved certificated classroom teacher. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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Fall Semester, Second Year

13 Units Total
MATH 41B
GE 3
Concepts of Elementary Mathematics
MATH 41B
Units 3
Advisory: ENGL 196 with a grade of C or higher, or English Placement Level 6 or higher.
Note: MATH 41A is not a prerequisite for MATH 41B.

Note: This course is valuable for students intending to become elementary school teachers.

Survey of the elements of mathematics usually taught in the elementary grades from an advanced standpoint. Emphasis is on geometry, probability and statistics.
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BIOL 10
GE M 3
General Biology
BIOL 10
Units 3
Note: BIOL 10 will meet the general education requirement for a laboratory science if taken with BIOL 10L.

This course is an introduction to the major concepts of modern biology. Topics covered include biochemistry, cell biology, heredity, and nature of genes, evolution, diversity of life, and principles of ecology. Emphasis will be placed on those aspects of biology that are rapidly reshaping our culture. This course may be offered in a distance education format. This course will meet the general education requirement for a laboratory science if taken with BIOL 10L.
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BIOL 10L
GE M Lab 1
General Biology Laboratory
BIOL 10L
Units 1
Note: BIOL 10 will meet the general education requirement for a lab science if taken with BIOL 10L.

This is a laboratory course that offers experiments and demonstrations covering the basic concepts of the lecture course BIOL 10. The laboratory is designed to expose student to biological techniques including microscopy, biochemistry, genetics, evolution, diversity of life, and principles of ecology. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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PHIL 8
GE M 3
Logic
PHIL 8
Units 3
Advisory: ENGL 1A with a grade of C or higher or English Placement Level 7.

Logic is the science that evaluates arguments. This course introduces principles of reasoning with an emphasis on deductive logic. It will provide students with extensive experience in identifying a range of correct and incorrect argument forms using the tools of formal logic. The course may include a treatment of inductive reasoning and fallacies. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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POLS 2
GE M 3
Introduction to American Government
POLS 2
Units 3
Advisory: ENGL 1A or English Placement Level 7 or higher.

This course is an introduction to United States and California government and politics, including their constitutions, political institutions and processes, and political actors. An examination of political behavior, political issues, and public policy, this course satisfies the CSU requirement in U.S. Constitution and California State and local government (US-2 and US-3). This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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Spring Semester, Second Year

15 Units Total
PHSC 1
GE M 4
Physical Science Survey
PHSC 1
Units 4
This course covers active learning, lecture, discussion, demonstration, and lab activities in selected theories of physics and chemistry, emphasizing the conceptual basis of these theories. The course is designed for non-science majors as part of their general education requirement in science. This course is not appropriate for students who have taken college-level physics or chemistry. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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HIST 17A
GE M 3
United States History
HIST 17A
Units 3
Advisory: ENGL 1A with a grade of C or higher

This course is a survey of the history of the United States from Pre-Columbian Peoples to the end of Reconstruction. Topics include contact and settlement of America, the movement toward independence, the formation of a new nation and Constitution, westward expansion and manifest destiny, the causes and consequences of the Civil War, and Reconstruction. This course satisfies the CSU requirement for US History (US-1). This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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SPAN 1
GE 5
Spanish 1
SPAN 1
Units 5
Advisory: English Placement Level 6

This introductory course is designed to give the student thorough and intensive practice in speaking and listening to Spanish and reading and writing in Spanish, with special emphasis on grammar and pronunciation. The course will focus on communicative competence in situations relating to daily routines, home life, college life, and everyday activities such as meeting and describing people; finding out about schedules, directions, and locations; discussing weather, eating, and holidays. Students are introduced to the culture of Spanish-speaking people in general and to specific customs and cultural characteristics of various Spanish-speaking countries. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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ETHS 1
GE 3
Introduction to Ethnic Studies
ETHS 1
Units 3
Advisory: Essay-writing skills and eligibility to enroll in a transfer-level English Composition course

This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of race and ethnicity in the United States. It examines social justice movements in relation to ethnic and racial groups in the United States to provide a basis for a better understanding of the socioeconomic, cultural, and political conditions among key social groups including, but not limited to, Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latina/o Americans. This course examines the systemic nature of racial/ethnic oppression through an examination of key concepts including racialization and ethnocentrism, with a specific focus on the persistence of white supremacy. Using an anti-racist framework, the course will examine historical and contemporary social movements dedicated to the decolonization of social institutions, resistance, and social justice. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
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Please see a counselor to discuss options for meeting general education requirements for transfer to California State Universities (CSU) and/or University of California (UC) campuses, as well as any specific additional courses that may be required by your chosen institution of transfer.

*Alternative Courses: Please see a Shasta College counselor for alternative course options. You can also view the following to find other courses to meet degree/certificate requirements:

Need a print out? Feel free to download and/or print out a copy of the sample program map(s).

Contact Us for More Information

Academic/Instructional Division Office

Location Room 935/905
Office Hours Monday - Friday | 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

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