General Studies, AA

Contact Information

Dr. Frank Van Nuys
Department of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Classroom Building 305
E-mail: Frank.VanNuys@sdsmt.edu

Department Website

Students are responsible for checking with their advisors for any program modifications that may occur after the publication of this catalog.

Associate of Arts Degree General Education Requirements

The AA degree requires 24 semester credits of general education coursework. For General Education courses that are not offered at South Dakota Mines, please consult the General Education Requirements Checklist .

A. Written Communication (Goal 1)

A minimum of six semester hours is required. Courses offered at Mines include the following:

ENGL 101 Composition I Credits: (3-0) 3
ENGL 279 Communication in the STEM Workplace Credits: (3-0) 3

B. Oral Communication (Goal 2)

A minimum of three semester hours is required. Courses offered at Mines include the following:

ENGL 279 Communication in the STEM Workplace Credits: (3-0) 3
ENGL 289 STEM Communication for Technical and Public Audiences Credits: (3-0) 3

Notes:

Students who intend to continue at or return to Mines for a BS degree are recommended to take a sequence of ENGL 101 , ENGL 279 , ENGL 289 to complete their Goals 1 and 2.

C. Social Sciences (Goal 3)

A minimum of three semester hours is required. Courses offered at Mines include the following:

ANTH 210 Cultural Anthropology Credits: (3-0) 3
HIST 151 United States History I Credits: (3-0) 3
HIST 152 United States History II Credits: (3-0) 3
POLS 100 American Government Credits: (3-0) 3
POLS 102 American Political Issues Credits: (3-0) 3
POLS 165 Political Ideologies Credits: (3-0) 3
POLS 250 Introduction to International Relations Credits: (3-0) 3
PSYC 101 General Psychology Credits: (3-0) 3
PSYC 102 Psychology of Personal Growth Credits: (3-0) 3
SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology Credits: (3-0) 3
SOC 150 Social Problems Credits: (3-0) 3
SOC 250 Courtship and Marriage Credits: (3-0) 3
SOC 285 Society and Technology Credits: (3-0) 3

Notes:

Students who intend to continue at or return to Mines for BS degree should take a minimum of 6 semester hours in two different disciplines, with two different prefixes.

D. Arts and Humanities (Goal 4)

A minimum of three semester hours is required. Courses offered at Mines include the following:

ART 111 Drawing I Credits: (3-0) 3
ART 121 Design I 2D Credits: (3-0) 3
ENGL 210 Introduction to Literature Credits: (3-0) 3
ENGL 212 World Literature II Credits: (3-0) 3
ENGL 221 British Literature I Credits: (3-0) 3
ENGL 222 British Literature II Credits: (3-0) 3
ENGL 241 American Literature I Credits: (3-0) 3
ENGL 242 American Literature II Credits: (3-0) 3
ENGL 250 Science Fiction Credits: (3-0) 3
GER 101 Introductory German I Credits: (4-0) 4
GER 102 Introductory German II Credits: (4-0) 4
HIST 121 Western Civilization I Credits: (3-0) 3
HIST 122 Western Civilization II Credits: (3-0) 3
HUM 100 Introduction to Humanities Credits: (3-0) 3
HUM 200 Connections: Humanities & Technology Credits: (3-0) 3
HUM 250 Environmental Ethics and STEM Credits: (3-0) 3
MUS 117 Music in Performance I Credits: (1-0) 1
PHIL 100 Introduction to Philosophy Credits: (3-0) 3
PHIL 200 Introduction to Logic Credits: (3-0) 3
PHIL 220 Introduction to Ethics Credits: (3-0) 3
PHIL 233 Philosophy and Literature Credits: (3-0) 3
SPAN 101 Introductory Spanish I Credits: (4-0) 4
SPAN 102 Introductory Spanish II Credits: (4-0) 4
STS 201 Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society Credits: (3-0) 3

Notes:

ART and ARTH are considered the same prefix.

Students must complete three semesters/three credits in MUS 117 to earn Humanities general education credit.

Students who intend to continue at or return to Mines for BS degree should take a minimum of 6 semester hours in two different disciplines, with two different prefixes.

E. Mathematics (Goal 5)

A minimum of three semester hours of college algebra or a math course with college algebra as a prerequisite is required.

MATH 114 College Algebra Credits: (3-0) 3

F. Natural Sciences (Goal 6)

A minimum of six semester hours in the natural sciences is required plus one semester hour of laboratory (for an actual total of seven credits in natural sciences). The following courses are offered at Mines:

BIOL 151 General Biology I Credits: (3-0) 3
BIOL 151L General Biology I Lab Credits: (0-1) 1
BIOL 153 General Biology II Credits: (3-0) 3
BIOL 153L General Biology II Lab Credits: (0-1) 1
CHEM 112 General Chemistry I Credits: (3-0) 3
CHEM 112L General Chemistry I Lab Credits: (0-1) 1
CHEM 114 General Chemistry II Credits: (3-0) 3
CHEM 114L General Chemistry II Lab Credits: (0-1) 1
GEOL 201/201L Physical Geology/Lab Credits: (3-1) 4
PHYS 111 Introduction to Physics I Credits: (3-0) 3
PHYS 111L Introduction to Physics I Laboratory Credits: (0-1) 1
PHYS 113 Introduction to Physics II Credits: (3-0) 3
PHYS 113L Introduction to Physics II Laboratory Credits: (0-1) 1
PHYS 207 Fundamentals of Physics I Credits: (3-0) 3
PHYS 207L Fundamentals of Physics I Lab Credits: (0-1) 1
PHYS 209 Fundamentals of Physics II Credits: (3-0) 3
PHYS 209L Fundamentals of Physics II Lab Credits: (0-1) 1
PHYS 211/211L University Physics I/Lab Credits: (4-1) 5
PHYS 213/213L University Physics II/Lab Credits: (4-1) 5
PHYS 183 Elements of Modern Astronomy Credits: (3-0) 3

Electives

Total semester credits required to graduate with the AA degree is 60. The number of elective credits will vary depending on the courses selected in the General Education requirements. Students will usually need 36 credits of electives. The electives may be selected from any discipline and can be taken at the 100, 200, 300, or 400-level.

Other Degree Requirements

Students completing this program must meet the GPA and credit residency requirements for graduation .

Objectives and Outcomes

Program Objective:

The Associate of Arts degree in General Studies is intended to provide a strong foundation of general education courses and the opportunity to explore a variety of disciplines through electives in order to prepare students to achieve their ultimate goal of subsequently earning a bachelor’s degree.

Student Outcomes:

[Written Communication] - Students will write effectively and responsibly and will understand and interpret the written expression of others.
[Oral Communication] - Students will communicate effectively and responsibly through listening and speaking.
[Social Sciences] - Students will understand the organization, potential, and diversity of the human community through study of the social sciences.
[Arts and Humanities] - Students will understand the diversity and complexity of the human experience through study of the arts and humanities.