Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Associate in Arts Degree


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Associate in Arts Degree (A.A.) - Transfer

SCF offers one Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree. A total of 36 credits is required in the general education area and a minimum of 24 credits is required in the elective area.

Associate in Arts [1058] This curriculum classification is for students who, upon graduation from SCF, transfer to a public or private college/university to earn a bachelor’s degree in a specific area of study. Many areas of study are available at Florida public and selected private colleges/universities for which students may prepare while completing the A.A. degree at SCF. Academic advisors are available to assist with program planning so that the proper academic program prerequisites are taken before successful transfer to the university/college from SCF.

Undecided [1052] This curriculum classification is for students who are undecided about their career and/or university/college major. Advisors will ensure that students are provided a broad academic background and the opportunity to focus on a wide array of academic and/or career goals.

Programs Paralleling State University Lower Division 

SCF offers areas of study leading to the A.A. degree. Usually referred to as the university parallel or transfer degree, it is designed for students who plan to complete the equivalent of their first two years of college work at SCF and then transfer to a senior institution to pursue a bachelor’s degree. 

The bachelor’s degree, offered by four-year colleges (including SCF) and universities, is defined by a total minimum of 120 term credits: 60 credits at the lower division plus 60 credits at the upper division. At the lower division, students enroll in general education courses and courses to prepare for the major. At the upper division, students declare the major and enroll in specific courses that constitute the major. The A.A. degree is parallel to the first 60 credits of the lower division. 

The A.A. degree includes a minimum of 36 credits of general education requirements in the areas of communications, mathematics, social science, humanities and natural science. An additional 24 credits are required in course work to prepare students for their majors at the upper division of a university or four-year college. Included in the A.A. degree of 60 credits is the requirement that students complete SCF’s international/intercultural requirement and Gordon Rule writing and mathematics requirements. Students who do not complete all the international/intercultural and the Gordon Rule courses within the 60 credits must complete additional courses to fulfill A.A. degree requirements. No substitution of courses can be made without approval of the appropriate administrator(s). 

Students who complete the A.A. degree and are planning to transfer to a state-assisted senior institution have transfer guarantees based on the State Articulation Agreement (SBE Rule 6A-10.024, FAC). General education requirements are considered met when SCF awards the A.A degree, and no further general education courses will be required by state universities. When students include the state prerequisites for university majors within the A.A. degree, they are guaranteed successful transfer within Florida’s State University System, except to majors that have selective admissions or limited access. 

Students attending on a part-time basis will require more than two years to complete the 60 A.A. credits. Developmental (D) credits and courses carrying only Associate in Science (A.S.) credits cannot be applied to the A.A. degree. 

Students who place into one or more developmental courses are strongly encouraged to enroll in SLS 1101 Strategies for College Success  (three credits) before completion of the first 15 degree-term credits. 

For information about SCF bachelor’s degree programs, visit SCF.edu/Bachelors

Helpful Web Links

Florida’s State Universities

  Florida A & M University famu.edu
  Florida Atlantic University fau.edu
  Florida Gulf Coast University fgcu.edu
  Florida International University fiu.edu
  Florida Polytechnical University floridapolytechnic.org
  Florida State University fsu.edu
  New College of Florida ncf.edu
  University of Central Florida ucf.edu
  University of Florida ufl.edu
  University of North Florida unf.edu
  University of South Florida usf.edu
  University of West Florida  uwf.edu

Other Popular Transfer Colleges and Universities

  Argosy University argosy.edu
  Barry University barry.edu
  Charter Oak College cosc.edu
  Eckerd College eckerd.edu
  Everglades University evergladesuniversity.edu
  Goshen College goshen.edu
  Hodges University hodges.edu
  Lynn University lynn.edu
  National Louis University nl.edu
  St. Leo University saintleo.edu
  St. Petersburg College spcollege.edu
  University of Tampa ut.edu

Helpful transfer sites

collegesource.com

college source information

collegeview.com

college search service

flvc.org

guidance assistance tool

mycollegeguide.org

provides college and scholarship search

universities.com

links to more than 7,500 colleges

usnews.com

provides a college search and comparison tool

yahoo.com

links to colleges, departments and student clubs

Prerequisites for State University Majors 

Students working toward an A.A. degree are encouraged to include their university premajor requirements within the A.A. The state universities in Florida offer more than 500 majors. To maximize transferability to a specific university major, students are advised to choose an area of study as early as possible while attending SCF. Students who have not met the universities’ foreign language requirement in high school (two years of the same foreign language) should include eight credits of foreign language within the A.A. degree. 

Students need to take responsibility for determining the core prerequisites of the institution to which they plan to transfer as some university requirements may vary. 

Students who are undecided about the area of study are urged to work closely with student development advisors and the CRC. Many careers require degrees in specific majors, and setting career goals can clarify the educational path for many students.

