The Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science Degree
Preparation for a Career
Career and technical education programs are designed to prepare students who, at the completion of a program of study listed in this section of the catalog, are planning to enter a chosen career at the semi–professional level. The associate in science (A.S.) degree program may also articulate into the bachelor’s degree in a related field of study at a state public university, based on specific program articulation agreements.
Associate in applied science (A.A.S.) degrees are available in some programs, and provide the same career preparation as associate in science degrees. Associate in applied science programs are not designed to transfer to a four–year institution, but may articulate under special agreements between the College and the university system. For individuals wishing to spend less than two years in career preparation, technical certificate programs are also available in several areas.
The program manager or program chairperson with the approval of the dean of instruction may prescribe deficiency courses, which are necessary for successful completion of the associate in science degree. If students are veterans, a copy of the recommendation must be submitted to the Florida Community College Veterans Affairs Office for certification completion.
The program manager or program chairperson with the approval of the dean of instruction may approve another elective or professional course not listed as an approved elective in the associate in science or associate in applied science degree curriculum, which will apply toward associate in science or associate in applied science degree completion. If students are veterans, it is necessary that such course substitution be submitted to the Veterans Affairs Office for certification completion. A record of the approval will be maintained in their file.
Program Location
Not all of the career and technical education A.S. or A.A.S. degree programs are available at each of the College’s four campuses. However, the General Education Requirements and many of the elective, professional and other required courses are available at all campuses as well as at selected off–campus centers and sites.
Graduation Requirements
In order to be awarded the associate in science or associate in applied science degree, students must have met the following requirements:
Earned a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (C) at Florida Community College in courses eligible toward the associate in science or applied science degree programs (A.S. Florida Community College GPA or A.A.S. Florida Community College GPA).
Earned an all–college cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (C) on all courses attempted, including transferred credits. (All college cumulative).
Completed at least 25 percent of credit semester hours required for the degree at Florida Community College.
Completed a minimum of 60 semester hours, as specified by the degree, of which a minimum of 15 semester hours must be General Education requirements.
Earned a grade of at least a “C” in each course used to satisfy the General Education Requirements.
Can demonstrate mastery of the Information Literacy Assessment (effective for students entering fall term 2005). Refer to assessment
section for details.
Note: Students are cautioned to pay particular attention to the following statements.
Graduation dates will be the date at the end of the college term in which the students complete the academic requirements for the degree or certificate for which students are applicants. (The removal of an incomplete grade does not affect students’ graduation dates, since the grade change is effective as of the end of the term in which the incomplete grade was assigned rather than the term in which the incomplete work was made up.)
If students expect to complete the coursework under the terms of the catalog in effect during the term of their first registration, they must graduate within five years or they will need to be reassigned to an active catalog. Accordingly, students who enter under this catalog (2007/2008) must graduate by the end of the Summer Term 2012, or they will automatically be reassigned to the 2011/2012 catalog requirements. Changes to requirements as mandated by law or by rule of the Florida Community College District Board of Trustees may supersede this provision.
The General Education Requirements may be taken on any Florida Community College campus or center.
Many courses in this catalog have prerequisite and/or corequisite courses which are listed in the course descriptions. Students are advised to be guided by these requirements.
Students who place into college preparatory courses are required to complete designated college preparatory courses with a grade of “C” or better regardless of program of study.
Students enrolling in associate in applied science programs must pass all sections of the placement test before award of an A.A.S. degree, regardless of the degree program’s general education requirements.
Degree–seeking students whose native language is not English, who fall below a designated cutoff score on the English as a second language (ESL) entry placement test, will be required to take ESL courses with EAP prefix prior to registering for other college credit classes. The level of these courses will be determined by the entry placement scores. Individual exceptions will be determined by the ESL program manager.
Degree–seeking students identified as non–native speakers must take an English as a second language (ESL) placement test prior to taking the College’s standard course placement test. Students who place into ESL, as determined by the test, must complete ESL courses before registering for other college credit classes. Non–degree seeking college credit students who plan to take English or reading courses must also meet these requirements. Exceptions to these requirements can be made by the ESL program manager or designee.
General Education Requirements
1.
The general education core for the associate in science and associate in applied science degrees consists of a minimum of 15 semester hours of course work in these broad discipline areas:
Communication
Mathematics
Humanities
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Natural Sciences
2.
The general education requirements for all associate in science and associate in applied science degree programs consist of a minimum of 3 semester hours in each of the following discipline areas:
Communication Category A
Humanities
Mathematics
Social and Behavioral Sciences
3.
The remaining 3 semester hours of general education requirements are specified in each associate in science and associate in applied science degree’s program of study from the following discipline areas:
Communication Category B
Humanities
Mathematics
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Natural Sciences
I. Communication (minimum of 3 semester hours from Category A)
Category A:
ENC 1101
English Composition I (3 cr.)
Category B:
ENC 1102
Writing About Non-Fiction (3 cr.)
LIT 2000
Introduction to Literature: Writing About
Fiction (3 cr.)
SPC 2016
Speech Communication for Business
and the Professions (3 cr.)
SPC 2040
Introduction to Speech Communication (3 cr.)
SPC 2600
Fundamentals of Public Speaking (3 cr.)
II. Humanities (minimum of 3 semester hours)
HUM 2020
Humanities Forum (3 cr.)
HUM 2210
Humanities: The Foundations (3 cr.)
HUM 2230
Humanities: Mainstreams of Cultures, 15th to 20th Century
(3 cr.)
