Liberal Studies Program Map

This program is the lower division pathway for students seeking transfer to CSU, Chico's BA in Liberal Studies. Students seeking to transfer to a different CSU, not CSU, Chico, should follow the AA-T Elementary Teacher Education pathway. The Liberal Studies pathway is an interdisciplinary majoring consisting of courses drawn from humanities, social sciences, mathematics, arts, language and sciences. Students in the program will receive a well-rounded education preparing them for careers as an elementary school teacher; however, the major is also appropriate for students who wish to have an interdisciplinary studies degree. The Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP) is an accelerated pathway option that integrates the AA degree in Liberal Studies, the Bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies and a teacher credential in four years. This accelerated pathway is designed for individuals who already know they want to become a teacher. It requires concurrent enrollment in both CSU Chico courses while also attending Butte and may include summer course work. To learn more about the ITEP option speak with a counselor.

Program detailsAward, code, department, CIP/TOP

Community of interest: SBSC Social/Behavioral Science & Communication
Award: AA Degree
Program code: 01372.00AA
Department: Liberal Studies
CIP code: 24.0101: Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies.
TOP code: 4901.20 - Liberal Studies

Map Class Schedule

Program Schedule Report Meet with a counselor

Liberal Studies

AA Degree

The Associate of Arts is typically awarded for academic areas outside STEM and CTE — humanities, social sciences, arts, language. Like every Butte College associate degree, it has two parts: a general-education curriculum and an academic program of specialization.

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.

See the 2025-26 Catalog for official program details

Semester-by-Semester Map

Term 1

Class Schedules

15–16 units

CDF 14

Child Growth and Development

3 units

Meets Area 4 and Graduation Requirement.

This course examines the progression of development in the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains and identifies developmental milestones for children from conception through adolescence. Emphasis on interactions between biological processes and environmental factors. Students will observe children, evaluate individual differences, and analyze characteristics of development at various stages according to developmental theories. (C-ID CDEV 100).

EDUC 2

Introduction to Education

3 units

This course introduces students to the concepts and issues related to teaching diverse learners in today’s contemporary schools, Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and Kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12). Topics include teaching as a profession and career, historical and philosophical foundations of the American education system, contemporary educational issues, California’s Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP), and Teacher Performance Standards (TPS). In addition to class time, the course requires 51 hours of structured fieldwork in public school elementary classrooms that represent California’s diverse student population, and includes cooperation with at least one carefully selected and campus-approved certificated classroom teacher. (C-ID EDUC 200).

HIST 3

World History to 1500

3 units

Meets Area 4.

This course is a survey of the development of world civilizations from prehistoric humans to 1500. Major themes include: broad patterns of change; dynamics of race, class, gender and ethnicity; reciprocal influence between the physical environment and human societies; and ways in which human groups have interacted with one another. In addition, the course examines distinctive forms of political, social, and economic organization, and significant scientific achievements, cultural developments, and belief systems. The course also provides an introduction to historical method. (C-ID HIST 150).

Select one:

Required

3 units

Choose one of 2 choices

MATH 4
Concepts in Mathematics for Teachers I
3 units
course details
This course focuses on the development of quantitative reasoning skills through in-depth, integrated explorations of topics in mathematics, including real number systems and subsystems. Emphasis is on comprehension and analysis of mathematical concepts and applications of logical reasoning. (C-ID MATH 120).
Prerequisite: Intermediate Algebra or equivalent
+−
MATH 4s
Concepts in Mathematics for Teachers I with Support
3 units
course details
This course focuses on the development of quantitative reasoning skills through in-depth, integrated explorations of topics in mathematics, including real number systems and subsystems. Emphasis is on comprehension and analysis of mathematical concepts and applications of logical reasoning. This course will contain the same curriculum as MATH 4 but will also have embedded support to review key intermediate algebra concepts. This course emphasizes in-class activities and applications.
Prerequisite: Intermediate Algebra or equivalent
+−

General Education: Area 1A

English Composition

Baccalaureate-level academic writing — expository and argumentative. The foundation for every other course you'll write in.

Term 2

Class Schedules

17–19 units

BIOL 1

Introduction to Biology

4 units

Meets Area 5B/5C.

