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Course Descriptions

The courses described in this section of the catalog have been authorized by the Governing Board of the West Kern Community College District. Whether or not they are given in any particular college year depends on prospective enrollment and the availability of instructors and physical facilities. Consult the fall, spring, and summer class schedules for the courses actually offered. The college reserves the right to cancel any course in which there is not sufficient enrollment.

It is the policy of this district that, unless specifically exempted by statute, every course, course section, or class, the average daily attendance of which is to be reported for state funding, wherever offered and maintained by the district, shall be fully open to enrollment and participation by any person who has been admitted to the college and who meets such prerequisite as may be established.

Course Numbering - Effective Summer 2026

Courses numbered 9000-9999 and 0400-0499 are not degree applicable and are not included in the computation of the cumulative grade point average (GPA).

Noncredit Courses

9000 - 9999 Noncredit courses, not degree applicable, not transferable, but are repeatable

Community Service or Contract Education

0400 - 0499 Community Service Courses/Contract Educational Courses

Associate Degree Applicable

Common Course Numbers (CCN)

The CCN system assigns the same course number to comparable courses across all California Community Colleges to “streamline transfer from two- to four-year postsecondary educational institutions and reduce excess credit accumulation.” C1000 associate degree applicable courses with Common Course Numbering, transferable to baccalaureate institutions.

C=common course number across the California Community College System
E=embedded support and assistance within the course
S=support course concurrent with parent course

In compliance with Assembly Bill (AB) 1111, which mandates the adoption of Common Course Numbering (CCN) across all California community colleges, several CSU- and UC-transferable courses have been updated with revised CCN course numbers and titles. Below are the courses included in Phase 1.

For information about upcoming phases or any questions, please contact the Counseling Department at (661) 763-7748. 

Old Course Old Course Title

CCN Course

CCN Course Title
ARTH 1510  Prehistoric to Renaissance Art History  ARTH C1100  Survey of Art from Prehistory to the Medieval Era 
ARTH 1520  Renaissance to Contemporary Art History  ARTH C1200  Survey of Art from the Renaissance to Contemporary
BIOL 1500  Fundamentals of Biology  BIOL C1001  Introduction to Biology 
BIOL 1510  Fundamentals of Biology of Lab  BIOL C1000  Introduction to Biology with Lab 
COMM 1511 Public Speaking COMM C1000 Introduction to Public Speaking
ECON 2120  Principles of Economics - Micro  ECON C2001  Principles of Microeconomics 
ECON 2210  Principles of Economics - Macro   ECON C2002  Principles of Macroeconomics 
ENGL 1500 Composition and Reading ENGL C1000 Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL 1501 Enhanced Composition and Reading ENGL C1000E
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL 1600  Critical Thinking, Literature, and Composition  ENGL C1003  Critical Thinking and Writing through Literature 
ENGL 1650  Introduction to Literature  ENGL C1002  Introduction to Literature 
HIST 2231  History of the United States to 1877  HIST C1001  United States History to 1877 
HIST 2232  History of the Unites States Since 1877  HIST C1002  United States History Since 1865 
MATH 2100  Analytic Geometry and Calculus I  MATH C2211  Calculus I: Late Transcendentals 
MATH 2120  Analytic Geometry and Calculus II  MATH C2221  Calculus II: Late Transcendentals  
POSC 1501 Government POLS C1000 American Government and Politics
PSYC 1500 Introduction to Psychology PSYC C1000 Introduction to Psychology
STAT 1510 Elementary Statistics STAT C1000 Introduction to Statistics

Freshman (Level One)
0500 - 0699: Associate degree applicable courses that are NOT transferable to baccalaureate institutions
1400 - 1999: Associate degree applicable courses, transferable to baccalaureate institutions

Sophomore (Level Two)
2400 - 2999: Associate degree applicable courses, transferable to baccalaureate institutions

Disclaimer: Not all transfer level courses are transferable to the University of California (UC) system. Please check course descriptions in catalog and Assist.org

Baccalaureate Degree Applicable

Junior (Level Three) Baccalaureate

3400 - 3999: Upper division junior level bachelor’s degree applicable courses, not open to lower division students, maybe transferable as upper division to baccalaureate institutions. Check with the receiving university or college.

Senior (Level Four) Level Baccalaureate

4400 - 4999: Upper division senior level bachelor’s degree applicable courses. Not open to lower division students.

Course Prerequisites, Co-requisites, and Recommended Preparation

The student must assume the responsibility for learning the specific lower division and major requirements of the school of their choice and for the selection of their community college courses in accordance with these requirements. Since the requirements and policies vary with different colleges and universities and among departments in the same university, the student is urged to study the catalog of the institution to which they will transfer and to discuss the proposed program with an advisor each semester. A change in the objective or in the choice of the senior college may increase the number of semesters required to obtain the Baccalaureate Degree.

Prerequisite means a condition of enrollment the student is required to meet in order to demonstrate current readiness for enrolling in a course or educational program. A prerequisite represents a set of skills or a body of knowledge that a student must possess before enrolling and without which the student is highly unlikely to succeed in the course or program. Students are expected to have satisfied the prerequisite requirements as stated in this catalog for all courses. All prerequisite classes must be completed with a grade of “C” or better.

Co-requisite is a condition of enrollment consisting of a course a student is required to simultaneously take in order to enroll in another course. A co-requisite represents a set of skills or a body of knowledge that a student must acquire through concurrent enrollment in another course and without which the student is highly unlikely to succeed.

Advisory states the preparation suggested by the faculty to successfully complete a particular course. While encouraged to do so, students do not have to satisfy recommended preparation guidelines to enroll in a course.

Recommended prerequisite, co-requisites, or recommended preparation are specified within course descriptions announced in this catalog. They are also specified in the schedule of classes. A course has no prerequisite or co-requisites unless so designated. Students must have satisfied the prerequisite or co-requisite requirements for all course in which they enroll.

Challenging a Prerequisite or Co-requisite

Students may have preparation equivalent to the stated prerequisites or co-requisites or may wish to challenge a prerequisite or co-requisite as allowed by state law. Instructions on how to challenge a prerequisite or co-requisite can be found here.

C-ID Number in the Course Description

C-ID, the Course Identification Numbering System, is a faculty-driven system that was initially developed to assign identifying designations (C-ID numbers) to significant transfer courses. C-ID addresses the need for a “common course numbers” by providing a mechanism to identify comparable courses. Most C-ID numbers identify lower-division transferable courses commonly articulated between the California Community Colleges (CCC) and universities (including Universities of California, the California State Universities, as well as with many of California’s independent colleges and universities).

It provides information for students, staff, and faculty who must identify which community college courses best meet the expectations transfer partners have for courses that contribute to transfer into a major at specific universities. The C-ID descriptor also provides information for ongoing curriculum development and revision of lower division courses. In the catalog, C-ID numbers can be found at the end of the catalog description of a course. (Example: ADMJ 1501 = AJ 110). Additional information can be found a the C-ID website.

Zero-Text-Cost (ZTC)

Some courses and even degree paths can be taken without having to purchase a textbook, lab manual, or homework system. These courses use Open Educational Resources (OER), which are instructor-designed textbooks and are the most sustainable way of making a course ZTC. They are freely available online and physical copies may be purchased through the TC Bookstore. Look for the ZTC label in the course schedule.