A S S O C I A T E O F S C I E N C E D E G R E E S 51
Physical Sciences
www. linnbenton. edu / go / physical-sciences
The Physical Sciences Department offers career and technical and transfer courses in astronomy, chemistry, geology, general sciences and physics. Most courses have laboratory sessions accompanying the lectures. Laboratory sessions are designed to provide students with hands-on experience with science and scientific methods.
The Physical Sciences Department also teaches some non-laboratory courses that fulfill the Science and Society requirement for the Associate of Applied Science degree.
The Associate of Science( AS) Degree is designed for students planning to transfer to Oregon State University. LBCC offers five AS degrees in the physical sciences— each with one of the following emphases: Chemistry, Food and Fermentation Science, General Science, Geology or Physics. These degree programs provide a strong background in mathematics and physical sciences to students planning to transfer to a four-year institution to complete a baccalaureate degree in chemistry, food and fermentation science, general science, geology or physics. The general science degree is appropriate for students interested in environmental sciences or pre-professional programs in the health sciences, such as pre-pharmacy or pre-education.
Students seeking to transfer to an institution other than OSU may be best served by pursuing an AA( OT) while taking specific physical science and mathematics courses that will transfer to the student’ s selected college or university. The AA( OT) is a general transfer degree and does not include program requirements. It is important that you identify the four-year school you plan to attend. You should review the requirements of the program you plan to study at that institution and take those classes at LBCC. You may want to work with two advisors; one at LBCC and a second at the institution you hope to attend to make sure you are taking the courses that will meet program requirements.
Students entering the chemistry, geology, or physics programs with a strong high school mathematics and science background can expect to complete these programs in two years. Students who must take pre-calculus mathematics courses should expect to spend more than two years completing the chemistry, geology, or physics programs.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the Associate of Science degree with an emphasis in Chemistry, Food and Fermentation, or General Science will:
• Understand and explain chemical and / or biological phenomena using important concepts, methods, and equipment of biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics.
• Confidently and effectively communicate scientific ideas in oral, written, graphical, and pictorial form.
• Apply scientific principles using the appropriate vocabulary in problem solving, recognizing biological and chemical compounds and their properties, understanding chemical reactions and their scientific consequences.
• Read, interpret, and safely perform laboratory procedures using the appropriate techniques and instrumentation.
• Collect and analyze laboratory data, arrive at reasonable conclusions, and write comprehensive laboratory reports.
• Think critically and creatively about the biological and chemical environment and its complexity, and apply their knowledge to their daily lives.
• Participate as an effective member of a team. Students who successfully complete the Associate of Science degree with an emphasis in Geology will:
• Utilize geologic concepts and data to evaluate and investigate practical questions of daily importance as well as those that have longer-term consequences.
• Make observations in order to infer the formation of common Earth materials and landforms.
• Recognize signs of important geologic resources such as ores, minerals, and fuels.
• Recognize causes and effects of human impact on the environment such as building on unstable slopes, constructing dams on rivers and jetties on coastlines, and contamination of water resources.
• In a professional manner, participate as a team leader and / or member in a collaborative setting.
• Effectively justify a point of view using various forms of appropriate supporting evidence as it relates to the sciences.
• Apply the scientific method using data to critically analyze, identify, understand and make a conclusion about natural phenomena.
• Obtain and record scientific measurements and observations using safe laboratory techniques and appropriate instruments.
• Prepare and interpret graphs and perform mathematical calculations to evaluate experimental data in order to formulate conclusions.
Students who successfully complete the Associate of Science degree with an emphasis in Physics will:
• Confidently and competently communicate scientific ideas in oral and written form using appropriate technical vocabulary.
• Successfully participate as an effective member of a team.
• Think critically and creatively about the physical environment and its complexity, and apply knowledge gained in the program to their daily lives.
• Use a variety of appropriate representations( verbal, pictorial, graphical and mathematical) to understand and explain physics concepts and to solve physics problems.
• Create, read, interpret and safely perform laboratory procedures using the appropriate techniques and equipment designed to collect laboratory data, analyze that data, and draw and support reasonable conclusions from that data.
Program Requirements
LBCC’ s AS degrees in the physical sciences are designed to be completed in two years. This assumes, however, that the entering student is prepared to take MTH 111 College Algebra, MTH 112 Trigonometry or MTH 251 Differential Calculus( whichever is appropriate for the chosen option), WR 121 English Composition, and CH 221 General Chemistry. If this is not the case, the student needs to allow extra time to complete this degree.
CH 221 General Chemistry, which is usually taken in the first term of each physical science degree program, requires that the student possess a basic knowledge of chemistry prior to enrolling in the course. In order to fulfill this requirement a student must either:
• Pass a Chemistry Entrance Exam, or
• Take a college-level chemistry course( CH 112, CH 121, or CH 150).
To schedule an entrance exam or for further information contact: Linda Taylor at taylorl @ linnbenton. edu or 541-917-4741.
1 – Courses offered that term only. 2 – Other classes may substitute. See advisor. 6 – These courses must have been completed within the last five years. 7 – Course may be taken any term to accommodate a student’ s particular interests and scheduling considerations. See the requirements for the Associate of Science degree for approved courses. 8 – No more than two courses with the same alpha prefix may be used by a student to meet the general education requirement. See an advisor. 9 – A cost-recovery program. See“ Workforce Training” section for details.