Joliet Junior College offers a wide range of transfer courses that are designed to provide the first two years of education for students seeking a baccalaureate degree from a four-year college or university. The key to successful transfer is to plan early, seek advice from counselors/advisers at both JJC and the prospective four-year institution, and use the most updated information to ensure a smooth transition. Students who complete a prescribed set of courses from JJC can complete the Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree, Associate in Science (A.S.) degree, or Associate of Arts in Teaching Special Education (A.A.T.) degree prior to transfer to a four-year institution. Note that the Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree, although not primarily created for transfer, may be articulated with specific four-year institutions to create a smooth transfer experience.
Here are the steps to take that will make the transfer process easier:
- Complete the requirements for either an Associate in Arts, an Associate in Science, or Associate of Arts in Teaching degree. The course requirements for these three degrees are located in the next few pages.
- If you are not sure where you plan to transfer or what your intended major will be, follow the course requirements of the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI). These requirements match the A.A., A.S., and A.A.T. degree program requirements at JJC. Familiarize yourself with the IAI website (itransfer.org).
- If you know the institution to which you plan to transfer and the major program you plan to pursue, seek out the specific course recommendations from that college/university. You will still follow the transfer degree requirements at JJC, but you also may have to select more carefully from the choices available. For example, although there are many choices to fulfill your mathematics requirement, certain degree programs at certain universities will want you to select specific courses from among the array of choices.
- If you know which major you plan to pursue but are unsure about which college or university you might attend after JJC, then you should follow the major transfer recommendations listed on itransfer.org. Also, the course applicability system, now u.select, can help you to determine how specific courses will transfer for specific majors at participating four-year universities and colleges.
- Always use all of the resources available to you to make the best possible decision. Seek out the help of a counselor or adviser. Use itransfer.org. Seek advice from your intended college/university (if you know that information), and finally, use the vast array of student services at JJC to help with career counseling, academic advising and course selection, and tutorial services.
Associate in Arts Degree
The Associate in Arts degree is designed for students planning to pursue a four-year degree program in majors like agriculture, anthropology, art, business, communication/journalism, communication/public relations, criminal justice, English, history, music, philosophy and religion, political science, psychology, sociology, speech communication and theater.
Students interested in elementary and early childhood education should follow the A.A. program and use advising to select appropriate courses. Students majoring in secondary education should follow an A.A. or A.S. degree program and supplement it with appropriate education courses. Students interested in special education should follow the A.A.T. program, although there may be some colleges that will accept the A.A. program.
Associate in Science Degree
The Associate in Science degree is designed specifically for students planning to pursue a bachelor’s degree in agriculture, biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, and physics. All pre-medical, pre-dental, and pre-veterinary medicine degree programs follow the Associate in Science degree in either biology or chemistry.
Associate of Arts in Teaching Degree
The Associate of Arts in Teaching degree was designed as part of the Illinois P-16 Collaborative to provide teachers in areas of high need. There are four separate A.A.T. degrees emphasizing four different areas of teaching concentration. Joliet Junior College offers only the A.A.T. in special education. The degrees are aligned with the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education Standards.
Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI)
Joliet Junior College is a participant in the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI). The IAI is an agreement among Illinois colleges and universities to make the transfer of credit as easy as possible. Currently, the IAI allows for the smooth transfer of a set of courses, labeled the General Education Core Curriculum (GECC), among the more than 100 participating public and private colleges and universities. Completion of the GECC at any participating community college in Illinois guarantees that transferring students will be granted the equivalent credit for the entire general education program of the receiving four-year college or university. In some instances, the four-year college/university may have additional upper-division (junior/senior) general education graduation requirements. The approved general education requirements at JJC for the Associate in Arts degree (37 credit hours - Categories I-V ) and the Associate in Science degree (41 credit hours - Categories I-V ) will fulfill the IAI GECC. The A.A.T. degree is similar to the A.A.
If you transfer before completion of the IAI GECC at JJC, you will have to satisfy the general education requirements of the transfer institution. Courses will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis to determine transferability.
Transferring to another institution is a complex process. In order to understand the process of course transferability, students should use two sources of data. First, students should consult www.itransfer.org for specific information about the GECC requirements and certain academic majors. Second, students should have a meeting with a JJC counselor or adviser to seek out information on how courses will be evaluated when transferring to another institution. Once a student narrows down the choices of transfer institutions, he or she should consider how these courses will fit with future degree requirements. While the approved IAI GECC allows for completion of the transfer institutions’ lower level general education requirements, specific course selections in general education, the major and electives can enhance the transfer process.
General Education
Articulation Agreements
Joliet Junior College has established a number of individual agreements with various universities to facilitate transfer. These articulation agreements may be in the form of a dual-admission agreement, a 2 + 2 agreement, or a unified agreement, but by whichever name it is called, the agreement indicates a curriculum that students will take in the first two years to be accepted for transfer. Of course, this is a benefit to the student who will make a smooth, seamless transition from the two-year community college to the university. Particularly for curriculum in the career and technical areas, it is important to review these articulation agreements if students plan to transfer rather than to enter the workforce upon completion of their degree. Below is a list of some of the universities with which JJC has articulation agreements. Students should check with individual departments at JJC to find out more information about what agreements may be in place for a particular major. These articulation agreements indicate a particular major that students can begin at JJC (the courses to take are indicated in the agreement) and transfer into that major. Also, as part of the articulation agreement, the courses students will take as a junior and senior at the transfer college are indicated.
Capella University
Chamberlain College
DePaul University
DeVry University
Dominican University
Eastern Illinois University
Franklin University
Governors State University
Illinois Institute of Art - Schaumburg
Lewis University
Missouri University of Science and Technology
McNally Smith College of Music
Olivet Nazarne University
Purdue University Calumet
Regis University
Robert Morris
Roosevelt University
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
St. Xavier University
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of St. Francis
Western Illinois University
Courses Approved for Transfer
Transfer Degree Requirements