Students have various goals ranging from enrolling in a course, to attaining an associate degree and continuing their education at a university. Below are requirements to achieve the more common educational goals at Oxnard College.
Educational Pathways (Goals)
What is a Bachelor’s Degree?
A Bachelor’s degree, sometimes called a baccalaureate degree, generally requires 4-5 years of study at a university. A Bachelor’s degree requires completion of both lower and upper division courses.
Community colleges offer lower division courses, providing students the opportunity to complete general education and lower division major or pre-major coursework prior to transferring to a university. Once students transfer, they will complete mainly upper division coursework in their major at the university.
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS) are the most common baccalaureate degrees. BA degrees are most often awarded in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The BS is more likely to be awarded in the sciences, math, engineering and for professional or technical fields of study. However, there are no absolute universal differences between these degrees and policies can vary from college to college.
1. Explore your major options at websites such as:
- https://assist.org/
- https://adegreewithaguarantee.com/en-us/
- https://www.campusexplorer.com/
- https://www.collegeboard.org/
- https://collegestats.org/
- https://www.mymajors.com/
. . . . and look at related career prospects at sites like:
2. Explore Transfer Opportunities
- California State University (CSU)
- University of California (UC)
- Independent/Private Colleges and Universities
- https://www.californiacolleges.edu/#/, and
- individual college websites
- Out-of-State Colleges and Universities
- https://www.collegeboard.org/,
- https://www.petersons.com/, and
- college websites.
3. Schedule an appointment with a counselor
Call the Counseling Office at (805) 678-5816 to develop a Transfer plan.
4. Talk to a university representative
They can be reached either
- in the Career and Transfer Center,
- at the university campus, or
- by phone or email
Refine your educational plan and/or get up to date information regarding your major, housing, and campus support services.
5. Schedule a visit and campus tour
Call the university’s admission or outreach/recruitment office.
6. Stay on-track
Continue to follow your transfer plan, meeting with your counselor each semester to make adjustments as necessary. Updated major requirements can be found at assist.org for the UC and CSU.
7. Apply to the institutions you selected by their posted deadlines.
The UC system accepts fall applications from Nov. 1st –Nov. 30th only. The CSU system accepts fall applications from Oct. 1st through Nov. 30th. Independent and out-of-state colleges have their own deadlines. Check with their admission offices and on their websites.
8. Apply for financial aid online
Apply at fafsa.ed.gov October 1st and prior to March 2nd to meet the deadline for potential Cal Grant eligibility and begin searching for outside scholarship opportunities online (e.g. hsf.net, vccf.org, fastweb.com) and through community organizations.
9. Receive your acceptance letters.
Choose the campus that best suits your needs and commit to that campus by signing a letter of intent and paying any necessary deposits. Notify the other campuses that you will not be attending so that they may make room for other students. The Student Intent to Register
(SIR) deadline is typically May 1st.
10. Get Certified
Make an appointment in the Counseling Office to have your IGETC, IGETC for STEM, or CSU-GE certified and apply for your Certificate of Achievement in IGETC or CSU-GE.
11. Send Final Official Transcripts after you have completed all coursework to your university.
The importance of this cannot be stressed enough. You may have your admission revoked if you do not provide complete official transcripts by the university deadline.
Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T) are degrees that are designed specifically for transfer to the California State University (CSU).
To obtain an AA-T or AS-T, students must complete the following:
1. Choose an Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) or Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T) degree in a specific major.
2. Sixty (60) semester units or 90 quarter units that are eligible for transfer to the CSU, including both of the following:
a. Certified completion of the California State University General Education-Breadth (CSU GE Breadth) pattern; OR the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC- CSU) pattern.
b. Completion of a minimum of 18 semester units or 27 quarter units in a major or area of emphasis as determined by the college as detailed in the Course and Program Descriptions section of the catalog. All courses in the major must be completed with a grade of “C” or better or a “P” if the course is taken on a “pass-no-pass” basis (Title 5 § 55063). Even though a “pass/no-pass” is allowed, it is recommended that students complete their major courses with a letter grade (A, B, or C).
3. Earn a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 in all CSU-transferable coursework.
While a minimum of 2.0 is deemed eligible for transfer into a CSU program, some majors may require a higher GPA.
4. Complete requirements in Residency.
For students in the Ventura County Community College District, a minimum of 12 units must be completed in residence, at the college granting the degree.
5. Apply for your ADT.
The ADT is not automatically awarded when you complete the requirements. Meet with a counselor to file an ADT Application for Graduation in the Counseling Office during the same semester in which you plan to finish the requirements.
An Associate Degree is an undergraduate academic degree consisting of a minimum of 60 degree-applicable semester units including general education requirements, major or emphasis requirements, and electives. Associate degrees may be earned in career technical areas or in the arts, mathematics, sciences, and humanities.
To obtain an AA or AS, students must complete the following:
1. Major/Area of Emphasis and General Education
Choose from these two options and complete required General Education and Major or an Area of Emphasis (18 units minimum):
- Associate in Arts (A.A.) or Associate in Science (A.S.) in a specific major.
- Associate in Arts (A.A.) in General Studies, Patterns I, II, or III.
2. Units
Satisfactorily complete at least 60 semester units of degree-applicable college credit coursework (General Studies Patterns II and III degrees require all 60 units to be CSU transferable units).
3. Grades
Earn a grade of “C” or better or a “P” if the course is taken on a “pass/no-pass” (Title 5 § 55063) in every course in the major or area of emphasis. Even though a “Pass/No Pass” is allowed, it is recommended that students complete all major coursework for a letter grade.
4. GPA
Achieve a cumulative grade point average of no less than 2.0 in degree-applicable college credit coursework.
5. Competency
Demonstrate competency in reading, written expression, and mathematics.
6. Residency
Complete a minimum of 12 semester units in residence at the college granting the degree.
7. Apply for your AA/AS degree.
The AA/AS degree is not automatically awarded when you complete the requirements. Meet with a counselor to file an AA/AS Application for Graduation in the Counseling Office during the same semester in which you plan to finish the requirements.
Certificates of Achievement require concentrated study in specific skill or knowledge areas. Certificates require more units and generally prove more in-depth study than a proficiency award. Certificates of Achievement are designed to demonstrate that the student has completed coursework and developed capabilities relating to career or general education.
For a Certificate of Achievement a student must:
- Complete the major coursework, a minimum of 18 units (or between 12 and 17.5 units in a low-unit certificate), prescribed in a State Chancellor's Office-approved Certificate of Achievement.
- Complete all applicable coursework in a state-approved Certificate of Achievement with no less than a "C" or "P" in each course.
- Achieve a cumulative grade point average of no less than 2.0 in applicable college coursework.
Note: Universities have limitations on the number of units that can be taken "pass-no pass" and therefore it is strongly recommended that students take all major coursework for a letter grade. - Complete at least 12 semester units in residence at the college granting the certificate.
- Apply for your Certificate. The Certificate of Achievement is not automatically awarded when you complete the requirements. File an application by the established deadline for the Certificate of Achievement in the Counseling Office during the same semester in which you plan to finish the requirements.
Proficiency Awards are given to students who have satisfactorily completed a course or a sequence of courses designed to lead them to specific types of employment or to enhance their skills. These awards are not recorded on student transcripts. To acquire a proficiency award:
- Select a Proficiency Award from the college catalog and complete all course requirements specified.
- Complete all applicable coursework used for the Proficiency Award with a grade of "C" or better or a "P" in each course.
- Apply for your award with the Department Chair or Lead Faculty in the program.
Major Sheets
General Education Patterns