General Education
The mission of Harford Community College’s General
Education program is to foster the students’ development of the core
competencies, attitudes, and values necessary to pursue lifelong learning.
This foundation is integrated into all the degree programs and academic
support areas at Harford Community College. Upon completion of the
General Education core requirements, students will possess the skills to
acquire and apply knowledge across broad areas of study. In addition, they
will be able to demonstrate the skills basic to acquiring knowledge in the
behavioral/social sciences, English composition, arts/humanities,
mathematics, biological/physical sciences, and interdisciplinary and
emerging issues.
Upon completion of the general education core requirements, students
will be able to:
1.
1. Read with comprehension and communicate analytically, critically
and/or creatively in speech and writing.
2.
2. Apply technology across a variety of
disciplines.
3.
3. Interpret data, gathered in a variety of
methods, by applying the scientific method to organize and express
observations and results clearly and
concisely.
4.
4. Apply reasoning, creativity, estimation,
and/or computational skills to solve complex problems.
5.
5. Define information needs, access information
efficiently and effectively, evaluate information critically and
use information ethically.
6.
6. Establish goals, develop objectives and
implement plans independently.
7.
7. Analyze ethical issues, relevant principles,
and arguments in order to make informed, well-reasoned judgments.
8.
8. Apply
knowledge and skills necessary to be informed global citizens in a diverse and
changing intercultural world.
General Education Transcript Notations
Courses meeting HCC General Education requirements are
automatically noted on the Harford Community College
student transcript. The notation, “General Education Program
Met” is automatically placed on associate degree
graduates’ transcripts. Students who have completed the
General Education program requirements but have not
graduated can request this notation be placed on their
transcript by completing a General Education Program
Completion Form in the Registration and Records Office.
General Education Requirements Completed at Other Institutions
The College recognizes General Education discipline requirements
completed at other institutions as equivalent to comparable
General Education discipline requirements at HCC. Courses that
fulfill English, arts/ humanities, mathematics, science (including
laboratory science), behavioral and social science, and
interdisciplinary and emerging issues core requirements at the
sending institution may be used to satisfy General Education
requirements at Harford, the receiving institution, so that there
is no loss of credit in transfer.
In this catalog, see the Maryland Higher Education Commission
Student Transfer Policies for the procedure to complete general
education requirements at other institutions after enrolling at
Harford Community College.
General Education Course Codes
(Click icons for Course Lists)
Return to Top
General Education AA, AS, and AAT
Degree Requirements
(Click icons for Course Lists)
All students must meet specific General Education
requirements within their Associate degree programs.
To be eligible for the Associate of Arts (AA) degree, the
Associate of Science (AS) degree, or the Associate of Arts
in Teaching (AAT) degree, students must complete
a minimum of 62 credits of college-level work. Of the 62
credits, 30-36 credits must fulfill the College’s General
Education core requirements. The approved General
Education courses appear on the following pages. The
distribution of the 30-36 General Education credits must
meet the following specifications and may be further
prescribed within particular degree programs:
|
Code
|
Description
|
Credits
Req'd
|
|
Behavioral/Social Science |
6 |
|
|
Students must complete two courses in two
different subjects as defined by the course alpha
prefix, e.g., SOC, PSY, HIST, etc.
|
|
|
English Composition |
3
|
|
|
Students must complete this within the first
17 credit hours of study.
|
|
|
Arts/Humanities |
6
|
|
|
Students must complete two courses in two
different subjects as defined by the course
alpha prefix, e.g. ART, ENG, PHIL, etc. |
|
|
|
Biological/Physical Laboratory Science |
7-8
|
|
|
Students must complete:
-
one 4-credit science laboratory course
and one 3-credit science course
- or
- two 4-credit science lab courses that meet the additional requirements specified
by their particular program of study.
|
|
|
Mathematics |
3-4
|
|
|
Students must complete one 3-4 credit
mathematics course that meets the
additional requirements specified by their
particular program of study.
|
|
|
General Education Electives |
5-9
|
| |
Students may choose, according to the
requirements specified by their particular
program of study, any
course(s) from
or
on the approved
General Education course list to meet this requirement. A maximum of 8 credits from
Interdisciplinary and Emerging Issues may be used to fulfill General Education Elective credit.
|
|
| |
Total 30 - 36 credits
|
Return to Top
General Education AAS Degree Requirements
(Click icons for Course Lists)
To be eligible for the Associate of Applied Sciences (AAS)
degree, students must complete a minimum of 62 credits of
college-level work. Of the 62 credits, a minimum of 20 credits
must fulfill the College’s General Education core requirements.
The approved General Education courses appear on the
following pages of this catalog. The distribution of the 20+
General Education core credits must include at least one
course from each of the following categories:
and
.
