Things You Should Know About the IAI GECC and IAI Major Recommendations

IAI GECC

• The Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) agreement and the iTransfer website are designed to make transferring to any IAI participating school as smooth as possible. When making transfer plans, always seek the advice of an academic advisor or admissions counselor at your current school and at the school you plan to attend.
• Articulation is the process of transferring courses from one school to another and the way the classes will be used at the receiving school.
• The Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) is for transfer students only, not native students.
• You should complete the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IaI GECC) as a package before transferring to be guaranteed full general education credit. When the full package is not completed before transfer, each college or university decides how to apply each individual course.
• The Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) requires a total of 12 to 13 courses (37 to 41 semester credits) or a total of 12 to 14 courses (56 to 61 quarter credits).
• Students must earn an appropriate letter grade to fulfill requirements within the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC). Appropriate Advanced Placement (AP) exam scores can substitute for specific IAI GECC courses.
• No more than 2 courses from any 1 discipline can be used to fulfill Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) requirements.
• Application of credit earned prior to the summer of 1998 is an individual school's decision.
• There are 2 types of undergraduate degrees : the associate degree and the bachelor's degree.
• The Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) became effective statewide in the summer of 1998.

IAI Majors

• Even though the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) agreements and this website are meant to make transfer smoother, you still need to see an academic advisor or admissions counselor.
  
• To transfer as a junior, you need a minimum of 60 semester credits, and usually not more than 64 semester credits. Plan to earn an associate degree before transferring: Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, Associate in Engineering Science, or Associate in Fine Arts.
  
• If you already know where you will transfer, see that school's catalog and a counselor for specific advice. These IAI Majors' recommendations are for students who are undecided about a transfer school.
  
• Every participating school does not offer all majors or all specialties in a major.
  
• No 2 majors are alike; courses in 1 major are unlikely to meet requirements for a different major. Changing your major will likely increase the time needed to complete your degree.
  
• Be sure to check to see if any specific Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) courses are recommended by your major. A few majors, like music and engineering, suggest you not finish the IAI GECC before transferring.
  
• Most majors require at least a C for a course to count towards major requirements, and most schools won't accept pass/fail.
  
• Since admission is often competitive, completing the IAI Majors' recommended courses will not by itself guarantee admission.
  
• Some majors require assessment for admission: A basic skills test (reading, grammar, writing and math) is required for certification in all teacher education majors. Most music schools require an audition and most art schools require a portfolio
  
• When selecting courses for your major, always seek advice from an academic advisor at your current school and a counselor at the transfer school.
  

Always seek the Advice of an Academic Advisor or Counselor

When making transfer plans, always seek the advice of an academic advisor or admissions counselor at your current school and at the school you plan to attend.

If you are a freshman who has not decided upon a major, you should begin your studies by enrolling in courses within the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC). You should also seek assistance with career planning, since a delay in selecting a major may extend the time necessary to complete a degree. Always seek the advice of an academic advisor or admissions counselor when making transfer plans. Research shows that students who earn an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree prior to transfer to a bachelor's degree program complete their bachelor's degrees at about the same rate as do students who begin as freshmen and graduate from the same college or university.

Articulation

Articulation is the process of transferring courses from one school to another and the way the classes will be used at the receiving school.

The Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) assists students in the articulation process. If you complete the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) package and transfer to a participating school, you will have met one of the requirements for graduation at that school.

For Transfer Students Only

The transferability of the Illinois General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) applies to transfer students, not native students, even though a native student may complete courses at other schools. A native student is a degree-seeking student who enters a college or university as a first-time freshman (subsequent to the summer following high school graduation). Thus, a fall-term freshman who earned college credit prior to and/or during the summer immediately after high school graduation at another school is still considered a native student at the school in which he/she enrolls in the fall. Likewise, a student who enrolls in another school as an occasional student while simultaneously enrolling in the initial college/university, or enrolling as a non-degree-seeking summer guest, continues to be a native student at the home school.

Degree-seeking students who discontinue enrollment in one school, enroll as a degree-seeking student in another, and then re-enroll as a degree-seeking student in the original school, are considered re-admitted or re-entry students. For such students, the policies on the transferability of the IAI GECC would apply only if the student earned an Associate in Arts (AA), Associate in Science (AS), or bachelor's degree during the period of enrollment at the other school.

• Completion of the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) as part of completing an AA or AS degree at a community or junior college;
• Completion of the total Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) prior to admission to a bachelor's degree program; or
• Completion of the baccalaureate school's general education requirements.

Complete the IAI GECC Package

You should complete the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) as a package before transferring to be guaranteed full general education credit. When the full package is not completed before transfer, each college or university decides how to apply each individual course.

• Completion of the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) as part of completing an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree at a community or junior college;
• Completion of the total Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) prior to admission to a bachelor's degree program; or
• Completion of the baccalaureate school's general education requirements.

Although students who do not complete the IAI GECC package must meet the receiving school's general education requirements, credit for individual courses completed in the IAI GECC will be applied towards fulfillment of the receiving school's general education requirements, so long as the receiving school requires coursework in the field. If the receiving school does not require coursework in the field, the credit will be accepted as elective credit.

Total Hours Required

The Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) requires a total of 12 to 13 courses (37 to 41 semester credits) or a total of 12 to 14 courses (56 to 61 quarter credits).

• Communication: 3 courses (9 semester credits)
  A two-course sequence in writing (6 semester credits),
  One course in oral communications (3 semester credits).
  
