Aug 21, 2025

2025-2026 Catalog

Associate in Arts Degree

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

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.

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:

Area of Communication:

Communication Skills: Students demonstrate reading comprehension, effective oral and written communication and interpersonal skills, including teamwork.
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.

Area of Humanities:

Cultural Literacy Skills: Students exhibit an understanding of cultural and aesthetic expressions through humanities, literature, the arts and/or philosophical world views in historical and contemporary contexts.
Community Skills: Students discuss important issues and the interconnected nature of diverse and or international people/societies.

Area of Mathematics:

Quantitative Reasoning Skills: Students apply mathematical reasoning to analyze mathematical models and use the results to solve real world problems.
Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: Students apply critical thinking and problem solving skills across the curriculum.

Area of Natural Sciences:

Scientific Reasoning Skills: Students apply scientific methods of reasoning to analyze and interpret data and use the results to solve real world problems.
Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: Students apply critical thinking and problem solving skills across the curriculum.

Area of Social Sciences:

Social Sciences Skills: Students will demonstrate the ability to examine behavioral, social and cultural issues from a variety of points of view.
Social Sciences Skills: Students will demonstrate an understanding of basic social and behavioral science concepts and principles used in the analysis of behavioral, social and cultural issues, past and present, local and global.

Postsecondary Civic Literacy

6A-10.02413 Civic Literacy Competency.

(1) Purpose. The purpose of this rule is to set forth requirements for demonstration of civic literacy competency in accordance with Section 1007.25(5), F.S.

(2) Prior to the award of an associate in arts or baccalaureate degree, first-time-in-college students entering a Florida College System institution in the Fall Term 2018 through the 2020-21 academic year must demonstrate competency in civic literacy by completing an approved course or assessment listed in either paragraph (5)(a) or (5)(b) prior to graduation:

(3) Prior to the award of an associate in arts or baccalaureate degree, students initially entering a Florida College System institution in the Fall Term 2021, and thereafter, must demonstrate competency in civic literacy by completing an approved course and assessment listed in paragraphs (5)(a) and (5)(b) prior to graduation.

(4) Prior to the award of a specialized associate in arts transfer degree, associate in science, or associate in applied science degree, students initially entering a Florida College System institution in the Fall Term 2022, and thereafter, must demonstrate competency in civic literacy by completing an approved course and assessment listed in paragraphs (5)(a) and (5)(b) prior to graduation.

(5) Approved civic literacy courses and assessments.

(a) Successful completion of either POS 1041 American Government or AMH 1020 Introductory Survey Since 1877 or beginning with the Fall Term 2024, and thereafter, successful completion of AMH 1010 Introductory Survey to 1877. Each of the courses must include the following competencies:

1. Understanding of the basic principles and practices of American democracy and how they are applied in our republican form of government;

2. An understanding of the United States Constitution and its application;

3. Knowledge of the founding documents and how they have shaped the nature and functions of our institutions of self-government; and

4. An understanding of landmark Supreme Court cases, landmark legislation and landmark executive actions and their impact on law and society.

(b) Achieving the standard score on one of the following assessments:

Assessment	Standard Score
AP Government and Politics: United States	3
AP United States History	4
CLEP: American Government	50
CLEP: History of the United States I	50
Florida Civic Literacy Examination	60%

(6) Beginning with the Fall Term 2021, and thereafter, Florida College System institutions must ensure they provide opportunities for students to engage synchronously in political discussions and civil debates with multiple points of view and to master the ability to synthesize information that informs civic decision making.

(7) Beginning with the Fall Term 2021, and thereafter, credit received by examination under subsection 6A-10.024(8), F.A.C., for courses listed in paragraph (5)(a) will count toward meeting the course requirement.

(8) Beginning with the Fall Term 2021, and thereafter, students who earned a passing score on the Florida Civic Literacy Examination while in high school are exempt from the postsecondary civic literacy assessment requirement.

(9) Any transfer student who enters a Florida College System institution and has not met the civic literacy competency requirement must meet the requirement based on the date the student initially transfers to the Florida College System institution. A student who previously completed the civic literacy competency requirement at a Florida College System institution or State University System institution is considered to have met the civic literacy competency requirement.

Area I - Communications: 9 Hours

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

ENC 1101 - Written Communication I (3 Credit Hours)
ENC 1102 - Written Communication II (3 Credit Hours)
SPC 1608 - Fundamentals of Speech Communication (3 Credit Hours)

Area II - Mathematics: 6-9 Hours

Students must take one course from category A and at least one course from categories A or B. Any student who successfully completes a mathematics course for which one (1) of the general education core course Category A options in mathematics is an immediate prerequisite shall be considered to have completed the mathematics Category A core.

A.

MAC 1105 - College Algebra (3 Credit Hours)
MAC 2311 - Calculus with Analytic Geometry I (4 Credit Hours)
MGF 1130 - Mathematical Thinking (3) (Credit Hours)
STA 2023 - Elementary Statistics (3 Credit Hours)

B.

