Associate of Arts

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IN ORDER TO Be awarded the Associate of Arts degree at Brazosport College, a student must successfully complete a minimum of 60 semester hours including:

All of the general graduation requirements that are listed under Graduation Requirements , of this catalog
General Education Core
2 semester hours of science labs corresponding to Core science course selections
At least 16 semester hours of academic electives

The Associate of Arts degree (AA) is a general education degree with an emphasis on the core academic requirements. The degree does not allow enough hours of concentration in a single discipline for students to declare a major; however, a series of suggested courses of study are listed so that students planning to transfer into four-year academic programs at other Texas institutions may receive the maximum number of transfer credit hours toward a planned baccalaureate major. Students are advised to check with Brazosport College counselors and faculty and with their transfer institution for additional counseling in choosing appropriate electives.

Field of Study Curricula

Through the careful selection of elective courses, students may use the Associate of Arts degree as preparation for several fields leading to a baccalaureate degree in other four year institutions. Associate degrees do not offer a sufficient number of hours of concentration in academic disciplines to allow the designation of a major; however, elective hours in the associate’s degree program should be selected to fit into the student’s plans for declaring a major when transferring to another four-year institution.

Field of Study curricula have been approved in nine program areas: Business, Communication, Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Engineering, Engineering Technology, Mexican-American Studies, Music, and Nursing. All public four-year institutions of higher education in Texas are required to accept approved Field of Study courses in fulfillment of lower division requirements for bachelor’s degrees. Receiving institutions may not require incoming transfer students to repeat courses with the same content as Field of Study courses.

Students should carefully study the baccalaureate degree requirements of colleges to which they are considering transfer and arrange their programs of work on the basis of this study. Field of Study curricula should also be considered if a student is considering majoring in one of these fields at a transfer institution.

The following is a list of approved Field of Study courses offered by Brazosport College in bachelor’s program areas in which the Associate of Arts (AA) degree may provide the more suitable preparation:

Business

ECON 2301 - Principles of Economics I Credit Hours: 3
ECON 2302 - Principles of Economics II Credit Hours: 3
ACCT 2301 - Principles of Accounting I Credit Hours: 3
ACCT 2302 - Principles of Accounting II Credit Hours: 3
MATH 1325 - Business Calculus Credit Hours: 3
SPCH 1315 - Public Speaking Credit Hours: 3
BCIS 1305 - Business Computer Applications Credit Hours: 3

Communication

Sub-areas of advertising/public relations, journalism/mass communication, and broadcasting/broadcast journalism:

COMM 1307 - Introduction to Mass Communication Credit Hours: 3
COMM 2311 - Media Writing Credit Hours: 3
COMM 2315 - News Reporting Credit Hours: 3

Sub-areas of general communication, communication studies, speech communication, speech & rhetorical studies, and organizational communication:

SPCH 1315 - Public Speaking Credit Hours: 3
SPCH 1318 - Interpersonal Communication Credit Hours: 3
SPCH 1321 - Business and Professional Communication Credit Hours: 3

Criminal Justice

CRIJ 1301 - Introduction to Criminal Justice Credit Hours: 3
CRIJ 1306 - Court Systems and Practices Credit Hours: 3
CRIJ 1310 - Fundamentals of Criminal Law Credit Hours: 3
CRIJ 2313 - Correctional Systems and Practices Credit Hours: 3
CRIJ 2328 - Police System and Practices Credit Hours: 3
Up to 6 additional hours by local agreement

Mexican-American Studies

HIST 2327 - Mexican-American History I Credit Hours: 3
HIST 2328 - Mexican-American History II Credit Hours: 3
SPAN 2312 - Intermediate Spanish II Credit Hours: 3

Music

4 semester credit hours of ensemble
8 semester credit hours of applied study
12-16 semester credit hours of theory/aural skills
3 semester credit hours of music literature

Choosing Your Field of Study

Brazosport College counselors are prepared to assist students in reviewing the requirements of other colleges and universities and guiding students in the selection of courses that make best use of core curriculum, Field of Study curricula, and elective courses. Careful selection of courses will assure the maximum number of transfer credits toward the bachelor’s degree.

In some instances, students may achieve more transfer credits by concentrating on a Field of Study curriculum. A counselor’s guidance can be especially helpful for students trying to decide between an associate’s degree and maximum transfer of credit since the requirements vary at different colleges and universities.

For more information, call the Brazosport College Counseling Office, 979-230-3040.