The state’s articulation coordinating council has helped to identify and publish state prerequisites for each major. Common prerequisite listings of university majors are used by student development advisors and students in developing individual program plans. These listings are available from, Florida Virtual Campus, flvcc.org. 

In addition to the articulation agreement between Florida community and state colleges and state universities, SCF has developed transfer agreements with private colleges and universities to assist SCF graduates with smooth, seamless transfers to the upper divisions of these institutions. Students are urged to work with SCF student development advisors to identify and select appropriate transfer colleges. 

As SCF is a regionally accredited institution, SCF credits transfer successfully to other accredited colleges. However, students considering transfer to private institutions or to out-of-state institutions that do not have agreements with SCF should be aware that requirements vary at private colleges and out-of-state universities. Students should contact the transferring institution for guidance in selecting courses that will provide the needed preparation for the chosen majors. 

Below are programs that identify the state university majors for which students may prepare while completing the A.A. degree. The information is used by student development advisors and students in program planning so that the proper university prerequisites are completed before transferring. Advising assistance is available at SCF and online through Florida Virtual Campus, but students are responsible for determining not only the common prerequisites for a university major but also any additional university-specific requirements and deadlines.

 

Accounting

Advertising

African-American Studies

Anthropology

Art - General

Art History and Appreciation

Art - Studio/Fine Art

Astronomy/Atmosphere Science/Meteorology

Biology/Ecology/Clinical Chemistry/Biomedical Science/Pre-medical Studies

Marine Biology/Plant Pathology

Business Administration and Management/Business/Business Managerial Economics/Finance/Hospitality Management

Chemistry

Chemistry Science

Civil Technology

Community Health

Computer and Information Engineering

Computer and Information Science

Criminal Justice Studies

Dietetics/Nutritional Services

Dramatic Arts (Theatre)

Economics - Business

 

EDUCATION MAJOR REQUIRED COURSES

(It is strongly advised that all education majors see an SCF academic advisor for appropriate course selection.)

Education -Art

Education - Biology - Secondary

Education - Chemistry - Secondary

Education - Drama

Education - Earth/Space - Secondary

Education - English

Education - Foreign Language

Education - Health

Education - Home Economics Teacher

Education - Mathematics - Secondary

Education - Music

Education - Physical Education/Teacher/Coaching

Education - Physics - Secondary

Education - Science - Middle School

Education - Social Sciences

Education - Special/Elementary/Pre-Elementary/Early Childhood

Education -Trade and Industrial - Vocational Industrial/Occupational Specialist Training/Technical Education

Electrical/Electronics Engineering

Engineering

English - General/Literature

Forensic Science

French

Geography

German

Health Administration

Health Information Management

Health Professions Administration

History

Human Services

Humanities

Independent Studies

Information Sciences and Systems

Journalism

Liberal Arts and Sciences

Magazine Production

Mass Communications

Mathematics/Statistics

Microbiology

Motion Picture & TV/Recording Art/TV Technology

Music General/Performance/Composition/

Theory/Jazz Studies/History and Appreciation

Nutrition and Dietetics

Paralegal/Legal Assisting

Pharmacy

Philosophy

Philosophy and Religion

Photography

Physics

Political Science and Government

Psychology - General

Public Administration

Radio and TV Broadcasting

Radiologic Technology

Rehabilitative Services

Religious Studies

Rhetorical Speech and Communication

Social Sciences - General

Social Work - General

Spanish 

Associate in Arts Degree Requirements Summary

  1. Satisfactory completion, with a grade of C or better, on all requirements for the A.A. degree.
  2. Satisfactory completion of at least six term credits of International/Intercultural education
  3. Satisfactory completion of all courses necessary to meet the requirement of the Gordon Rule (SBE Rule 6A-10.030)
  4. Satisfactory completion of at least 60 A.A. term credits of academic work exclusive of developmental courses and courses applicable only to an Associate in Science (A.S.) degree
  5. Associate of Arts Foreign Language Requirement: Pursuant to s. 1007.25, F.S., and Rule 6A-10.02412, students who first enroll in the fall 2014 term or later must demonstrate foreign language competency as specified in s. 1007.262, F.S. All modern and classical languages can be used to demonstrate competency as well as American Sign Language (ASL). This includes, but is not limited to, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Languages not in this list may be considered and approved by the chair of the Language and Literature department. Students may meet this requirement by demonstrating competency via five options: 1) successful completion of two years (four semesters) of the same foreign language officially documented on a high school transcript; or 2) successful completion (grade C or better) of two semesters of the same foreign language at a college or university officially documented on a college/university transcript; or 3) one year of high school foreign language plus one semester of the next level of the same foreign language on the college/university level as documented on official high school and college/university transcript; or 4) education completed outside the United States as documented on an official foreign high school transcript that reflects a primary language other than English; or 5) successful completion of two foreign language equivalents through Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), UEXCEL exam, or the Language Testing International (LTI) exam. One or more of these exams can be in combination with successful completion of college/university credit in the same foreign language subject area. Official transcripts from a high school, college and/or university and/or official examination results must be submitted to the Educational Records office.

