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The Science Department offers a variety of ways to interest students and guide them on their way to graduation. Graduation requirements include twenty (20) credits or two (2) full years of science, one year in a physical science and one year in a life science. This requirement is typically satisfied by taking one (1) year of Earth Science as a freshman and one year of Life Science as a sophomore. Many of our students will take Earth Science followed by General Biology as a sophomore and other science classes as a junior or senior.

Many of our very best students who are college bound will take four (4) or more years of science in order to be competitive for admission into the University of California and other universities. They will typically take:

Freshmen........ General Biology

Sophomores.... Chemistry

Juniors............ Physics or Advanced Placement Science or Anatomy & Physiology

Seniors ........... Physics or Advanced Placement Science or Anatomy & Physiology

Other very successful students will take a less rigorous program and will still be accepted at many colleges and universities.

General Biology, Chemistry, and Physics are college prep lab sciences. The UC admission boards minimally require that entering college freshmen have completed two (2) lab sciences, one (1) life and one (1) physical. They recommend that students take all three courses (Biology, Chemistry, and Physics) or a combination of two (2) of the three (3) with one (1) Advanced Placement science. Many successful college entrants will also take General Biology, Chemistry, and Anatomy & Physiology while still in high school. Many of our students will take General Biology and Chemistry followed by one semester of Marine Biology and one semester of Topics in Zoology and Botany.

We offer a unique course called Field Science that meets two (2) hours each day for one (1) year. The students are transported by bus to Simpson Park and back to Hemet High School. There they learn about soil types, watersheds, animal habitats, and many other things. It is a perfect out-door experience and place to learn about ecology and environmental concerns. The students earn twenty (20) credits each year; ten (10) in life science and ten (10) in physical science.

Educational Testing Services (the organization which owns the Advanced Placement Program) is in the process of modifying the curriculum of all Advanced Placement Science classes. The process should take about three (3) years. Next year, the emphasis will be on improving the lab program. We will comply by having at least one (1) two-period block of time per week. We will need to offer AP Chemistry and AP Biology on alternating years.

Students may also receive science credit toward graduation by taking class from the Agriculture Department. These are listed on the roster of available courses along with regular science offerings.