HUM 2250
Humanities: Modern/Post–Modern Perspectives (3 cr.)
HUM 2410
Humanities of Asia (3 cr.)
HUM 2450
Humanities in the Americas (3 cr.)
AML 2010
American Literature: Colonial Times to 1900 (3 cr.)
AML 2020
American Literature: 1900 to Present (3 cr.)
ARH 1000
Art Appreciation (3 cr.)
ARH 2050
Art History I (3 cr.)
ARH 2051
Art History II (3 cr.)
ENL 2012
English Literature to 1750 (3 cr.)
ENL 2022
English Literature Since 1750 (3 cr.)
ENG 1100
Introduction to Film (3 cr.)
HUM 2472
Intercultural Explorations (3 cr.)
LIT 2100
Great Ideas in World Literature (3 cr.)
MUL 1010
Music Appreciation (3 cr.)
PHI 1603
Applied Ethics (3 cr.)
PHI 2010
Introduction to Philosophy (3 cr.)
REL 2000
Introduction to Religion (3 cr.)
REL 2300
World Religions (3 cr.)
THE 2000
Theatre Appreciation (3 cr.)
PHI 2600
Moral and Political Philosophy (3 cr.)
III. Mathematics (minimum
of 3 semester hours)
*MAT 1033
Intermediate Algebra (3 cr.)
MAC 1105
College Algebra (3 cr.)
MAC 1140
Precalculus Algebra (4 cr.)
MAC 1114
College Trigonometry (3 cr.)
MAC 1147
Precalculus Algebra and Trigonometry (5 cr.)
MGF 1106
Topics in College Mathematics (3 cr.)
MGF 1107
Explorations in Mathematics (3 cr.)
STA 2023
Elementary Statistics (3 cr.)
*May not be used to fulfill the general education requirements for the associate in science degree.
IV. Natural Sciences (individual programs may require a 3 semester hour course in order to fulfill 15 minimum credit hour general education requirement).
Biological
Sciences:
BSC 1005
Life in Its Biological Environment (3 cr.)
BSC 2085C
Human Anatomy and Physiology I (4 cr.)
BSC 2086C
Human Anatomy and Physiology II (4 cr.)
BSC 2010C
Principles of Biology I (4 cr.)
BSC 2020C
Human Biology (4 cr.)
MCB 2010C
Microbiology (4 cr.)
Physical Sciences:
CHM 1020
Chemistry for Liberal Arts (3 cr.)
CHM 1025C
Introduction to General Chemistry (4 cr.)
CHM 1032C
Principles of General Chemistry (4 cr.)
CHM 2045C
General Chemistry and Qualitative Analysis I (4 cr.)
CHM 2046C
General Chemistry and Qualitative Analysis II (4 cr.)
PHY 1020C
Physics for the Liberal Arts with Laboratory (3 cr.)
PHY 2053C
General Physics I (4 cr.)
IV. Social
and Behavioral Sciences (minimum of 3 semester hours)
DEP 2004
Human Growth and Development (3 cr.)
ECO 2013
Principles of Economics I (3 cr.)
GEA 1000
World Regional Geography (3 cr.)
PSY 1012
General Psychology (3 cr.)
INP 1390
Human Relations in Business and Industry (3 cr.)
SYG 2000
Introductory Sociology (3 cr.)
Selective Access Programs
Dental hygiene, emergency medical services (EMS) technology, emergency medical technology (EMT), health information management, histotechnology, human services (addictions specialization), medical coder/biller, medical laboratory technology, nursing, paramedic, physical therapist assistant, radiation therapy and respiratory therapy programs are selective access programs and have special selection and admission criteria and procedures which may be obtained from the program office as listed in this catalog.
University Transfer
Students who intend to transfer to a state university upper division upon receipt of the associate in applied science degree must satisfy certain additional requirements before being accepted for transfer. These requirements do not affect the award of the associate in applied science (A.A.S.) degree by Florida Community College but do affect the ability of the senior institution to accept students with the A.A.S. degree.
Students with A.S. or A.A.S. degrees who plan to transfer to a state university should contact a counselor to determine any additional requirements necessary for transferring.
Co–operative Learning and/or Internship Opportunities Programs
All associate in science, associate in applied science and some certificate programs at Florida Community College require a co–op/internship experience as part of the program of study.
Preparing students for the workplace is the goal of the associate in science and the associate in applied science degree programs at Florida Community College. Not only must students complete degree and certificate programs having mastered occupational skills, but they must also have the interpersonal skills that allow them to contribute and be productive and successful in the workplace. The Co–op and Internship Opportunities Programs allow the student a chance to practice their occupational skills while earning credit towards their degree or certificate.
The internship, which provides the student with real experience in their chosen field of specialization, is an important component in all technical degree programs. Upon completion of these programs, the College is certifying that the student can perform certain job–related skills.
Such certification is not possible unless the student has performed in some type of work environment.
Objectives of the Co–op/Internship Program:
to gain practical work experience
to gain insight into the daily functioning of the workplace
to gain knowledge and understanding of interpersonal dynamics
to apply the skills and knowledge learned in the classroom
to exercise ethical responsibilities expected of company personnel
to personally evaluate these experiences
to expose the student to the processes involved in acquiring a position
The College does not guarantee employment. Selection of a particular student to fill a job is at the sole discretion of the employer and not within the control of the College. This means the College or any of its representatives cannot guarantee a paid or unpaid co–op/internship placement.