This course is an introduction to the basic principles of biology, focusing on the flow of genetic information through cells and generations and the flow of energy through cells and ecosystems. Topics include processes of science, cell structure and function, genetics, molecular biology, evolution, ecology, and a survey of the diversity of life. An emphasis is placed on the critical analysis of current biological issues, including threats to biodiversity and applications of biotechnology in agriculture and medicine.

MATH 5

Concepts in Mathematics for Teachers II

4 units

This course develops mathematical topics needed for elementary school teaching with a focus on reasoning, problem solving, and communication. The topics include elementary statistics and probability, two- and three-dimensional geometry, measurement, coordinate geometry, and graphing. Meets requirements for elementary school teacher certification.

Prerequisite: Intermediate Algebra or equivalent

Select one: Meets Area 4

Required

3 units

Choose one of 2 choices

POLS C1000
American Government and Politics
3 units
course details
This course is an introduction to government and politics in the United States and California. Students examine the constitutions, structure, and operation of governing institutions, civil liberties and civil rights, political behaviors, political issues, and public policy using political science theory and methodology. (C-ID POLS 110).
+−
POS 12
California State and Local Government
3 units
course details
This course is an introduction to government with emphasis on California State and local governments. Government institutions and political processes are examined in the context of the state's diverse population and culture. Additionally, the course covers the historical development of federal, state and local government relations. Attention is given to local government institutions and the dilemmas they face in carrying out their governing roles.
+−

Select one:

Required

3 units

Choose one of 4 choices

ECON 20
Economic History of the U.S.
3 units
course details
This course studies the origin and development of the American Economy from colonial times to the present. It is a study of changes in and the development of land, labor, capital and entrepreneurship over time. It includes the basis for industrial growth, land and resource use, the transportation revolution, the development of money and banking machinery, changing trade patterns, the rise of organized labor, and the economic growth of government.
+−
HIST 8
United States History to 1877
3 units
course details
A survey of the history of the United States, from pre-colonial North America to the end of Reconstruction, that addresses important political, economic, social, and cultural developments. The course also introduces students to the historical reasoning skills necessary to form their own understanding of the past, and of contemporary society. (C-ID HIST 130).
+−
HIST 10
United States History-1877 to Present
3 units
course details
A survey of the history of the United States, from the end of Reconstruction to the Present, that addresses important political, economic, social, and cultural developments. The course also introduces students to the historical reasoning skills necessary to form their own understanding of the past, and of contemporary society. (C-ID HIST 140).
+−
HIST 26
Men and Women in American History
3 units
course details
This course is a survey of the experiences of men and women in the American past from the pre-colonial era to the present. The course examines the ways that ideas about masculinity and femininity have shaped men's and women's participation in major political, economic, social, and cultural events and developments, and why and how ideas of manhood and womanhood change. The course also introduces students to the historical reasoning skills necessary to form their own understanding of the past, and of contemporary society.
+−

General Education: Area 2

Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning

College-level mathematics or quantitative reasoning — the toolkit behind science, business, and informed citizenship.

Term 3

Class Schedules

13–14 units

PSC 12

Concepts in Physical Science

4 units

Meets Area 5A/5C.

This course is an investigation of basic principles of physics and chemistry including matter, physical and chemical properties, energy, motion, light, atomic structure, bonding, solutions and chemical reactions. The inter-dependence of chemistry and physics will be emphasized. This course is intended for non-science majors. (C-ID PHYS 140).

Prerequisite: Intermediate Algebra or equivalent

General Education: 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

Only necessary if not already met.

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.

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.

Term 4

Class Schedules

15 units

PSC 11

Earth Science with Lab

4 units

Meets Area 5A/5C.

An introduction to the essentials of Earth Science with a laboratory. Topics include the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and solar system. This course focuses on the interactions between physical and chemical systems of the Earth such as the tectonic cycle, rock cycle, hydrologic cycle, weather and climate. (C-ID GEOL 121).

General Education: 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.

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 2026-06-12T23:20+00:00

Program Snapshot

Next Steps

2-Year Degree Paths

4-Year Degree Paths

Graduate School Paths

Source Notes