Counseling Department

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Our friendly and confidential academic counselors can help you meet your educational, career, and personal goals, stay on track throughout the year and create an education plan so you can graduate on your time. They can help you with transferring to a four-year university, choosing a career that fits your interests and skills, and picking up extra classes during the semester.

Attention CSU transfer students:
March 14, 2023 is the ADT Graduation Petition Deadline!

Students who applied to a CSU and will earn an Associate Degree for Transfer this Spring 2023 must submit a graduation petition by March 14, 2023. Please see your program counselor in person or online.

ADT graduation petition flyer

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Please note: Due to the coronavirus outbreak, all academic counseling at LASC will use Cranium Cafe, a meeting and collaboration platform designed specifically for student support. Once on the ConexED page, students and faculty should use the "Login with Canvas" button. Staff should use the "Guest Registration" button

Students can access Cranium Cafe by clicking the online counseling button on each department's web page or the counseling and live chat button on the homepage of the student portal. Students need to create an account, sign in, and can then begin chatting with counselors.
Counselors will be available on Cranium Cafe during their typical hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays. Students will be able to meet with a counselor from any special programs they belong to or a general counselor of their choice. Students are strongly recommended to meet with counselors from their special programs.
Although there are set hours to meet with a counselor on cranium cafe, appointments may impede regularly scheduled live chat hours.
Although counselors will be able to perform most functions remotely, there may be slight delays in completing some tasks such as document requests from other colleges. Please be patient. LASC Counselors are here to answer your questions and help you plan for academic success this Spring Semester and beyond.

Counseling Live Chat

Live Chat

Counseling

Consider our counselors your mentors and your cheerleaders at LASC. They want to see you succeed, and they will be there to support you throughout your time here. So, let them know what you’re interested in and what you want out of life so they can work with you to create a strategy that best fits your dreams for your future.

Our Counseling Services:

Counselors can help you in the following areas:

Making suitable course recommendations for your path of study and your timeline
Registering for courses
Reviewing what you will need to receive an associate degree or certificate in the subject of your choice
Changing majors
Developing a Student Education Plan (SEP) which maps out all of the courses you’ll need in a recommended order so you can complete your degree or certificate – these can be for each semester, or a year, or for your entire time at college
Completing financial aid forms
Completing petitions, such as for academic renewal, graduation, and financial aid
Discussing your concerns about your academic progress and finding strategies to improve them
Connecting you with the appropriate resources for you to apply for scholarships and other financial aid opportunities
Offering academic and progress probation workshops when needed
Recommending appropriate referrals when needed

Finding four-year colleges and universities that offer a bachelor’s degree in your chosen major/subject of interest
Reviewing the course, GPA, and credit requirements that are needed for transfer
Identifying colleges with guaranteed transfer agreements with LASC
Assistance with completing college applications
Advice on ways to improve your admittance into certain colleges
One-on-one counseling with university representatives
Hold an annual Career/Transfer Fair

Assisting you with finding career choices that align with your interests and skills
Providing insight into LASC’s academic programs and what careers are associated with them
Providing career resource information, including career assessments, online resources, and information on the latest job market trends

Providing personal counseling to help you with any educational and personal barriers to achieve a more meaningful college experience
LASC also provides free mental health counseling through the Student Health Office

Requirements

Here is a list of all of LASC’s associate degrees where each is linked to their Required Courses and Recommended Electives:

If you have a quick question, you can call or come by the Counseling Department during office hours. If you have a more specific question about your degree, please make an appointment. We’re open Mondays through Thursdays from 8:00AM to 6:00PM, and you can call us at (323) 241-5200.

KEY

AA= Associate in Arts Degree
AS= Associate in Science Degree
AAT= Associate in Arts Degree for Transfer
AST= Associate in Science Degree for Transfer
ADN= Associate Degree in Nursing

Associate in Science for Transfer Degree Majors:

Accounting / General Business – BusinessAdministration (AST)
Administration of Justice (AST)
Early Childhood Education (AST)
Mathematics (AST)
Nutrition & Dietetics (AST)
Physics (AST)
Public Health (AST)

Associate in Arts for Transfer Degree Majors:

Arts & Humanities – Interdisciplinary Studies (AAT)
Anthropology (AAT)
Behavioral & Social Science – Interdisciplinary Studies (AAT)
Communication Studies (AAT)
English (AAT)
History (AAT)
Journalism (AAT)
Kinesiology (AAT)
Political Science (AAT)
Psychology (AAT)
Social Justice Studies (AAT)
Sociology (AAT)
Spanish (AAT)
Studio Arts (AAT)
Theatre Arts (AAT)

Associate Degrees – in Arts or in Science:

Here is a list of all of LASC’s certificate programs where each is linked to their Required Courses and, if any, Recommended Electives. These are listed by academic department:

If you have a quick question, you can call or come by the Counseling Department during office hours. If you have a more specific question about your degree, please make an appointment. We’re open Mondays through Thursdays from 8:00AM to 6:00PM, and you can call us at (323) 241-5200.

