- Community of interest
- Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- Award
- AS Degree
- Program code
- 01356.00AS
- Department
- Physical/Environment Sci
- CIP code
- 40.0101: Physical Sciences.
- TOP code
- 1901.00 - Physical Sciences, General
Program detailsAward, code, department, CIP/TOP
Program Snapshot
- Community of interest
- STEM Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- Award
- AS Degree
- Program code
- 01356.00AS
- Department
- Physical/Environment Sci
- CIP code
- 40.0101: Physical Sciences.
- TOP code
- 1901.00 - Physical Sciences, General
Next Steps
AS Degree — expand to learn about this award
The Associate of Science is typically awarded for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. Like every Butte College associate degree, it has two parts: a general-education curriculum that gives you a broad base of knowledge, and an academic program where you specialize.
About General Education. GE is an integrated program of learning designed to foster intellectual curiosity, cultural understanding, critical thinking, creative reasoning, oral and written communication, and the capacity for ethical reasoning. By graduation, you'll have developed the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, apply quantitative reasoning, understand how the major academic disciplines ask their questions, comprehend diverse cultures and historical periods, and assess ethical problems — alongside the depth you build in your major.
Semester-by-Semester Map
Term 1
Class Schedules
Meets Area 5A/5C.
course details
This course introduces students to the basic principles of chemistry with a quantitative emphasis. Topics include atomic theory, chemical bonding, molecular geometry, chemical reactions, stoichiometry, gases, thermochemistry, intermolecular forces and solutions. This is the first semester of a one-year course in chemistry intended for majors in the natural sciences (chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physics, pre-medicine), mathematics, and engineering. The two-semester sequence of CHEM 1 and CHEM 2 provides the basic chemical background needed for further investigations into our physical environment. Graded only. (C-ID CHEM 110/CHEM 120S).
Prerequisite: CHEM 11 or CHEM 51 or one year of high school Chemistry; and Intermediate Algebra or equivalent
Meets Area 5A/5C.
course details
This course introduces students to the internal and external processes that are at work changing the earth today. Within the context of modern plate tectonics theory, students will explore the origins of rocks and minerals and dynamic earth processes such as volcanism, seismicity and mountain building that are driven by the release of Earth's internal heat. It also examines how wind, running water, and glaciers move in response to gravity and energy from the sun and the sculpting of Earth's surface by erosion. These concepts as well as the interpretation of topographic and geologic maps will be reinforced with an integrated laboratory program. (C-ID GEOL 101).
Select one: Meets Area 2
General Education: Area 6
about Area 6
Ethnic Studies
The histories, experiences, and contributions of the four autonomous disciplines: Black / African American / Africana studies, Native American studies, Chicano/a/x and Latino/a/x studies, and Asian American studies.
Term 2
Class Schedules
Select one: Meets Area 2
Select one: Meets Area 5A/5C
General Education: Area 1A
about Area 1A
English Composition
Baccalaureate-level academic writing — expository and argumentative. The foundation for every other course you'll write in.
General Education: Area 4
about Area 4
Social and Behavioral Sciences
The systematic study of people as members of society — cultural anthropology, cultural geography, economics, history, political science, psychology, sociology — and the methods these disciplines use to ask their questions.
Term 3
Class Schedules
Meets Area 5A/5C.
course details
This course is a continuation of CHEM 1, General Chemistry I. Topics include chemical kinetics and equilibrium, acid-base and solubility equilibria, thermodynamics, oxidation-reduction, electrochemistry, coordination compounds, nuclear chemistry, introduction to organic chemistry and qualitative analysis. This is the second semester of a one-year course in chemistry intended for majors in the natural sciences (chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physics, pre-medicine), mathematics, and engineering. The two-semester sequence of CHEM 1 and CHEM 2 provides the basic chemical background needed for further investigations into our physical environment. Graded only. (C-ID CHEM 120S) (C-ID CHEM 120S = CHEM 1 and CHEM 2).
Prerequisite: CHEM 1
Meets Area 5A/5C.
course details
Historical geology with lab introduces students to Earth’s geologic history and the history of life on Earth. Drawing on concepts from plate tectonics theory, evolution, geologic dating methods and stratigraphy, students explore the planet’s origin and the processes that have repeatedly re-shaped the global environment during the past 4.6 billion years. It also covers the history of life on this planet and investigates the complementary roles played by natural selection and environmental change in shaping both modern and ancient ecosystems. These concepts as well as fossil identification, study of sedimentary rocks, and interpretation of geologic maps will be reinforced with an integrated laboratory program. (C-ID GEOL 111).
Select one: Meets Area 5A/5C
General Education: Area 1B
about Area 1B
Oral Communication and Critical Thinking
Baccalaureate-level oral communication and/or critical thinking — speaking with structure to a live audience, analyzing arguments, identifying assumptions.
General Education: Area 3
about Area 3
Arts and Humanities
How people and cultures, across time, respond to themselves and the world through artistic and cultural creative production. Visual and performing arts, art history, foreign languages, literature, philosophy, religion.
Term 4
Class Schedules
Meets Area 5A/5C.
course details
This is the first semester of a one-year course in organic chemistry intended for majors in the natural sciences (chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physics, and pre-medicine). It covers fundamental principles of organic chemistry including structure, nomenclature, conformational analysis and stereochemistry. The physical properties, reactions and reaction mechanisms of alkanes, alkyl halides, alcohols, ethers, alkenes, alkynes, and allylic systems are studied. Infrared spectroscopy and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy are discussed in detail. Graded only. (C-ID CHEM 150/CHEM 160S).
Prerequisite: CHEM 2
Select one: Meets Area 5B/5C
Graduation Requirement Choice (See GE Guide)
Elective (any course numbered 1-99 or C1000-C1999)
Only necessary if the 60 units needed to graduate have not been completed. Consider taking a Cal-GETC General Education course. Visit www.assist.org to see options.
Career Connections
2-Year Degree Paths
Entry points students may pursue after associate-level study, technical preparation, or licensure pathways.
No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset point cleanly to an immediate 2-year outcome for this program.
4-Year Degree Paths
Roles that more often open up after transfer and a bachelor's degree.
No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset are grouped into the 4-year pathway for this program.
Graduate School Paths
Advanced roles commonly associated with graduate, professional, or post-baccalaureate study.
No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset are grouped into the graduate-school pathway for this program.
Source Notes
Course sequencing is generated from the Acadia Program Mapper cache. Career groupings use local CIP-to-SOC mappings and BLS occupation data when available. Confirm education plans with Counseling and Advising.
No NCES/IPEDS CIP-to-SOC mapping was found for this program's CIP code.
Last generated 2026-06-12T23:19+00:00