A.A. Graduation Requirements

The Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree is also known as the Transfer Degree or the University Parallel Program. It is designed to provide students with the courses needed for the freshman and sophomore levels of a bachelor’s degree. Upon completion of the A.A. degree, students may transfer to a four-year college or university to complete the junior and senior level coursework for their bachelor’s degree.

Based on requirements from the State of Florida Department of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the A.A. degree is comprised of the following components, with a minimum of 60 credit hours.

A. General Education Core Curriculum - 36 credit hours

• There are 36 credit hours of General Education from Areas I-VI:

  Area I: Communications courses develop critical reading and comprehension skills and prepare the student to effectively communicate in clear, concise English through written prose and oral communication.

  Area II: Humanities courses develop an understanding and appreciation of cultural development from ancient times to the present in all its richness and diversity.

  Area III: Social & Behavioral sciences courses develop an understanding of human behavior, cultural diversity, and the historical development of societies and human institutions and how they change.

  Area IV: Mathematics courses prepare the student to use problem solving skills, apply quantitative reasoning, enhance computational skills, and use appropriate technologies.

  Area V: Natural Sciences develop a scientific literacy that will improve the student's ability to function within a scientific and technological society.

  Area VI: Personal Growth and Development courses develop the student in a way that strengthens the student's growth based on individual needs.

• There must be 12 credit hours of Writing Emphasis or "Gordon Rule" (GRW) courses in the 60 credits of an A.A. degree. These 12 semester hours will include six (6) semester hours of English coursework and six (6) semester hours of additional coursework in which the student is required to demonstrate college level writing skills through multiple assignments. A grade of C or higher shall be considered successful completion for purposes of this rule. (FL. Administrative Code 6A-10.030)

• 6 credit hours of college level computation courses, Gordon Rule mathematics courses, at the level of MAC 1105 or higher with a grade of C or higher, selected from courses with a MAC, MGF, or STA prefix. (FL. Administrative Code 6A-10.030)

• As per the amended Florida Rule 6A-10.02413, prior to the award of an associate in arts or baccalaureate degree, LSSC students under the 2021-2022 Catalog and thereafter must demonstrate competency in civic literacy through one of the following options prior to graduation:

  • successfully passing POS 2041 American National Government or AMH 2020 U.S. History Since 1877 and achieving a 60% or higher on the Florida Civic Literacy Exam , or
  • successfully passing a prescribed assessment:

  AP Government & Politics Test: United States (passing score of 3), or

  AP U.S. History Test (passing score of 4), or

  CLEP: American Government (passing score of 50)

  To verify your Civic Literacy Requirement, please visit DegreeWorks.

• Competency in a Foreign Language is required for completion of the AA degree either by:
  • Completion of two (2) credits at the secondary (high school) level in the same language
  • Complete and pass the elementary 2 level or higher of one foreign language at the college level

• Common Program Prerequisites - courses required for an intended university major, including additional mathematics, science, social and behavioral sciences courses
• MAT 1033, MAT 1100, SLS 1501, if required or chosen
• Experiential learning credit hours
• Other college credit courses
• Writing Emphasis or "Gordon Rule" writing courses (designated with the GRW code) with a grade of "C" or higher to meet the Writing Emphasis requirement

• A minimum of 25% of the credit hours for the A.A. must be earned at LSSC, excluding credits by exam, CLEP, AP, etc.
• Successful completion of all developmental English, mathematics, and reading courses, if required, based on placement scores (developmental courses are in addition to the 60 college-level credits required for graduation)
• Minimum of 2.0 cumulative GPA, including for all credit hours earned at LSSC and for total credit hours earned
• Maximum of four (4) credit hours of physical education courses will count toward the degree
• Fulfillment of all financial obligations to LSSC

Students are responsible for investigating the requirements for their chosen university and major, and to work with an LSSC academic advisor to plan their A.A. coursework in order to make a smooth academic transfer.

Students may earn any number of Associate in Applied Science or Associate in Science Degrees as well as one Associate in Arts Degree; however, students may not earn the Associate in Arts Degree at LSSC if they have earned an Associate in Arts or Bachelor’s Degree from another regionally accredited institution.