Associate in Arts Degree (A.A.) - Transfer
| State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) offers one Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree. A total of 36 general education credits is required 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 Associate in Arts degree at SCF. Academic advisors are available to assist with program planning so that the proper academic program prerequisites are taken prior to 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
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) offers areas of study leading to the Associate in Arts (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 of 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, students 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 Associate in Arts (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) prior to completion of the first 15 degree-term credits.
For information about SCF bachelor’s degree programs, visit scf.edu/Bachelors.
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Prerequisites for State University Majors
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) offers one Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree. A total of 36 general education credits plus a minimum of 24 elective credits is required. This degree is designed for students who, upon graduation from SCF, plan to continue on at SCF or transfer to a public or private college/university to earn a bachelor’s degree in a specific area of study. Students are encouraged to include their university premajor requirements within the A.A. degree. The state universities in Florida currently 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 are transferring 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 career resource center. 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 the state website, Florida Virtual Campus.
In addition to the articulation agreement between Florida community 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
- Satisfactory completion, a grade of “C” or better, on all requirements for the A.A. degree.
- Satisfactory completion of at least six term credits of International/Intercultural education
- Satisfactory completion of all courses necessary to meet the requirement of the Gordon Rule (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 plan to graduate under the 2014-2015 or later SCF catalog 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, the following languages: 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 four 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) education completed outside the United States as documented on an official foreign high school transcript that reflects a primary language other than English; 4) or 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) or UEXCEL exams. 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:
- Communication Skills: students demonstrate reading comprehension, effective oral and written communication and interpersonal skills, including teamwork.
- 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.
- 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.
- Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills: students apply higher order critical thinking and problem solving skills across the curriculum.
- 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.
- Cultural Literacy Skills: students exhibit an understanding of such cultural and aesthetic expressions as literature, music, theatre, and the visual arts in historical and contemporary contexts.
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