Some of the requirements above may be fulfilled through enrolling in Core Curriculum courses.
ADC applicants who completed coursework at a regionally accredited college/university operating on the quarter system may meet General Education requirements with 3-quarter-unit courses graded Pass, ‘C’ (2.0), or higher, if such courses were taken prior in 1995 or earlier. It should be noted that the total number of units required to earn the undergraduate degree (120 units), is unchanged by this exception, so additional units may need to be earned to make up for any unit deficiency overall.
Once a student has matriculated, they must complete the Adult Degree Completion Program General Education as outlined above
ADC students may complete their General Education through Core Curriculum coursework offered by Dominican academic departments. Matriculated ADC students may take up to 12 units of allowable GE course credit off-campus after matriculation. Prior approval is required from the academic advisor, the University’s Articulation Officer, and the GE Director. Submit a completed and signed Authorization to Take Courses Off-Campus form to the Registrar’s Office prior to enrolling in any off-campus courses. The approval process may take up to two weeks, so students should allow enough lead time when submitting the Authorization form.
1. Advanced Writing and Research (Effective Communications 2, 3-4 units)
Instruction in advanced principles of expository writing, critical thinking, oral and visual communication, and in-depth mastery of reflective, critical and academic modes of writing, and research across the disciplines within and beyond the University. Designed to enhance student awareness of and ability to navigate as effective communicators in today’s poly-modal world. Students consolidate advanced skills in integrating research, using appropriate citation and documentation. Students must complete this course with a 'C' (2.0) or higher to fulfill the second CORE requirement in Effective Communication. Prerequisite: passing Effective Communication 1 or its equivalent with a grade of 'C' (2.0) or higher.
Courses that Fulfill the Requirement
| ENGL 2000 | Advanced Writing & Research: Literary Theory | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2009 | Advanced Writing & Research: Beowulf to Milton | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2012 | Advanced Writing & Research: Victorian Gothic | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2015 | Advanced Writing & Research: Shakespeare | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2017 | Advanced Writing & Research: Children's Literature | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2018 | Advanced Writing & Research: Romantic Literature | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2025 | Advanced Writing: 19th Century US Literature | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2026 | Advanced Writing: American Modernism | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2037 | Advanced Writing & Research: Queer Literature & Film | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2037 | Advanced Writing & Research: Feminist Crip Ethics | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2052 | Advanced Writing & Research: China & Japan | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2055 | Advanced Writing & Research: African Literature | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2060 | Advanced Writing & Research: AAPI Literatures | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2061 | Advanced Writing & Research: Native American Literatures | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2062 | Advanced Writing & Research: African -American Literatures | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2065 | Advanced Writing & Research: Litratures of California | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2071 | Advanced Writing & Research: Postcolonialism | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2072 | Advanced Writing & Research: Toni Morrison | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2077 | Advanced Writing & Research: Sci-Fi & Fantasy | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2090 | Advanced Writing & Research: Transcendent Literatures | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2091 | Advanced Writing & Research: Retelling Myths | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2107 | Advanced Writing & Research: Writing the Body | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2108 | Advanced Writing & Research: Literary Monsters | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2109 | Advanced Writing & Research: Politics of Body | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2110 | Advanced Writing & Research: Environmental Literature | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2222 | Advanced Writing and Research: Effective Communication II | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2300/ENGL 3300 | Advanced Writing & Research: Film & Drama | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2302/ENGL 3302 | Advanced Writing & Research: Poetry & Fiction | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2501 | Advanced Writing & Research: Comparative Literature | 4.00 units |
| ENGL 2701 | Advanced Writing & Research: Literature & Psychoanalysis | 4.00 units |
| HONO 2222 | Advanced Writing and Research: Effective Communication II | 4.00 units |
| HONO 2313 | Advanced Writing and Research: Globalizing Hollywood | 4.00 units |
| HONO 2077 | Advanced Writing and Research: Sci-Fi and Fantasy | 4.00 units |
Course Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate advanced critical thinking through such methods as summary, evaluation, synthesis, and integration of research;
- Create effective, original, and argumentative rhetoric across media (oral, visual, and written) appropriate to topic, purpose, and audience; topics and issues may include problem solving, civic engagement, and/or positing policy or social change;
- Apply understanding of how communication shapes and is shaped by difference (including but not limited to categories such as race, gender, sexuality, age and class) and reflect on one’s own place in a broader social context;
- Evaluate source material, synthesize new concepts, and apply deduction, induction, and/or logic for advanced argumentative research purposes; use proper citation and documentation.
2. Mathematical Thinking and Quantitative Reasoning (3-4 units)
The primary goals of the Mathematical Thinking and Quantitative Reasoning Requirement are to help students develop certain general intellectual mathematical abilities and to see mathematics as an enriching and empowering discipline. Students will undertake practices that encourage independent exploration in mathematics, and that develop tenacity and confidence in their abilities to use mathematics.
Course that Fulfills the Requirement
| MATH 1400 | College Algebra | 4.00 units |
| MATH 1450 | Mathematical Thinking and Quantitative Reasoning | 4.00 units |
| PSY 3187 | Statistics for Health & Behavioral Sciences | 4.00 units |
Psychology majors must meet the Mathematical Thinking and Quantitative Reasoning requirement by completing PSY 3187.