MAC 1114 - Trigonometry (3 Credit Hours)
MAC 1140 - Precalculus Algebra (3 Credit Hours)
MAC 2233 - Applied Calculus (3 Credit Hours)
MAC 2312 - Calculus with Analytic Geometry II (4 Credit Hours)
MAC 2313 - Calculus with Analytic Geometry III (4 Credit Hours)
MAD 2104 - Discrete Mathematics (3 Credit Hours)
MAP 2302 - Differential Equations (3 Credit Hours)
MAS 2103 - Linear Algebra (3 Credit Hours)
MGF 1131 - Mathematics in Context (3) (Credit Hours)

Area III - Social Sciences: 6 Hours

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

A.

AMH 1010 - U.S. History to 1877 (3 Credit Hours)
AMH 1020 - U.S. History Since 1877 (3 Credit Hours)
ANT 2000 - Introduction to Anthropology (3 Credit Hours)
ECO 2013 - Principles of Macroeconomics (3 Credit Hours)
POS 1041 - American Government (3 Credit Hours)
PSY 2012 - General Psychology (3 Credit Hours)

B.

CPO 2002 - Comparative Government (3 Credit Hours)
EUH 1000 - Western Civilization to 1600 (3 Credit Hours)
EUH 1001 - Western Civilization from 1600 to Present (3 Credit Hours)
EUH 1952 - Study Abroad in Europe (3 Credit Hours)
INR 2002 - International Relations (3 Credit Hours)

Area IV - Humanities: 6 Hours

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

A.

ARH 2000 - Art Appreciation (3 Credit Hours)
HUM 1020 - Introduction to the Humanities (3 Credit Hours)
LIT 2000 - Introduction to Literature (3 Credit Hours)
MUL 2010 - Music Appreciation (3 Credit Hours)
PHI 2010 - Introduction to Philosophical Reasoning (3 Credit Hours)
THE 2000 - Theatre Appreciation (3 Credit Hours)

B.

AML 2010 - American Literature I (3 Credit Hours)
AML 2020 - American Literature II (3 Credit Hours)
ARH 2050 - Art History: Prehistory through Medieval (3 Credit Hours)
ARH 2051 - Art History: Renaissance through Present (3 Credit Hours)
ARH 2500 - Non Western Art History (3 Credit Hours)
ENL 2012 - British Literature to 1790 (3 Credit Hours)
ENL 2022 - British Literature after 1790 (3 Credit Hours)
FIL 1030 - History of Motion Pictures (3 Credit Hours)
HUM 2210 - Humanities: The Ancient World (3 Credit Hours)
HUM 2230 - Humanities II: The Medieval, Renaissance, and Early Modern Periods (3 Credit Hours)
HUM 2234 - Humanities: Enlightenment Through Romanticism (3 Credit Hours)
HUM 2250 - Humanities: The Modern World (3 Credit Hours)
LIT 2012 - The Novel (3 Credit Hours)
LIT 2020 - The Short Story (3 Credit Hours)
LIT 2030 - Introduction to Poetry (3 Credit Hours)
LIT 2090 - Contemporary Literature (3 Credit Hours)
LIT 2110 - World Literature I (3 Credit Hours)
LIT 2120 - World Literature II (3 Credit Hours)
MUH 2110 - Introduction to Music History and Literature (3 Credit Hours)
PHI 2600 - Applied Ethics (3 Credit Hours)
PHI 2620 - Environmental Ethics (3 Credit Hours)
PHI 2801 - Philosophy of Art and Beauty (3 Credit Hours)
REL 2121 - Religion in America (3 Credit Hours)
REL 2210 - Introduction to the Academic Study of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (3 Credit Hours)
REL 2240 - Introduction to the New Testament (3 Credit Hours)
REL 2300 - Introduction to World Religions (3 Credit Hours)

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.

A.

AST 1002 - Descriptive Astronomy (3 Credit Hours)
BSC 1005C - Diversity of Life (3 Credit Hours)
BSC 2010 - Fundamentals of Biology I (3 Credit Hours)
BSC 2085 - Anatomy and Physiology I (3 Credit Hours)
CHM 1020C - The Chemistry of Everyday Life (3 Credit Hours)
CHM 2045 - General Chemistry I (3 Credit Hours)
ESC 1000C - Earth and Space Science (3 Credit Hours)
EVR 1001 - Introduction to Environmental Science (3 Credit Hours)
OCE 1001 - Introduction to Oceanography (3 Credit Hours)
PHY 1020C - Fundamentals of Physics (3 Credit Hours)
PHY 2048 - General Physics I with Calculus (3 Credit Hours)
PHY 2053 - General Physics I (3 Credit Hours)

B.

