Associate Degree Requirements (A.A. and A.S)
Consistent with its mission as a Catholic, Marianist institution, Chaminade University assists students to prepare themselves for life, service, and successful careers. The Chaminade experience assists each student to develop fully through a course of study grounded in the liberal arts. Chaminade students are prepared for a lifetime of learning about themselves, each other, and the world they live in through challenging discourse and exercise in diverse methods of inquiry, moral guidance and spiritual exploration and participation in the University’s multicultural community. Undergraduate study at Chaminade University is structured in two parts:
A general education core of basic skills development and liberal arts inquiry foundational skills, values, and a capstone; and
Intensive study in a chosen field of concentration (the major).
Core Curriculum Requirements
Basic Skill Requisite for University Dialogue
Certain fundamental skills deserve particular attention in the first year and throughout the curriculum. Entering students may be required to take placement tests to determine their competency in reading, composition, and mathematics. According to placement test scores SAT/ACT and high school grades, students are guided to the appropriate level in a sequence of English composition courses or to required developmental courses in reading and mathematics. All students are required to enroll in composition and speech courses until they have completed English 102 and Communication 101 with a grade of “C” or better. EN 102 and COM 101 are prerequisites for all upper division courses. The University-wide writing standards assure that students learn to write for a variety of disciplines and practice and refine their writing skills throughout their years at Chaminade. The exercise of critical thought, practice in oral and written expression, as well as exploration of moral and spiritual issues is integrated into all programs of study.
Writing Proficiency
Writing is an integral part of academic life at Chaminade. Students are expected to write prose that is correct and appropriate to their purpose and audience. Furthermore, by the time of graduation, students are expected to be able to demonstrate competency in communicating in writing to both specialists in their field and to the general public. To this end, all appropriate courses at Chaminade have writing requirements. The sequence of writing courses is designed to assure that all Chaminade students meet these degree requirements.
The University requires all students to do the following:
• Complete EN 102, Expository Writing, with a grade of “C” or better.
• Complete additional writing requirements specified by faculty in their major discipline.
All students entering Chaminade are placed in the appropriate level of the composition sequence. Students then progress through the composition series until they have completed EN 102.
Exemption from EN 102 may be granted to those who have completed a college-level English composition course at a previous college with a “C” or better, and the course has clearly included, as evidenced by catalog description, research techniques and the completion of a research paper. Either the catalog description or copy of an acceptable graded research paper must be presented for evaluation within the first semester at Chaminade. If this requirement has not been met, EN 102 must be taken within the first two semesters at Chaminade.
General Education
The General Education program at Chaminade University has been thoughtfully crafted to enhance foundational skills and values so that students leave Chaminade ready for successful lives, service, and careers. The program gives students the foundational skills needed to be competitive in an everchanging world while also developing the whole person who is grounded in values that prepare them for life, service, and successful careers. These skills and values will allow students to discern essential problems through a variety of disciplinary lenses, develop core educational competencies, and values that engender productive and collaborative exchanges with a diverse body of actors.
There are three main elements of the Chaminade General Education requirements, including Foundational Skills, Values, and the Capstone course. General Education requirement courses must be taken for a letter grade and a minimum of 3 credits each, with the exception of lab courses which are one credit courses (but must be taken alongside the 3 credit course). The total credit units required for the Chaminade General Education is 44-45 credits.
Students who entered Chaminade prior to the Fall 2020 term are subject to the general education requirements outlined in prior catalog years. Transfer students who come to Chaminade with an associate or bachelor degree OR who have otherwise completed general education requirements from an accredited institution will receive a waiver of Chaminade General Education requirements. Note that all students must still meet a minimum of 120 credits in order to satisfy bachelor’s degree requirements (some programs require more than 120 credits) or 60 credits to satisfy associate’s degree requirements. Courses taken for fulfillment of the General Education may also count towards major requirements.
