Course Descriptions

3 credits required for graduation 
3 credits required for college admission (2-3 lab science credits)

General Information

Biology (BIO), Physics (PHYS) and Chemistry (CHEM) are recommended for most average or above-average students planning on attending college.

Astronomy (ASTRON), Environmental Science I: Earth Systems and Human Impacts (ENSC1), and  Environmental Science II: Ecosystems and Global Change (ENSC2) may be taken in place of Physics (PHYS) or Chemistry (CHEM) if the student has difficulty in science or math. 

Lab Sciences

Typically, college bound students are required to earn 3 science credits, two of which must be what colleges consider “lab sciences” (Biology (BIO) / College Biology (CBIO), Chemistry (CHEM) / College Chemistry (CCHEM), or Physics (PHYS) / College Physics (CPHYS). See your counselor for more information.

Universities do not consider Physical Science (PHSCI), Astronomy (ASTRON), Environmental Science I: Earth Systems and Human Impacts (ENSC1), and  Environmental Science II: Ecosystems and Global Change (ENSC2) “lab sciences.”  

In some cases, a STEM course may be considered a lab science depending on the institution of learning.