ADC Math Placement Policy
Ways English and Creative Writing majors may place out of the Mathematical Thinking and Quantitative Reasoning requirement:
- Pass a college-level Intermediate Algebra course, articulated and approved by the University with a grade of ‘C’ (2.0) or higher
- Achieve a score of 61-100 on the ALEKS assessment exam
- Achieve a score of at least 50 on the Math CLEP exam
Note: All prerequisites must be passed with a ‘C’ (2.0) or higher before advancing to the next mathematics course.
Course Learning Outcomes
The student will:
- Apply analytical and theoretical methods to solve mathematical problems.
- Interpret and draw inferences from data, graphs, tables, or mathematical models.
3. Social Sciences (Understanding Human Behavior) (3-4 units)
The disciplines of social science investigate the thought and behavior of human individuals and groups as cultural contexts and social environments condition them. The aim of social science inquiry is to gather empirical evidence regarding, and to develop theories explaining, human thought, action, and interaction.
Courses that Fulfill the Requirement
| PSY 1100 | Introduction to Psychology | 4.00 units |
Course Learning Outcomes
The student will:
- Effectively communicate an understanding of the method(s) used by the particular social science under study
- Articulate at least three theories used to understand human behavior in the social science discipline
- Recognize themselves as citizens of diverse communities
4. Natural Science (Science for Global Citizens, 3-4 units)
Scientific reasoning is distinguished by understanding and applying scientific method, laboratory techniques, mathematical principles, and experimental design to natural phenomena. The natural science requirement prepares students to (a) understand the role of empirical data in establishing scientific knowledge; (b) appreciate that, in addition to empirical evidence, science involves skepticism and rational arguments; that it is not opinion but is rather a reasoned consensus among informed experts which improves over time; and (c) comprehend several paradigmatic examples of the fundamental conceptual models in at least one of the disciplines of the natural sciences including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Geology.
To satisfy the General Education requirement in natural sciences ADC students are required to complete one course. ADC students can transfer in up to 3 units of either Biological or Physical Science, with or without a lab. ADC students who transfer without 3 units of Natural Science will select appropriate courses after consultation with their advisor.
Courses that Fulfill the Requirement
Course Learning Outcomes
The student will:
- Examine and apply the fundamental principles of the scientific discipline (true for each course) in a manner that illustrates connections among science, technology, and society;
- Engage in the scientific method through laboratory and fieldwork to examine key elements of the science and conduct independent exploration, using observational and direct measurement techniques for primary data collection;
- Analyze, evaluate, manipulate, and interpret data to draw conclusions.
5. Creative and Performing Arts ( Artistic and Creative Expression, 3-4 units)
The experience and growth of one's own creativity through the actual process of making art through studio work, creative writing, performing arts, visual arts, or music. The creative process should include the use of problem solving and methodology, personal experience, reflection, and invention.
Courses that Fulfill the Requirement
Any Creative Writing course could fulfill this requirement.
Applied Music Private or Class Instruction: Note: Please contact Music office for permission to enroll and for a schedule of the fees associated with this course.
Or any course that fulfills the Artistic and Creative Expression requirement in the CORE curriculum.
Course Learning Outcomes
The student will:
- Identify important concepts and methods under study
- Apply the above to the creation of works in the artistic genre
- Engage in the creative process as an effective and imaginative problem-solving method, involving research, development and synthesis
6. Moral Philosophy/Ethics (Examined Life, 3-4 units)
Practicing the art of clear and cogent reasoning in the critical analysis of various moral positions and arguments on a variety of contemporary ethical issues.
Courses that Fulfill the Requirement
| BUS 4406 | ADC: Corporate Social Responsibility, Law, Ethics | 3.00 units |
| PHIL 2123 | Ethical Being, Being Ethical | 4.00 units |
| PHIL 2109 | Healthcare Ethics and Equity | 4.00 units |
| PHIL 2520 | Self, Community and Ethical Action | 4.00 units |
Or any course that fulfills the Examined Life requirement in the CORE Curriculum.
Course Learning Outcomes
The student will:
- Conduct analysis of contemporary ethical issues
- Comprehend ethical method and theory
- Make moral arguments that demonstrate awareness of and sensitivity to differing values and ethical perspectives
7. Religion (Purpose & Meaning, 3-4 units)
Sustained engagement with different religious and philosophical perspectives, and understanding contextualized aspects of these traditions historically, culturally, and politically. Analysis of the relevance of religious and philosophical frameworks to societal issues.
Course that Fulfills the Requirement
Course Learning Outcomes
The student will:
- Explain key features (e.g., scriptural contents and context, major historical events and their contexts, ritual practices, spirituality, ethical perspectives, theology, impact on culture) of the religion(s) being studied.
- Analyze such features critically per at least one of the following:
- Their implication for dealing with problems in contemporary social life (e.g., sexual and gender issues, ecological issues, poverty, war, religious diversity, science and religion).
- Their impact on the student’s personal quest for meaning and spiritual well-being.
- Express their knowledge in some effective written document (e.g., essay examination, research paper, reflection paper, journal).