This is an archived copy of the 2018-2019 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.sierracollege.edu.

The courses described in this catalog may not be of­fered every term or every year. Check the class sched­ule for the current term’s class offerings. Course outlines for all courses are on file in the Office of Instruction.

Course Numbering System

0-299 Degree-applicable credit courses (includes courses with let­ter des­ig­na­tions), may be ac­cept­ed by the Cal­i­for­nia State Uni­ver­si­ties and the Uni­ver­si­ty of Cal­i­for­nia system
300-399 Degree-applicable credit courses in selected top­ics, generally trans­fer­able to the California State Uni­ver­si­ties and in some in­stanc­es to the Uni­ver­si­ty of Cal­i­for­nia sys­tem (Unless otherwise indicated, transfer credit for a “300” selected topics course is given only after review of the specific course outline/syllabus by the enrolling UC campus and may not be included in the UC admission decision.)
400-449 Degree-applicable credit courses in selected top­ics, gen­er­al­ly not transferable to four-year in­sti­tu­tions
500-599 Nondegree-applicable basic skills credit courses in reading, writing, computation, and English as a Second Language (lim­it­ed to 30 units); see a counselor for lim­i­ta­tion restrictions and exemptions
600-699 Nondegree-applicable credit courses
800-899 Noncredit courses (zero unit)

Cross-Listed Courses

Courses that are cross-listed in more than one discipline are noted as such under the course title, (e.g., ENGL 0044, Also known as HDEV 0044). It may be completed only one time under either discipline.

Course Units

Units of credit are based upon a relationship between the number of units assigned to the course and the number of lecture and/or laboratory hours or performance criteria specified in the course outline. Courses require a minimum of three hours of student work per week, including class time for each unit of credit, prorated for short-term, extended term, laboratory and/or activity courses.

Transfer Status Designation

The transfer status of a course is indicated at the end of the course description.

(CSU) in­di­cates that the course credit trans­fers to all of the Cal­i­for­nia State Uni­ver­si­ty cam­pus­es.

(CSU-with unit limitation) in­di­cates that there is a restriction on CSU course transferability.

(CSU, UC) indicates that the course cred­it trans­fers to all of the California State University and University of California cam­pus­es.

(CSU, UC-with unit limitation) indicates that there is a restriction on UC course transferability.

Courses that are marked (not transferable), (not degree-applicable), or (noncredit) are not transferable to a university.

Course Pre­req­ui­sites, Corequisites and Ad­vi­so­ries

Sierra College strives to guide students into courses in which they will have the greatest chance for academic success. The fol­low­ing are the def­i­ni­tions for pre­req­ui­sites, corequisites and ad­vi­so­ry preparation:

"Prerequisite" means a condition of en­roll­ment that stu­dents are required to meet in order to dem­on­strate cur­rent readiness for enrollment in a course or ed­u­ca­tion­al pro­gram. “C” is the designated minimum grade for prerequisite courses.

"Corequisite" means a condition of en­roll­ment con­sist­ing of a course that students are re­quired to si­mul­ta­neous­ly take in order to enroll in an­oth­er course.

"Advisory" means a condition of enrollment that stu­dents are advised, but not required, to meet be­fore or in con­junc­tion with enrollment in a course or ed­u­ca­tion­al program.

Course Hours

Each course description lists approved course hours as the total num­ber of lecture, laboratory and/or activity hours for the semester. These hours do not include expected independent work/study done outside of class.

Course Grading

Most courses may be taken for a letter grade or on a pass/no pass basis at the student’s discretion. Courses that are restricted to specific grading are identified as such at the end of the course description. Courses that must be taken for a letter grade are noted, “letter grade only;” courses that may only be taken on a pass/no pass basis are ­identified with, “pass/no pass grading.” If no such identification is listed, students have the option to choose, within published deadlines, the type of grading. No more than one course may be taken on a pass/no pass basis per term.

Course Repeatability

Courses that are designated as repeatable are identified as such at the end of the course description, e.g., may be taken three times for credit. If no such notation is included, the course is not considered repeatable.

Course Identification Numbering System (C-ID)

The Course Identification Numbering System (C-ID) is a statewide numbering system independent from the course numbers assigned by local California community colleges. A C-ID number at the end of a course description signals that participating California community colleges and universities have determined that courses offered by other California community colleges are comparable in content and scope to courses offered on their own campuses, regardless of their unique titles or local course number. Thus, if a schedule of classes or catalog lists a course bearing a C-ID number, for example SOCI 0110, students at that college can be assured that it will be accepted in lieu of a course bearing the C-ID SOCI 0110 designation at another community college. In other words, the C-ID designation can be used to identify comparable courses at different community colleges. Students should always go to www.assist.org to confirm how each college’s course will be accepted at a particular four-year college or university for transfer credit.

The C-ID numbering system is useful for students attending more than one community college and is applied to many of the transferable courses students need as preparation for transfer. Because these course requirements may change and because courses may be modified and qualified for or deleted from the C-ID database, students should always check with a counselor to determine how C-ID designated courses fit into their educational plans for transfer.

A list of approved C-ID courses is available in this catalog. To see the most up-to-date list, go to www.assist.org.

Independent Study Cours­es

0028 Independent Study

Units: 1-3

Transfer Status: Transferable to CSU, UC-with limitation1

Hours to Complete Course: 54 hours per unit. Independent study courses may be taken one time for credit per discipline.

Objectives: These cours­es are designed for stu­dents interested in fur­ther­ing their knowledge, at an in­de­pen­dent study lev­el, in an area where no specific cur­ric­u­lum offering is currently avail­able. In­de­pen­dent study might in­clude, but is not lim­it­ed to, research pa­pers, special subject area projects and re­search projects.

Enrollment Procedures:

  1. Re­quest a Sierra College Independent Study Project form from the appropriate division office;
  2. Con­tact­ the ap­pro­pri­ate professor for approval;
  3. Sub­mit the com­plet­ed In­de­pen­dent Study Project form to the di­vi­sion dean for approval and issuance of an add code;
  4. Sub­mit the approved Independent Study Project form to a cam­pus Ad­mis­sions and Records office.

Internship Cours­es

0095 Internship

Units: 0.5-4

Transfer Status: Transferable to CSU-with limitation2

Hours to Complete Course: 60 hours per unit for non-paid work; 75 hours per unit for paid work.

Objectives: Occupational Work Experience is designed for advanced students to expand their knowledge and skills in an area related to their college major.

Limitations: Students may earn up to a total of 16 units in internship courses (any course numbered 0095 and PDEV 0094).

Enrollment Procedures: Students must be continuing Sierra College students, have a minimum 2.0 GPA and attend a mandatory orientation. A written instructional agreement must be developed between the instructor, supervisor and student before the student is approved as an intern. Although some sites offer a wage or a stipend as compensation, most internships are unpaid.