Associate in Arts (Baccalaureate Transfer) (A.A.) (1108)

The Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree is for students who seek a general degree program which allows the freedom to explore a broad array of intellectual fields and interests while selecting from a wide variety of general education and elective course options. The program provides a broad range of educational opportunities and directly challenges students to assume responsibility for their own education goals.

The program is specifically intended to meet the requirements of students interested in transferring to one of Florida’s many public colleges or universities or continuing to pursue a four-year bachelor’s degree at Florida State College at Jacksonville. Students are encouraged to determine which upper-division major they plan to pursue and advised to follow the state standard for their specific degree major. Students should also plan to meet with an Advisor to assist them in selecting general education courses and the best recommended electives for their advising track in order to best compliment their selected upper-division major.

Students should be aware of the specific requirements of the Associate in Arts degree imposed by state of Florida regulations and laws and the requirements established by the Southern Associate of Colleges and Schools as well as Florida’s Gordon Rule.

Per Florida State Statute 1007.23(3):

"To improve articulation and reduce excess credit hours, beginning with students initially entering a Florida College System institution in 2013-2014 and thereafter, the articulation agreement must require each student who is seeking an associate in arts degree to indicate a baccalaureate degree program offered by an institution of interest by the time the student earns 30 semester hours. The institution in which the student is enrolled shall inform the student of the prerequisites for the baccalaureate degree program offered by an institution of interest."

General Education Paradigm/Philosophy

General Education course selections at Florida State College at Jacksonville prepare students to become thoughtful, generative learners. Through exploring broad areas of knowledge - the human condition, the global and historical, the cultural and aesthetic, and the communicative, mathematical, scientific, and technological - students will develop the knowledge bases, and intellectual competencies, and be exposed to the values requisite for participating responsibly in, and adapting to, a complex and diverse world.

Knowledge Bases

A generally educated person possesses knowledge in the following areas:

Human Awareness and Understanding

• Comprehends the dynamics of human behavior, development, and relationships

• Comprehends the dynamic relationship between culture and human awareness

• Comprehends the factors that promote physical, mental, and social well-being

Global and Historical Knowledge and Understanding

• Comprehends a general knowledge of the nature, origins, and contributions of civilizations

• Comprehends the workings and interrelations of personal, business, and government economies

• Comprehends political, social, and economic systems and their effects upon society

Cultural and Aesthetic Knowledge and Understanding

• Comprehends the contributions of the arts, humanities, and sciences of the human experience upon the individual and their world

• Comprehends the development of the arts and sciences and their impact upon the individual and their world

• Comprehends cultural systems and their effects

Communications

• Comprehends the importance of human communications and understands a variety of effective communications methods

• Comprehends the importance of effective communication

• Comprehends methods for gathering, synthesizing, and integrating information in written and oral communication

• Comprehends the connection between critical thinking and effective communication

Mathematics, Science and Technology

• Comprehends the basic concepts and investigative processes of the natural sciences

• Understands various mathematical skills and techniques, and is able to apply them appropriately to solve real world problems

• Comprehends the way science and technology shape our world

Intellectual Competencies

A generally educated person:

• Reads, writes, speaks, and listens effectively

• Acquires, evaluates, analyzes, presents, and communicates information

• Employs quantitative and qualitative analyses to solve problems

• Uses information technology in communication, research, and problem solving

• Organizes concepts into orderly systems

• Works collaboratively within complex systems and diverse groups

• Applies ethical judgment to everyday life

• Applies the scientific method of inquiry

Values

A generally educated person values:

• Intellectual honesty

• Curiosity and openness to new ideas

• Recognition of one’s own creative and intellectual potential

• Acceptance of differences among people and cultural diversity

• Civic engagement

• Lifelong learning

• Social justice and equality

Per the requirements of Senate Bill 366, Mathematics Pathways were created to facilitate the seamless transfer of credits, reduce excess credit hours, and ensure that students throughout Florida’s public colleges and universities take the math courses needed for their future careers. The three mathematics pathways include Algebra Through Calculus, Statistical Reasoning, and Mathematical Thinking in Context. Each pathway consists of a general education core math course that serves as the mathematical starting point for students in a specific academic program.

Associate in Arts students will complete at least two math courses. Depending on their intended transfer majors, students may be required to take additional math courses. For additional information about Mathematics Pathways, please visit the Mathematics Pathways page.

(904) 646-2300 or info@fscj.edu.