Associate of Arts Degree

The Associate of Arts (AA) Degree is awarded to students who wish to complete the first two years of general college work prior to transferring to a four-year college or university, or for students desiring two years of general education beyond high school.

The College has Associate of Arts curricula in the following 2 programs:

• Liberal Arts Program (LA)
• Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Disciplines (STEM)

Entrance Requirements – To enter the Associate of Arts or the Associate of Technical Studies program, a student must meet the following requirements:

1. Be a high school or adult high school graduate with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5; OR possess a GED diploma with a minimum score of 450 on all five sections, OR
2. currently enrolled student with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2..
3. Have a TOEFL score of 500 or higher.

Exit Requirements – To be granted the Associate of Technical Studies degree, steps 2 – 5 under the AA degree must be fulfilled.

To be granted the Associate of Arts degree, the following must be fulfilled:

1. Satisfactory completion of the required number of credits including:
   • English -9 credits minimum from the following:
   • Liberal Arts Program – 9 credits minimum from EN 114 and above (except EN 157, 200 & 202).
     STEM Program – 6 credits from EN  112 and 114.
   • Communication – 9 credits minimum from CO 110 or above (3 credits must be from CO 259 for Liberal Arts majors)
   • Quantitative  – minimum credits from the following courses:
   • Liberal Arts Program – 9 credits minimum from MA 110 and above except MA157 and 211
     STEM Program – 17 credits from MA105, 111, 112, 121, and 221.
   • Natural Science – minimum from the following courses:
   •   Liberal Arts Program – 8 credits minimum from any of the following: AG 111, SC 103, 109, 110, 119, 120, 159A, 159B, 160, 161, 170, 201, 205, 206, 209, 239, 249 & 270.
     STEM Program – 20 credits from SC 119, 160, 161, 205, 206.
   • Humanities – minimum from the following courses:
   • Liberal Arts Program – 9 credits minimum from PW 101, 219; PH 169, 249; HI 159, 169, 179, 189, 209, 259; EN 189, 219, VA 109; MU 100, 102, 106; RE 169; CH 109; JP 109, 119, 209, 219 (3 credits maximum from JP, PW or CH)
     STEM Program – 3 credits from PH 249.
   • Social Science-minimum from the following:
   • Liberal Arts Program – 10 credits; 1 credit from SS 100 and 9 credits minimum from any of the following: SS 109, 119, 129, 149, 169, 179, 189, 203, 209, 229, 259.
     STEM Program – 1 credit from SS 100 and 3 credits from SS 109, 119, 129, 149, 169, 179, 189, 203, 209, 229, 259.
   • Computer Technology – minimum from the following:
   • Liberal Arts Program – 6 credits minimum from CS 100 and IT 105 or above.
     STEM Program – 12 credits from CS 100, IT 105, 110, 125.
   • Health and Physical Education – 2 credits minimum from any of the following: HP 180, 181 & 185.
   • Electives – for Liberal Arts Program only, 3 credits minimum from any letter-graded course numbered 100 or above not taken to fulfill requirements
2. Have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 (For ATS, a grade of C or better in each specialty course is also required)
3. Residency: Final 12 credits must be taken on PCC campus
4. File an application for graduation. Refer to the “Application for Graduation” section of the catalog for complete details
5. Fulfill all financial obligations to the College

Note:
1. Credits earned from courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward the AA or ATS degree and not transferable to four-year colleges/universities. Courses taken on a CR/NC grading option are generally not transferable.

2. Students who are planning to transfer to four-year colleges/universities are advised to take more than the minimum requirements, and should consult with their academic advisors regarding transferable electives.
3. The residency requirement may be waived for cause at the option of the Vice President of Education and Training.