 Associate in Arts Degree General Education Requirements

General education is the curricular component common to all degree programs. The purpose of the general education requirements is to develop and integrate the student’s knowledge, skills, attitudes and experiences so that the student can engage effectively in a lifelong process of inquiry and decision-making. The knowledge and academic experience gained from general education courses are designed to prepare students with the 21st century skills necessary to be productive, involved and contributing citizens. The following are the specific areas addressed by the general education core: 

  1. Communication Skills: Students demonstrate reading comprehension, effective oral and written communication and interpersonal skills, including teamwork.
  2. Quantitative and Scientific Reasoning Skills: Students apply mathematical and scientific methods of reasoning to analyze and interpret data and use the results logically to solve real world problems.
  3. Community Skills: Students demonstrate an understanding of important political, social, economic and environmental issues and the interconnected nature of modern international societies and peoples. Students identify and describe the civic rights, responsibilities and values of a diverse society.
  4. Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: Students apply higher order critical thinking and problem solving skills across the curriculum.
  5. Information Literacy Skills: Students access, evaluate and use information sources in an ethical manner for research and problem solving, and demonstrate the ability to retrieve and manage information using digital technology.
  6. Cultural Literacy Skills: Students exhibit an understanding of cultural and aesthetic expressions such as literature, music, theatre, and the visual arts in historical and contemporary contexts.

Area I - Communications: 9 Hours


Students must complete all three (3) courses (9 credit hours) listed below.

Area II - Mathematics: 6-9 Hours


Students must take one course from category A and at least one course from categories A or B.

Area III - Social Sciences: 6-9 Hours


Students must take one course from category A and at least one course from categories A or B.

Area IV - Humanities: 6-9 Hours


Students must take one course from category A and at least one course from categories A or B.

B.


Area V - Natural Science: 6-9 Hours


Students must take one course from category A and at least one course from categories A or B. At least one science course with a lab (C) is recommended.

International/Intercultural Courses


Students are required to complete six hours of courses from the following list. These courses may be used to fulfill general education and/or Gordon Rule requirements where appropriate and as noted.

Note(s):


III and IV Courses fulfill general education requirements for the A.A. degree in areas III or IV.

G Courses partially fulfill the Gordon Rule writing requirement of at least 6,000 words each.

* ENC 1101  with a grade of “C” or better is a prerequisite.

** ENC 1102  with a grade of “C” or better is a prerequisite or a corequisite.

Gordon Rule


State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota Requirements To Meet Florida SBE Rule 6A-10.030


This rule applies to all students prior to receipt of an Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree from a public community college or university or prior to entry into upper division of a public university. For the purpose of this rule, a grade of “C” or better shall be considered successful completion. All students entering State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota under this Catalog are required to meet the Gordon Rule requirements.

In accordance with Florida Department of Education Administrative Rule Number 6A-10.030, all students are mandated to complete satisfactorily 12 semester hours of courses that include written assignments demonstrating college-level writing skills. Each of the following courses is designed to meet this requirement and requires a prerequisite of ENC 1101 :

Note(s):


I, III, IV Courses fulfill general education requirements for the A.A. degree in areas I, III or IV.

* ENC 1101  with a grade of “C” or better is a prerequisite.

** ENC 1102  with a grade of “C” or better is a prerequisite, or a corequisite.

+ Courses fulfill the international/intercultural requirement.

Exceptions to Gordon Rule Writing:


  1. Any student who completes the first six hours of English coursework required by this rule with an “A” (grade point average of 4.0) may waive completion of the remaining six hours until after entry into the university.
  2. Completion of an Advanced Placement English course, with a score of three on the AP exam, will meet the ENC 1101 portion of this requirement, and a score of four or better will meet both the ENC 1101 and ENC 1102 portion of this requirement.
  3. Students may be exempt if they enrolled prior to January 1983 and have maintained continuous enrollment.
  4. Students who have credit for ENC 1101 and /or ENC 1102 based on CAMBRIDGE AICE scores or IB credits would meet exception.

 

In accordance with Florida State Department of Education Administrative Rule Number 6A-10.030, all students enrolling in any college for the first time on or after Jan. 1, 1983, are mandated to complete satisfactorily a minimum of six semester hours of mathematics from any of the following courses:

Exceptions to Gordon Rule Mathematics:


Any student who has satisfied College Level Examination Program requirements in mathematics and whose high school transcript shows successful completion of higher mathematics course work, including college algebra, trigonometry and calculus, shall be exempted from the mathematics requirements of this rule.

Completion of an AP calculus course with a score of “3” or better on the AP exam will meet this requirement.

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