General Education Requirements for Associate Degrees
foundation skills - 22 credits | ||
|---|---|---|
Life Skills & College Success | CUH 100 | 1 |
Writing | EN 100 EN 102 | 6 |
Quantitative Skills | BU 254 Personal Finance MA 100 Quantitative Reasoning & Math Skills MA 103 College Algebra MA 104 College Algebra for Calculus Track MA 105 Math for Elementary Teachers I | 3 |
Oral Communication | COM 101 | 3 |
Quantitative Reasoning | BI 110/L People & Nature: Oceans and Human Health BI 131/L Human Nutrition BI 216/L Cellular and Organismal Biology II BI 250 People & Microbes: Microbiology & Cell Biology BU 202 Financial Literacy BU 254 Personal Finance CS 201 Programming in R CS 202 Programming in Python DS 101 Data Structures, Data Analytics, and Data Life cycle EC 201 Principles of Macroeconomics EC 202 Principles of Microeconomics ENV 115/L: Marine Environmental Science ENV 201/L Conservation Bio & Ecology MA 305 Math for Elementary Teachers II | 3-4 |
Critical Thinking | AN 200 Cultural Anthropology BU 202 Financial Literacy CIS 471 Cyberspace & Cyber security Essentials DS 100 Data Science Applications EC-202 Principles of Microeconomics EC 203 Critical Thinking ENV 100 Introduction to Environmental Issues GE 102 World Regional Geography GE 103 Human Geography HI 151 World Civilizations I HI 304 America Between the Wars POL 111 Comparative Government & Politics POL 211 American Government & Politics PSY 101 General Psychology PH 100 Introduction to Philosophy PH 105 Ethics | 3 |
Knowledge of Beauty and Creativity | AR 103 Visual Design AR 111 Drawing AR 201 Survey of Art I AR 202 Survey of Art II AR 250 Beginning Ceramics AR 255 Beginning Sculpture DS 403 Digital Humanities EID 216 Design Principles and Interior Composition PAR 101 Intro to the Great Composers PAR 201 Introduction to Motion Pictures PAR 205 Acting I PAR 208 Fundamentals of Music PAR 210 Fundamentals of Theatre | 3 |
Values (Students must take 2 courses from any of the Categories Below) - 6 credits | ||
Education for Adaptation & Change | BU 254 Personal Finance COM 310 Intercultural Communication DS 122 Data Feminism EN 201 Types of Literature EN 308 Climate Fiction EN 319 Studies in Shakespeare EN 422 Modern Pacific Literature ENV 400: Current Global Environmental Issues HI 151 World Civilizations I HI 201 America Before the Civil War HI 202 America Since the Civil War HI 305 Contemporary America HI 444 Samurai Japan HI 450 Pre-Modern Hawai'i HI 451 Modern Hawai'i HI 452 Pre-Modern Pacific Islands HI 453 Modern Pacific Islands POL/HI 305 Contemporary America | 3 |
Education for Service, Justice, & Peace | COM 200 Introduction to Mass Communication DS 200 Data Ethics DS 316 Behind the Social Media Curtain DS 401 Healthcare Informatics and Analytics EN 255 Short Story and Novel ENV 400 Current Global Environmental Issues ENV/RE 431 Environmental Ethics HI 341 America Through Civil War HI 403 American Diplomacy POL 341 Vietnam War RE 390 Transformational Leadership SO 200 Introductory Sociology | 3 |
Education in the Family Spirit | BU 200 Introduction to Business DS 301 Community Engaged Computing EC 202 Principles of Microeconomics EN 285 Multigenerational Family Narratives HI 301 Early America EN 309 Young Adult Fiction EN 314 Backgrounds in American Literature HI 407 History of Rock-n-Roll HI 438 Globalization and Capitalism HI 444 Modern Japan PH 100 Introduction to Philosophy PSY 458 Psychology of Relationships | 3 |
Integral (Holistic) Education for Global Awareness | AN 200 Cultural Anthropology BU 202 Financial Literacy COM 310 Intercultural Communication DS 404 GEO tagging and GIS DS 407 Data Science for Environmental Sciences EID/PSY 336 Unpacking the Home: The Landscape of Modern Family and Culture EN 256 Poetry and Drama EN 432 Contemporary American Literature EN 482 Film and Literature EN 305 Multicultural Literature GE 102 World Regional Geography GE 103 Human Geography HI 151 World Civilizations I HI 443 Samurai Japan HI 446 Modern Middle East RE 460 Buddhism RE 357 Christians & Buddhists in Dialogue PH 380 Special Topics POL 111 Comparative Government & Politics POL 375 International Relations HI/POL 438 Globalization and Capitalism HI/POL 446 Modern Middle East | 3 |
Education for Formation in Faith | RE 301 Jesus: God and Man RE 308 Christian Ethics RE 314 Hebrew Scriptures RE 326 Christian Prayer RE 338 Religion, Philosophy & Social Ethics RE 346 Influential Women in Christianity RE/NUR 371 Nursing: Ethics and Spirituality RE/HI 322 Medieval Life and Thought | 3 |
Catholic Intellectual Tradition | RE 103 World Religions RE 205 Christian God and Human Experience RE 211 The Bible as Controversy | 3 |
TOTAL | 28 semester hours | |
Associate of Arts (A.A.)
The Associate of Arts degree requires the completion of a minimum of 60 semester hours of credit with a GPA of at least 2.0 (C) for all work completed at Chaminade. The degree also requires completion of the general education core for Associate’s degrees. At least 15 semester hours of course work must be completed at Chaminade; if there is a concentration then at least half of the courses in the concentration must be taken at Chaminade. Students who intend to go on to the baccalaureate degree should select electives which fulfill pre-major and general education requirements which prepare the student to satisfy the additional requirements for the higher degree. Areas of emphasis are offered in Business Administration, Environmental + Interior Design, and Liberal Arts.
Associate of Science (A.S.)
The Associate of Science degree requires the completion of a minimum of 60 semester hours of credit with a GPA of at least 2.0 (C) for all work completed at Chaminade. The degree also requires completion of the general education core for all Associate degrees. At least 15 semester hours of course work must be completed at Chaminade; if there is a concentration then at least half of the courses in the concentration must be taken at Chaminade. At least 50 percent of the science concentration credits must be taken at Chaminade. Students who intend to go on to the baccalaureate degree should select electives which fulfill pre-major and general education requirements which prepare the student to satisfy the additional requirements for the higher degree. Areas of emphasis are offered in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, and Natural Sciences.