BSC 1007 - Introduction to Biology (3 Credit Hours)
BSC 1020 - Human Body (3 Credit Hours)
BSC 2011 - Fundamentals of Biology II (3 Credit Hours)
BSC 2086 - Anatomy and Physiology II (3 Credit Hours)
CHM 1025 - Introductory Chemistry (3 Credit Hours)
CHM 1032C - Chemistry for Health Professionals (4 Credit Hours)
CHM 2046 - General Chemistry II (3 Credit Hours)
CHM 2210 - Organic Chemistry I (3 Credit Hours)
CHM 2211 - Organic Chemistry II (3 Credit Hours)
MCB 2010 - Microbiology (3 Credit Hours)
OCB 1000C - Introduction to Marine Biology (3 Credit Hours)
PHY 2049 - General Physics II with Calculus (3 Credit Hours)
PHY 2054 - General Physics II (3 Credit Hours)

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 :

IV ** + AML 2010 - American Literature I (3 Credit Hours)
IV ** + AML 2020 - American Literature II (3 Credit Hours)
IV ** + AML 2600 - African-American Literature (3 Credit Hours)
III * + ANT 2000 - Introduction to Anthropology (3 Credit Hours)
IV * + ARH 2050 - Art History: Prehistory through Medieval (3 Credit Hours)
IV * + ARH 2051 - Art History: Renaissance through Present (3 Credit Hours)
ARH 2500 - Non Western Art History (3 Credit Hours)
** CRW 2001 - Creative Writing I (3 Credit Hours)
** CRW 2002 - Creative Writing II (3 Credit Hours)
IV ** CRW 2003 - Advanced Creative Writing Workshop (3 Credit Hours)
** CRW 2200 - Magazine Writing (3 Credit Hours)
** CRW 2201 - Introduction to Creative Non-Fiction (3 Credit Hours)
ENC 1101 - Written Communication I (3 Credit Hours)
I * ENC 1102 - Written Communication II (3 Credit Hours)
ENC 1136 - Multimodal Writing and Digital Literacy (3 Credit Hours)
* ENC 2210 - Technical Communication (3 Credit Hours)
IV ** ENL 2012 - British Literature to 1790 (3 Credit Hours)
IV ** ENL 2022 - British Literature after 1790 (3 Credit Hours)
III * EUH 2032 - History of World War II and the Holocaust (3 Credit Hours)
* FIL 1007 - Film Analysis and Critique (3 Credit Hours)
* FIL 2100 - Screenwriting I (3 Credit Hours)
FIL 2133 - Screenwriting II (3) (Credit Hours)
IV * + HUM 2210 - Humanities: The Ancient World (3 Credit Hours)
IV * + HUM 2234 - Humanities: Enlightenment Through Romanticism (3 Credit Hours)
IV * + HUM 2250 - Humanities: The Modern World (3 Credit Hours)
III * + INR 2002 - International Relations (3 Credit Hours)
+ INR 2500 - Model United Nations (3 Credit Hours)
* JOU 1100 - Basic Reporting (3 Credit Hours)
IV ** + LIT 2000 - Introduction to Literature (3 Credit Hours)
IV ** + LIT 2012 - The Novel (3 Credit Hours)
IV ** + LIT 2020 - The Short Story (3 Credit Hours)
IV ** + LIT 2030 - Introduction to Poetry (3 Credit Hours)
IV ** + LIT 2090 - Contemporary Literature (3 Credit Hours)
IV ** + LIT 2110 - World Literature I (3 Credit Hours)
IV ** + LIT 2120 - World Literature II (3 Credit Hours)
IV ** + LIT 2310 - Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction (3 Credit Hours)
IV** LIT 2330 - Introduction to Children’s Literature (3 Credit Hours)
IV ** + LIT 2380 - Women in Literature (3 Credit Hours)
* MMC 2100 - Writing for Mass Communications (3 Credit Hours)
IV * + MUH 2050 - Folk/Traditional Music of World Cultures (3 Credit Hours)
IV * + MUH 2110 - Introduction to Music History and Literature (3 Credit Hours)
* MUL 2380 - Popular & Jazz Music in America (3 Credit Hours)
PGY 2000 - History of Photography (3 Credit Hours)
IV* PGY 2101C - Visual Literacy: Photography (3 Credit Hours)
IV* PHI 2070 - Introduction to Eastern Philosophy (3 Credit Hours)
IV * PHI 2801 - Philosophy of Art and Beauty (3 Credit Hours)
* PLA 1104 - Legal Research and Writing I (4 Credit Hours)
* PLA 2114 - Legal Research and Writing II (3 Credit Hours)
IV * + REL 2121 - Religion in America (3 Credit Hours)
THE 2000 - Theatre Appreciation (3 Credit Hours)
IV* THE 2020 - Theatre Fundamentals (3 Credit Hours)

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.

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.

Associate in Arts Degree Requirements Summary

Satisfactory completion, with a grade of C or better, on English and Mathematics General Education courses and an overall GPA of 2.00.

Satisfactory completion of all courses necessary to meet the requirement of the Gordon Rule with a grade of “C” or higher (SBE Rule 6A-10.030).

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.

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.

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 Gordon Rule writing and mathematics requirements. Students who do not complete all 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 before completion of the first 15 degree-term credits.

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

Prerequisites for State University Majors

Students working toward an A.A. degree are encouraged to include their university pre-major 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.