Common Questions and Answers:

17. What is meant by "advanced courses or advanced hours" and why cannot I take some of my advanced courses at Eastfield?

1. Community colleges cannot offer courses for "advanced credit" which is associated with courses normally taken by juniors and seniors. At A&M-Commerce these courses have course numbers beginning with a 3 or a 4. Example Phys 321 is an advanced physics course.

17. Why must I take at least 60 hours at A&M-Commerce in getting a Bachelors Degree?

1. The Coordinating Board of Texas specifies that 60 hours must be taken at a senior institution (University). It is possible (not recommended) that a few of these 60 hours could be taken at some other University but A&M-Commerce has specific residency requirements for total hours and advanced hours which must be completed at A&M-Commerce.

17. This Transfer Agreement specifies a Physics Major – non teaching. What if I want to teach, will this program not work?

1. A&M-Commerce has many degree programs including preparing persons to teach at the elementary and secondary level. The degree requirements for teaching physics are different from those of this program which is designed to prepare students for industrial employment or further study in physics.

17. Must I have both a major and a minor? Is mathematics the only minor that will fit this program?

1. Bachelors degrees at A&M-Commerce require a major and at least a minor or some special combined "broadfield" major. These "broadfield" majors usually involve more hours and are specific to certain career paths. Mathematics is a common minor for physics majors because math is such an important tool in physics. Other minors like computer science are fairly common and students obtained minors in business, music, …

17. I notice that the calculus sequence at A&M-Commerce has four three-hour courses and at Eastfield there are only three courses but both sequences have a total of 12 credits. The transfer guide indicates that I take calculus I at Eastfield but calculus I at Commerce is only 3 hours, do I loose two hours?

1. Matching the calculus sequence between schools is tricky and not too satisfactory. Ideally you would complete a full 12 hour sequence at one institution, except that calculus IV is an advanced course at Commerce and you will not get advanced credit for the course if taken at Eastfield. If you complete only calculus I at Eastfield then you must take calculus II-IV at Commerce and have a total of 14 hours instead of 12. Probably the best situation is to take calculus I-II at Eastfield, then take calculus IV at Commerce. Your record looks a little funny and your minor (if you choose to minor in math) is distorted a little.

17. Why don’t I just wait and take all of my calculus at Commerce, it is not required for the associates in sciences degree and most of my friends never take calculus?