Associate of Arts in General Studies 

at Dakota State University, Madison

Applicants must be a high school graduates and must either meet the Smarter Balanced or Curriculum requirements outlined below:

Smarter Balanced

• Achieve a Level 3 or higher on the English Language Arts and Mathematics Smarter Balanced Assessment;

Curriculum

• Meet the minimum course requirements with an average grade of C (2.0 on a 4.0 scale); OR
• Demonstrate appropriate competencies in discipline areas where course requirements have not been met; AND
• Rank in the top 60% of their high school graduating class; OR
• Obtain an ACT composite score of 18 (Redesigned SAT score of 950, or concorded equivalent for older SAT scores) or above;
• Obtain a high school GPA of at least 2.6 on a 4.0 scale.

Minimum Course Requirements

All baccalaureate or general studies students under twenty-four (24) years of age, including students transferring with fewer than twenty-four (24) credit hours, must meet the following minimum high school course requirements.

• Four (4) years of English - Courses with major emphasis upon grammar, composition, or literary analysis.  One (1) year of debate instruction may be included to meet this requirement.
• Three (3) years of Advanced Mathematics - Algebra, geometry, trigonometry or other advanced mathematics including accelerated or honors mathematics (algebra) provided at the 8th grade level; not included are arithmetic, business, consumer or general mathematics or other similar courses. 
• Three (3) years of Laboratory Science - Courses in biology, chemistry, or physics in which at least one (1) regular laboratory period is scheduled each week. Accelerated or honors science (biology, physics or chemistry) provided in the 8th grade shall be accepted. Qualifying physical science or earth science courses (with lab) shall be decided on a case by case basis. 
• Three (3) years of Social Studies - History, economics, sociology, geography, government, including U.S. and South Dakota, American Problems, etc. 
• One (1) year of Fine Arts - Art, Theatre or music (appreciation, analysis, or performance.) Documented evidence of high school level non-credit fine arts activity will be accepted for students graduating from high schools in states that do not require completion of courses in fine arts for graduation