Transfer programs
Sandburg offers a wide range of degree and certificate programs designed to meet students wherever they are in their educational journey. Whether you’re exploring options or already have a clear career path in mind, our advisors are here to help you choose the program that fits your goals. At Sandburg, you’ll find an affordable, supportive starting point that prepares you for whatever comes next.
Associate Degrees for transfer
Our Associate in Arts (AA), Associate in Science (AS), and Associate in Fine Arts (AFA, Art emphasis) degrees are built for students who plan to continue their education at a four-year college or university. These programs provide the first two years of coursework toward a bachelor’s degree - all in a learning environment known for small class sizes, personal attention, and a commitment to student success.
How Transfer Works in Illinois
In Illinois, community colleges and four-year institutions work together to make transferring as seamless as possible. Carl Sandburg College is an active partner in this statewide effort, ensuring that our courses meet the standards needed for smooth transfer and continued academic progress.
When you transfer from Sandburg to an Illinois college or university that is a full participant in the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI), you should enter with the same academic standing as students who started at that institution as freshmen and have earned a similar number of credit hours. All Illinois public 4-year universities are IAI members, in addition to private colleges that have joined IAI. You should also be able to continue toward your bachelor’s degree at a comparable pace. To support this, the following guidelines apply:
- Students who earn an AA degree at Carl Sandburg College - and whose degree includes the Illinois General Education Core Curriculum (GECC) - will have satisfied the receiving institution’s lower-division, all-campus general education requirements at four-year public universities. The completed GECC certificate will be noted on your transcript. Some institutions may still require additional graduation requirements tied to their mission or curriculum.
- Students who complete courses within an Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) Baccalaureate Major Recommendation - and who meet program entry requirements - should receive credit toward the receiving institution’s lower-division requirements for that major. For competitive programs, completion of the recommended curriculum does not guarantee admission.
AAS and certificate programs
Career & Technical Education (CTE) and Health Professions (HLP) programs are available as a Certificate, which may be completed in as little as four months, or as an Associate in Applied Science degree, which may be completed in as little as two years. This specialized approach to education results in graduates who enter the job market with highly marketable skills and backgrounds. The courses that you take in our CTE and HLP programs were selected based upon recommendations from professionals working in specific CTE and HLP fields.
Statement on general education
The Higher Learning Commission believes that quality undergraduate higher education involves breadth as well as depth of study. According to the HLC commission statement, “General education is intended to impart common knowledge and intellectual concepts to students and to develop in them the skills and attitudes that an organization’s faculty believe every educated person should possess.” A general education curriculum provides an opportunity for students to acquire some breadth of knowledge, proficiency in skills that are deemed to be commonly shared by those receiving a college education, and allow students to gain exposure to and competence in pursuit of intellectual inquiry and the examination of personal, social, and civic values.
At Sandburg, we are committed to the centrality of general education by including an appropriate component of general education coursework in all of the Associate in Applied Science degrees as well as many of the certificates. These courses are identified in the catalog description as a general education core or an elective.
NOTE:
Though some CTE, HLP, and Nursing programs may transfer to specific four-year institutions, most will not.
To find out the transferability of a specific CTE, HLP, or Nursing program, talk with your advisor.
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