Associate in Arts (AA) Generic Degree Requirements
The Associate in Arts degree program is intended to meet the needs of students who plan to transfer to a senior institution and pursue a course of study in a liberal arts area. This is a planned university-parallel program designed to meet the requirements of the first two years of a Bachelor of Arts degree. The primary purpose of the Associate in Arts Program is to serve as a curriculum for individuals intending to transfer to a four-year college or university to pursue a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, humanities, law, foreign language, social sciences, and education-related disciplines. Secondarily it serves as a General Studies curriculum for students who are interested in a liberal arts baccalaureate education but have not yet made a firm decision with respect to their baccalaureate major. Area V requirements vary with individual four-year institutions; thus, students must obtain an approved university parallel (STARS) plan from the appropriate academic advisor.
Semester Hour (SH) Distribution Requirements by Academic Area* / SH
Area I: Written Composition / 6
- Must Complete Written Composition I and II (ENG 101 and ENG 102)
Area II: Humanities and Fine Arts / 12
- Must complete 3 semester hours in Literature**
- Must complete 3 semester hours in the Arts
- Must complete 3 semester hours in oral communications (SPH 106 or 107)
- Must complete 3 additional semester hours in humanities
Area III: Natural Sciences & Math / 11
- Must complete 3 semester hours in Math at the Pre-calculus Algebra or Finite Math Level
- Must complete 8 semester hours in the Natural Sciences which must include one laboratory experience
Area IV: History, Social, and Behavioral Sciences / 12
- Must complete 6 semester hours in History**
- Must complete at least 6 semester hours from among other disciplines in the Social and Behavioral Sciences
Area V: Pre-Professional, Pre-Major, and Elective Courses / 19-23
- Must complete additional Associate in Arts Degree courses appropriate to the degree requirements and the intended baccalaureate major of the individual student ***
Semester Credit Hour Total in Areas I-V of the AA Program / 60-64
NOTES
* Requirements in one area do not satisfy or substitute for requirements in another area.
** Students must complete a six semester hour sequence either in literature or history. The sequence in Area II in literature, or Area IV in history, should be determined by the requirements of the student’s intended major and transfer plans.
*** Respective programs of study for bachelor’s degrees at Alabama public universities range from 120 to 128 semester credit hours in length. Dependent upon the total hours allocated for the bachelor’s degree, institutions in The Alabama College System are only authorized to provide only (i.e., transfer) fifty (50) percent of that total (60-64).