Associate's Degree: Overview

The College offers an Associate of Arts degree in General Studies. In earning the Associate of Arts Degree, students explore widely in the liberal arts rather than pursuing specialized knowledge in a discipline. These general education requirements also include written and oral communication, critical thinking, research methods, and computer literacy. Students also take electives in subject areas of their choice.

Our Core Courses, identified in the Course Bulletin by the COR prefix, form the heart of general education in the liberal arts. These classes examine crucial questions from the integrated perspective of two or more traditional academic disciplines.

During the first year, students take an interdisciplinary First-Year Seminar as part of the broader Core Curriculum requirement. Recent seminars have included: Peace and Justice: Issues and Individuals; Peak Oil and the Challenges of Creating a New World; and Progress?

Students who start out seeking the A.A. Degree may, after successfully completing the Midpoint Assessment, continue their studies and seek the B.A. Degree.