Natural Sciences (AS) Area Majors Total Units: 18.0

Term Effective: Summer 2025

The requirements for this program of study are effective beginning the semester shown above. If you began working on this program before the effective semester, you may not be affected by the changes. Consult with the program contact person or the department chair to determine your eligibility to complete the program under previous requirements.

Associate Degree Requirements:

The major is one of several requirements students need to fulfill in order to be awarded the Associate Degree, the highest level of academic achievement recognized by Santa Rosa Junior College. Please note that all of the following requirements must be met in order for the degree to be conferred:

For all students admitted for the Fall 2009 term or any term thereafter, a grade of "C" or better, or "P" if the course is taken on a pass/no pass basis, is required for each course applied toward the major.

Previous Versions:

Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2024
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2023
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2022
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2021
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2020
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2019
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2018
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2017
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2016
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2015
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2013
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2011
Natural Sciences - effective Spring 2010
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2009
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2008
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2007
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2006
Natural Sciences - effective Fall 2004

Description:

The Natural Sciences major focuses on the physical universe, its life forms, and its natural phenomena. This degree program is intended for the student who wants to explore the natural sciences as a foundation for lifelong learning, or as an introduction to the various related disciplines in the natural sciences, including astronomy, biology, botany, chemistry, environmental science, geology, meteorology, physics, and physiology.

Program Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this program, the student will be able to:

  1. Describe the facts and principles that form the basis of one discipline within the natural sciences;
  2. Outline the scientific method and describe how this method is used to study the natural world; and
  3. Apply critical thinking skills and knowledge of the scientific method to the observation and exploration of natural phenomena.

Program Requirements:

The requirements for the Natural Sciences program are:

  • Complete 18.0 units from
    • Natural Sciences Major Requirements

Natural Sciences Major Requirements - complete 18.00 units
Complete any combination totaling at least 18.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
Students must complete at least 18 units from the list below and course choices must include at least one course from
three different Science Area Disciplines which include Chemistry, Earth & Space Sciences, Life Sciences, Math, and Physics.
Students may only count 1 course each from the following three groups toward the major requirements:
ANAT 1 or ANAT 40 or ANAT 58; MICRO 5 or MICRO 60; PHYSIO 1 or PHYSIO 58.
Area Discipline 1: Chemistry
CHEM 3AGeneral Chemistry Part 1: Lecture3.00
CHEM 3ALGeneral Chemistry Part 1: Lab2.00
CHEM 3BGeneral Chemistry Part 25.00
CHEM 8Introductory Organic Chemistry5.00
CHEM 12AOrganic Chemistry5.00
CHEM 12BOrganic Chemistry5.00
CHEM 42Introductory General Chemistry4.00
CHEM 60General, Organic and Biological Chemistry5.00
Area Discipline 2: Earth and Space Science
ASTR 3Stellar Astronomy3.00
ASTR 3LStellar Astronomy Laboratory1.00
ASTR 4Astronomy of the Solar System3.00
ASTR 4LSolar System Astronomy Laboratory1.00
ASTR 12Astronomy Observational Lab1.00
ASTR 42Life in the Universe3.00
ENVS 8Introduction to Global Climate Change3.00
ENVS 12Introduction to Environmental Science3.00
GEOG 4Physical Geography3.00
GEOG 4LPhysical Geography Lab1.00
GEOG 10Introduction to Weather and Climate3.00
GEOG 10LWeather and Climate Lab1.00
GEOL 1The Earth3.00
GEOL 1LGeology Lab1.00
GEOL 11Geology of California3.00
GEOL 20Natural Disasters3.00
MTER 10Introduction to Weather and Climate3.00
MTER 10LWeather and Climate Lab1.00
NRM 12Introduction to Environmental Conservation3.00
PHSC 21Introduction to Earth Science4.00
Area Discipline 3: Life Science
AGRI 20Introduction to Plant Science4.00
AGRI 60Soil & Plant Nutrition3.00
ANAT 1General Human Anatomy5.00
ANAT 40Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology4.00
ANAT 58Introduction to Human Anatomy3.00
ANSC 20Basic Animal Science3.00
ANTH 1Biological Anthropology3.00
ANTH 1LBiological Anthropology Lab1.00
ANTH 19Forensic Anthropology3.00
BIO 2.1Fundamentals of Biology (Cell and Molecular)5.00
BIO 2.2Fundamentals of Biology (Evolution, Genetics, and Zoology)5.00
BIO 2.3Fundamentals of Biology (Botany and Ecology)5.00
BIO 10Introduction to Principles of Biology4.00
BIO 12Basic Concepts of Ecology3.00
BIO 13Human Biology3.00
BIO 14Current Issues in Biology3.00
BIO 16Introduction to Biology For Non-Majors4.00
BIO 20Human Genetics3.00
BIO 25Marine Biology4.00
BIO 27Biology of Marine Mammals3.00
BIO 31Tropical Biodiversity and Conservation2.00
BTNY 10Plant Biology4.00
BTNY 60Field Botany4.00
FDNT 10Elementary Nutrition3.00
MICR 5General Microbiology5.00
MICR 60Fundamentals of Microbiology4.00
PHYZ 1Human Physiology5.00
PHYZ 58Introduction to Human Physiology3.00
NRM 51Wildland Trees and Shrubs3.00
SUAG 50Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture3.00
Area Discipline 4: Mathematics
MATH 1ACalculus, First Course5.00
MATH 1BCalculus, Second Course5.00
MATH 4Discrete Mathematics4.00
MATH 9Finite Mathematics3.00
MATH 10Nature of Mathematics3.00
MATH 15Elementary Statistics4.00
MATH 16Business Calculus4.00
MATH 25Precalculus Algebra4.00
MATH 27Precalculus Algebra and Trigonometry6.00
MATH 58Precalculus Trigonometry3.00
MATH 74Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers - Number Systems4.00
PSYC 9Introduction to Behavioral Sciences Statistics3.00
Area Discipline 5: Physics
PHYS 1Introduction to Physics Problem Solving3.00
PHYS 11Conceptual Physics4.00
PHYS 20AGeneral Physics Part I4.00
PHYS 20BGeneral Physics Part II4.00
PHYS 40Classical Mechanics for Scientists and Engineers5.00
PHYS 41Waves, Optics, and Thermodynamics for Scientists & Engineers4.00
PHYS 42Electricity and Magnetism for Scientists and Engineers4.00
PHYS 43Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers3.00

Course Prerequisites and Advisories:

Courses in a program of study may have prerequisites or advisories; that is, courses that must or should be completed before taking that course. Please check for prerequisites or advisories by clicking on the course numbers in the Program Requirements section.

It is important that students who are completing an Associate Degree and desire to transfer to a four-year institution meet with a counselor to plan their lower division coursework. While many majors at SRJC are intended to align with lower division major preparation required by California public universities, specific lower-division major requirements vary among individual campuses. See a counselor, visit the Transfer Center, and check Guides For Transfer in Specific Majors, and ASSIST to review transfer preparation guides for specific schools and majors.

Notes:

Students must complete at least 18 units from the list below and course choices must include at least one course from three different Science Area Disciplines which include: Chemistry, Earth & Space Sciences, Life Sciences, Math, and Physics.

Students may only count 1 course each from the following three groups toward the major requirements: ANAT 1 or ANAT 40 or ANAT 58; MICRO 5 or MICRO 60; PHYSIO 1 or PHYSIO 58.

Contact
Information
Phone Email Website
(707) 527-4246
vtam@santarosa.edu