KEY

CA = Certificate of Achievement
SK = Skill Certificate
CAN = Certified Nursing Assistant
CHHA = Certified Health Home Aide

Behavioral & Social Sciences Department

Administration of Justice (CA)
Chemical Dependency Counselor (CA)
Chemical Dependency Specialist in Criminal Justice (SC)
Fingerprinting (SC)
LAPD / LASC Partnership Certificate (CA)
Private Investigations (SC)
Public Service (SC)
Recovery Specialist (SC)
Social Services (SC)
Teacher Assistant (SC)

Business Department

Banking & Finance (CA)
Bookkeeping (SC)
Business & Technology Skills (SC)
Certified Internet Webmaster Associate (CIWA) (SC)
Computer Technician (SC)
Economics (SC)
Electronics Technician (SC)
Finance (SC)
General Business (CA)
General Office Assistant (SC)
Global Entrepreneurship I (SC)
Global Trade & Logistic Management (SC)
Homeland Security & Computer Networks (CA)
Homeland Security Network Administrator (CA)
Income Tax Form Preparation (SC)
Law Office Specialist I (SC)
Legal Office Assistant (SC)
Management (SC)
Management / Supervision (CA)
Microsoft Excel (SC)
Microsoft Word (SC)
Network Cabling Technician (SC)
Real Estate: Broker (CA)
Real Estate: Escrow (SC)
Real Estate: Salesperson (SC)
Receptionist (SC)
Small Business Entrepreneurship Level I (SC)
Small Business Entrepreneurship Level II (SC)
Supervision (SC)
Telecom & Network Technician (SC)
Web Site Designer (SC)
Word Processing (SC)

Child Development Department

Associate Teacher (SC)
Children with Special Needs (SC)
Community Care Licensing Director (SC)
Early Childhood Curriculum (SC)
Early Literacy Development (SC)
Infant Toddler Studies (SC)
Positive Guidance & Family School Relations (SC)
School-Age Programs (SC)

English & Foreign Languages Department

Professional Spanish (SC)

Natural Sciences, Health, & Kinesiology

Engineering (SC)
Engineering Graphics (SC)
Personal Training (CA)

Nursing

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) / Home Health Aide (CHHA)

Counseling Appointments

How often should I meet with a counselor?
- At least once per semester.
- You are free to choose any counselor from our staff.
- Meet with a counselor before registration and schedule an appointment approximately one month after beginning of the current semester to do an Education Plan.
Who can I contact if I was enrolled in special education courses (K-12) or have been diagnosed with a psychological, physical or other disability?
- You are encouraged to contact the Disabled Students Program & Services (DSP&S) located in SSB 117 or at (323) 241-5480. Please provide an IEP, proof of disability, or contact information of a physician or health care provider for verification of your disability.

Course Planning

What is a student educational plan (SEP)?
- Multi-semester plan of courses that you will take to complete your educational goal.
What is a unit and how many should I take per session/semester?
- The amount of college credit earned by satisfactory completion of a specific course taken for one semester.
- 12 units are considered full time.
- The number of units recommended varies depending on your schedule.
What do pre-requisite, co-requisite, and advisory mean?
- A Pre-requisite is a measure of readiness for a course or program that a student is required to meet as a condition of enrolling in a course or a program.
- A co-requisite is a requirement that must be satisfied at the time a particular course is taken; usually, a co-requisite is concurrent enrollment in another course but may in certain situations be completed at an earlier time.
- An advisory is a measure of readiness for a course or program that is recommended for students.
What classes should I take for my major?
- Associate degree - check the general catalog for specific course requirements.
- Transfer - transfer major sheets are available in the Transfer Center.
- For transfer to a UC or CSU campus please refer to www.assist.org
- Schedule an appointment to meet with a counselor.
What is the difference between major requirements and general education?
- Major requirements - specific courses required in your field of study
- General education- coursework required in a variety of disciplines that must be completed in order to fulfill graduation requirements.
How do I get help choosing a major?
- Visit the Career Center where you can take career assessments and meet with a Career Counselor. There are resources, workshops, and courses such as Personal Development 1 available to help you explore majors and careers.

AA/AS Degree

What is an Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree?
Associate in Arts degree is granted by a community college which recognizes a student’s satisfactory completion of an organized program of study consisting of a minimum of 60-degree applicable semester units

What is the difference between an AA and an AS degree?
Whether the degree is an AA or AS is predetermined by the major. To find out if your intended degree is an AA or AS please refer to the college catalog

Do I have to get an AA/AS degree to transfer?
No, universities do not require an associate degree to transfer.

When and how do I apply for my AA or AS Degree?
Apply during the semester when you think you are completing your final AA/AS requirements. Schedule an appointment with a counselor for graduation evaluation and if you meet the requirements a graduation petition will be completed.
Check "Grad Petition" filing dates in the current Schedule of Classes calendar section.

Grades

What is Progress Probation?
When a student is enrolled in 12 units or more and receives a "W", "I", or "NC" for more than 50% of the courses attempted.

What is Academic Probation?
When your cumulative grade point average is below 2.0.

How do D's, F's, W's and NCR affect my academic record?

D's and F's affect your grade point average.
W's and NCR's are not computed in the grade point average.

Can I repeat a course?

A course in which you received a "D" or "F" can be repeated three times without permission.
If you do not pass the course the third time around you will need to petition by completing the "Repeat with Special Circumstances" form for approval by Admissions.

What is an academic renewal?
Academic Renewal is a forgiveness policy that allows students to remove courses in which a grade of "D" or "F" was received from the grade point average calculation. In order to qualify for Academic Renewal two conditions must be met:

At least two calendar years must have elapsed from the time the coursework was completed.
The student must have achieved a grade point average of 2.5 in their last 15 semester units or 2.0 in their last 30 semester units at an accredited college or university.

Counseling assists students who have previously indicated ‘Undecided’ for their major to return for follow-up services to select or identify a major of their choice.
Counseling educates students on how to select the appropriate courses for their major and educational goal(s).
Counseling strives to guide students to become confident and assertive in managing their academic and personal needs to increase their productivity and attainments to further their success in reaching their goals.