The remainder of the required General Education core credits may be selected from any of the approved General Education courses, except where specified by the student’s particular program requirements.
Other Elective Options
(Click icons for Course Lists)
In addition, various curricula provide the opportunity for
students to select elective courses from a broader range of
disciplines than those listed
,
,
,
,
,
and
under General Education.
Behavioral/Social Science Elective - Any course in
anthropology, criminal justice, economics, geography,
history, paralegal studies, political science, psychology,
and sociology.
Humanities Elective - Any course in art, communication
studies, drama, English, foreign languages, mass
communications, music, philosophy, photography,
religion, theatre, and visual and performing arts.
Biological/Physical Sciences Elective - Any course in
astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, environmental
studies, forensic science, physical science, and physics.
General Elective - Any 100 or 200 level course in any
discipline.
Diversity Course Graduation Requirement
(Click icons for Course Lists)
To be eligible for an associate degree, new and readmitted
students must complete one 3-credit diversity course.
Approved Diversity Courses are denoted with a
icon.
The diversity course requirement enables students to explore,
in depth, cultural differences based on age, ethnicity, gender,
race, religion, sexual orientation, or social class. To complete
this requirement, in most programs, students should select
one of the 3-credit Arts/Humanities , Behavioral/Social
Sciences ,
or Interdisciplinary/Emerging Issues General Education electives that also appears on the approved
list of
Diversity Courses
.
Physical Education/Physical Education Fitness Graduation Requirements
(Click link for Course List)
Harford Community College has a two, one-credit physical education requirement for all students for graduation from all degree programs.
At least one credit of the must be a
Physical Education/Fitness course.
English
Proficiency and Requirements
Students must meet certain minimum composition requirements for written work
submitted in all courses. These Requirements state:
1. All papers must demonstrate that the student has a reasonable degree of skill
in presenting material in a clear and logical manner.
2. All papers must demonstrate college-level competence in grammar and in the
mechanics of composition, spelling, and punctuation.
3. All graduates must attain at least a D grade in ENG 101 (English
Composition) or pass a standardized college-wide writing examination.
Grades on papers that are poorly written, regardless of the course, may be
reduced for the quality of the writing alone; in extreme cases, a failing grade
in the course may be given for this reason alone.
A student whose first language is other than English will be required to take an
examination to determine proficiency in English. If it is determined that
a student is not adequately proficient in English, the College requires
appropriate remedial or language training before the continuation of a program.
Certificate or degree-seeking students completing ENG 012 (Basic Writing), ENG
018 (Integrated Reading and Writing), or ENG 060 (ESL Basic Writing) must enroll
in ENG 101 (English Composition) at their next registration. ENG 101 (English
Composition) must be completed with a grade of D or better prior to
earning 18 college-level credits. The 18 credits include transfer credits.
Mathematics Requirements
Students who are enrolled in associate degree programs are encouraged to enroll
in mathematics as soon as possible. Once students begin their required
mathematics sequence as determined by their Academic Skills Assessment,
enrollment in mathematics is recommended during subsequent semesters until the
student has passes a college-level mathematics course.
Transitional Studies
Harford Community College expects competence in reading, writing, and
mathematics as the necessary foundation for success in college. The
Educational and Transitional Studies Division offers transitional courses for
students who demonstrate on the Academic Skills Assessment the need to improve
one or more of the basic skills. Transitional courses provide a supportive
instructional environment that allows students to attain the basic skills and
attitudes to perform effectively in college-level study.
Transitional Studies courses are listed under the English, mathematics, human
development and chemistry sections in the Schedule of Classes and begin with the
number 0 or 00. These courses are used to determine full-time or part-time
status; however, credits earned are shown as "0" on the student's academic
transcripts and cannot be applied toward fulfillment of a degree or certificate.
Grades earned in transitional studies courses are not computed into the
student's GPA.
Students enrolling in transitional courses should allow one hour per week on
campus in addition to class time. This time is necessary to complete tests
and quizzes in the Test Center and to take advantage of other support services.
If Academic Skills Assessment results indicate that a student needs to enroll in
transitional courses, such courses must be completed prior to or concurrently
with other college courses. If enrolled in a degree or certificate program
with an English Composition (ENG 101) requirement, the student must enroll in
these courses at the next registration after successfully completing Basic
Writing (ENG 012) or Integrated Reading and Writing (ENG 018). It is strongly
recommended that students consult with an advisor before withdrawing from any
Transitional Studies course.
Prerequisites
Prerequisites are courses that must be completed before attending a higher level
course. Students can register for the next semester if presently enrolled
in prerequisite course(s). If the student does not successfully complete
the prerequisite, the College has the right to drop administratively the student
from the higher level course.
Return to Top
| 
