How do I know what courses to take at Triton?  I know I want to Transfer and I think I know my intended major but  I'm worried that my classes won't transfer.
Answer:  A fundamental fact to keep in mind is this:  Triton College, like most community colleges, has many missions.  One of those missions is to allow students to complete up to the first two years of a bachelors degree.  It's important to remember, thought, that this isn't the only thing that we do!  Of the 20,000 students at Triton, less than 8,000 identify themselves as university transfer students.  Another mission, and this is where transfer students often get confused, is that we also offer courses, certificates and degrees for students who wish to learn a skill and then move on to a job.  Those students have no intention to transfer and earn a bachelors degree.  Instead, they choose courses that give them skills, often hands-on experiences, that make them more marketable when they look for a job.  Additional Triton College missions include community education, certification updates, and others. Think of us as the smorgasbord of higher education! 

Back to your question:  If you know you plan to earn a Bachelors degree and have a good idea of what your major will be, then the safest transfer courses to complete are those included in an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science Degree as listed in your Triton College Catalog under General Education Requirements and specific individual majors.  Included in the General Education core are three Communication courses (RHT 101, 102 and SPE 101), three Social and Behavioral Science courses, three Humanities/Fine Arts courses, one or two math courses, one Physical Science and one Life Science. All of those courses are designed to transfer as General Education Requirements. For the rest of the 60 or more credit hours you can transfer (depends on transfer school), choose pre-requisites for the major you intend to take.  If you are considering a Liberal Arts and Science major, please be aware that many LAS majors have foreign language requirements you should complete prior to transfer.  Additionally, courses in the Triton College Catalog marked with a <> are also designed to transfer. 

You should be aware that some majors have absolutely no room for elective hours (Engineering, for example) while others, such as many of the majors in Liberal Arts and Sciences, allow you to choose several to many electives.  It is best to choose your pre-requisite courses (and sometimes your General Education courses as well) with your transfer school in mind.  Sometimes, specific courses under the General Education Requirements need to be completed in a major (i.e. ECO 102 and 103 under Behavior and Social Sciences is required if you are a Business Major; HIS 151 and/or 152 for Education Majors; BIS 110 and CHM 140 under Life and Physical Sciences for Biology Majors, and so on). 

Completing transfer courses is often not enough!  You want to be sure to take transfer courses that are required for your major and at the University you intend to transfer to. This can become complicated and requires your close attention. 

Transfer to a senior college or university requires planning.  Earning  good grades increases your chances for getting admitted to the school of your choice.  Also, schools often have a minimum credit hour requirement (usually about 30 semester hours) prior to transfer from a community college.  Finally: the rules keep changing!  Be sure to check with your intended transfer school because schools change some of their policies almost every year.  Check and re-check and then check again, so that you don't get caught following old rules and taking classes that no longer count. 
 

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