• Mathematics: 1 or 2 courses (3 to 6 semester credits)
  Students are encouraged to complete 2 courses in mathematics in order to become reasonably quantitatively literate. It is expected that the minimum mathematics requirement may be increased to 6 semester credits when the IAI GECC package is reviewed and updated.
• Physical and Life Sciences: 2 courses (7 to 8 semester credits)
  One course selected from Life Sciences,
  One course selected from Physical Sciences.
  At least one laboratory course must be included.
• Humanities and Fine Arts: 3 courses (9 semester credits)
  One course selected from Humanities,
  One course selected from Fine Arts and
  One course selected from either Humanities or Fine Arts.
• Social and Behavioral Sciences: 3 courses (9 semester credits)
  Courses must be selected from at least 2 disciplines.

• Communication: 3 courses (12 to 14 quarter credits)
  A two-course sequence in writing (8 to 9 quarter credits),
  One course in oral communications (4 to 5 quarter credits).
  
• Mathematics : 1 or 2 courses (5 to 10 quarter credits)
• Physical and Life Sciences: 2 or 3 courses (10 to 12 quarter credits)
  One course selected from Life Sciences,
  One course selected from Physical Sciences.
  At least one laboratory course must be included.
• Humanities and Fine Arts: 3 courses (12 to 15 quarter credits)
  One course selected from Humanities,
  One course selected from Fine Arts and
  One course from either Humanities or Fine Arts.
• Social and Behavioral Sciences: 3 courses (12 to 15 quarter credits)
  Courses must be selected from at least 2 disciplines.

Grade Requirment

Students may substitute satisfactory scores on AP exams for specific IAI GECC courses as indicated in fulfilling the requirements of the entire IAI GECC package. This does NOT mean, however, that an exam can also be used to substitute for a similar course required in the student's selected major. Students will still need to submit offical AP scores to all schools attended.

Passing scores (based on national norms) on appropriate College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams may be used to fulfill requirements for students who earn an Associate in Arts or an Associate in Science degree prior to transfer. For other transfer students, receiving schools will follow established credit policies.

Two and One Rule

No more than 2 courses from any 1 discipline can be used to fulfill the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC). For example, to fulfill the requirements for social and behavioral science, a student may take no more than two courses from history, two courses from sociology, two courses from economics, etc.

In addition, students may only take one course per IAI code. For example, a student can only use a course coded H2 900 once to meet the requirements for humanities and fine arts.

Applying Credit Earned

Application of credit earned prior to the summer of 1998 is an individual school's decision.

Application of credit earned prior to the summer of 1998 in courses now in the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) is an individual school's decision. The purpose of the iTransfer website is to assist students to transfer among Illinois colleges and universities. Some schools may allow students to follow old articulation agreements or the new IAI GECC

Types of undergraduate degrees

There are 2 types of undergraduate degrees: the associate degree and the bachelor's degree.

Associate degrees require a minimum of 60 semester credit hours (approximately 20 courses), while bachelor's degrees require a minimum of 120 semester credit hours (approximately 40 courses), though both degrees may require additional hours. Thus, an associate degree represents approximately half of a bachelor's degree. Both the associate and the bachelor's degrees usually consist of 3 parts: general education requirements, major requirements, and general graduation requirements unique to the school. Always check the school's catalog before transferring.

General education consists of courses that colleges and universities consider essential for students' success in college and life. Examples of courses include; written and oral communication, mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC), consisting of a minimum of 37 semester credit hours (12 courses), permits students to transfer this portion of either an associate or a bachelor's degree program from 1 school to another without loss of credit. The IAI GECC comprises about two-thirds of an associate degree and about one-third of a bachelor's degree.

• Courses in the major department (for example: Accounting, Computer Science, Engineering, or Nursing);
• Courses from other departments or disciplines that are prerequisites for or support courses in the major (for example: Physics for Engineering and Biology for Nursing);
• Any other courses required by the department or college for the specific degree (for example: B.A. often requires a foreign language).

Recommended courses for specific majors are included in the Illinois Baccalaureate Majors' Curricula (IAI Majors). IAI Majors provide coursework for a particular major that is typically taken by students during their freshman and sophomore years. A student following a prescribed major curriculum, who has also completed the IAI GECC package, will be prepared to transfer as a junior into the baccalaureate major. However, since admission to colleges and universities (and to specific majors) is often competitive, students planning to transfer should understand that completing the recommended courses alone does not guarantee admission. Once a student has begun work toward a particular major, a change in major may increase the number of credits needed to complete a bachelor's degree, since some courses completed for the original major may no longer fulfill requirements for the new major.

While colleges and universities may accept credit in transfer for courses satisfactorily completed elsewhere, credit for courses that do not fulfill either general education or major requirements may be evaluated as satisfying a general institutional graduation requirement or may be counted as elective credit. General graduation requirements are neither general education nor major requirements, but typically mission related and required of all students seeking a degree. Examples include foreign language and religion. Elective credit may or may not count towards degree requirements depending upon the school, the student's major requirements, and other credits completed by the student.

While few baccalaureate schools require a foreign or second language in their campus-wide general education requirements, competency through 2, 3, or 4 college semesters (or the high school equivalent) in a single foreign/second language is required for the Bachelor of Arts degree at some universities, for all bachelor's degrees at some colleges (such as colleges of liberal arts), and for some bachelor's degree majors. Thus, community college students who intend to transfer should plan to complete the foreign language courses required by their intended college and/or major prior to transferring.

IAI Effective Date

The Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) became effective statewide in the summer of 1998.

All participating schools agree to accept in transfer satisfactory completion of the IAI GECC package for students who enter an associate or baccalaureate degree-granting school as a first-time freshman in the summer of 1998 in place of the school's own lower-division general education requirements.