Looking to earn some easy college credits without dealing with annoying touchstone requirements?

Sophia has got you covered with a wide range of self-paced online courses that let you learn at your chill and bypass those pesky “touchstone” assignments.

In this guide, we’ll break down the list of Sophia courses with no touchstones, so you can identify the smooth-sailing options to help knock out gen-ed requirements or prerequisites quickly.

Let’s get into it!

Here is a table that shows 

  1. Sophia courses with touchstones
  2. Sophia courses without touchstones 

Course Category Course Name Touchstone
Humanities Ancient Greek Philosophers Yes
  Approaches to Studying Religions Yes
  Critical Thinking Yes
  Art History 1 No
  Art History 2 No
  Introduction to Ethics No
Computer Science and IT Introduction to Java Programming Yes
  Introduction to Networking Yes
  Introduction to Python Programming Yes
  Introduction to Information Technology No
  Introduction to Web Development No
  Introduction to Relational Databases No
Language French I Yes
  Spanish I Yes
  Spanish II Yes
Science Anatomy and Physiology I Lab Yes
  Anatomy and Physiology II Yes
  Human Biology Lab Yes
  Introduction to Chemistry Lab Yes
  Microbiology Lab Yes
  Anatomy and Physiology I No
  Anatomy and Physiology II No
  Environmental Science No
  Health, Fitness, and Wellness No
  Human Biology No
  Introduction to Nutrition No
  Introduction to Chemistry No
  Microbiology No
English and Communications English Composition I Yes
  English Composition II Yes
  Foundations of English Composition Yes
  Public Speaking Yes
  Workplace Communication Yes
  Visual Communications No
Math Calculus l No
  College Algebra No
  Introduction to Statistics No
  Foundations of Statistics No
  Introduction to College Mathematics No
  Precalculus No
Career Success Career Readiness Yes
  College Readiness Yes
  Introduction to Career Readiness Yes
  IT Career Exploration Yes
  Workplace Writing I Yes
  Workplace Writing II Yes
  Conflict Resolution No
  Developing Effective Teams No
  The Essentials of Managing Conflict No
Social Science Introduction to Psychology Yes
  Introduction to Sociology: Embracing Diversity and Collaboration Yes
  Topics in U.S. History: Learn from the Past, Prepare for the Future Yes
  U.S. Government Yes
  U.S. History I Yes
  U.S. History II Yes
  Lifespan Development No
  Macroeconomics No
  Microeconomics No
Business Business Communication Yes
  Business Ethics Yes
  Business Law Yes
  Personal Finance Yes
  Principles of Management Yes
  Introduction to Business No
  Financial Accounting No
  Managerial Accounting No
  Principles of Finance No
  Project Management No
Table showing Sophia courses with and without touchstones

 

Which Sophia Courses Do Not Have Touchstones?

First up, let’s look at the courses with no touchstone hurdles:

  •  Art History 1 & 2
  •  Introduction to Ethics
  • Intro to Information Technology
  • Intro to Web Development
  • Intro to Relational Databases
  • Visual Communications
  • Environmental Science
  • Health, Fitness & Wellness 
  • Intro to Nutrition
  • Calculus I
  • College Algebra
  • Intro to Statistics
  • Foundations of Statistics
  • Intro to College Math
  • Precalculus
  • Lifespan Development
  • Macroeconomics
  • Microeconomics
  • Intro to Business
  • Financial Accounting
  • Managerial Accounting
  • Principles of Finance
  • Project Management
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Developing Effective Teams
  • The Essentials of Managing Conflict

Sophia Courses With Touchstones: The Other Side

Of course, not all Sophia courses are created equal when it comes to skipping touchstones.

Lots of their popular offerings do still require these additional assignments and applications.

You’ll face touchstones for courses like:

  • Ancient Greek Philosophers
  • Approaches to Studying Religions
  • Critical Thinking
  • Intro to Java Programming
  • Intro to Networking
  • Intro to Python Programming
  • French I
  • Spanish I & II
  • Anatomy & Physiology I & II Labs
  • Human Biology Lab
  • Intro to Chemistry Lab
  • Microbiology Lab
  • English Comp I & II
  • Foundations of English Comp
  • Public Speaking
  • Workplace Communication
  •  Career Readiness
  • College Readiness
  • Intro to Career Readiness
  • IT Career Exploration
  • Workplace Writing I & II
  • Intro to Psychology
  • Intro to Sociology
  • Topics in U.S. History
  • U.S. Government
  • U.S. History I & II
  • Business Communication
  • Business Ethics
  • Business Law
  • Personal Finance
  • Principles of Management

Level Up Without the Hassle

So there you have it – the full rundown of which Sophia courses let you steer clear of touchstones and which ones you’ll need to go the extra mile for.

For anyone looking to rack up credits quickly and efficiently, focusing on those no-touchstone courses can be a real game-changer.

You’ll still learn all the crucial concepts but without getting bogged down in excessive assignments and applications.

Of course, at the end of the day, it comes down to your personal priorities and learning style. Some students actually prefer having touchstones to reinforce the material and give them more practice.

Others view them as just an unnecessary time-suck.

Whichever path you choose, knowing exactly which Sophia classes keep things breezy with no touchstones required can go a long way in strategizing the most painless path to your degree goals.

Less busywork equals more chances to level up with minimum hassle!