Mar 28, 2024  
Catalog/Handbook 2013-14 
    
Catalog/Handbook 2013-14 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Liberal Arts, AA


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The Associate in Arts Program in is intended for students interested in pursuing a four-year bachelor’s degree. Programs of study leading to the AA degree consist of a common core of General Education courses, specific program requirements (if applicable), and elective courses. Students may complete only one AA degree. Those already holding associate in arts or baccalaureate degrees are not eligible to enroll in an AA degree program.

The program requirements to enter specific majors within the State University System are quite varied. Each student is encouraged to declare an upper-division major when enrolling at Polk State College, and then he or she should follow the state-prescribed advising track for that major. The student should meet with an advisor to assist in selecting both General Education core courses and recommended electives for the selected advising track to prepare for a chosen upper-division major. All advising tracks lead to an Associate in Arts degree in Liberal Arts.

Although the State articulation agreement assures transferability of the AA degree into the State University System, specific prerequisite courses for intended majors must be taken at Polk State in order to avoid course or credit deficiencies after admission to a university. Students should refer to the section on Advising Tracks for more information.

The AA degree requires a General Education component of 36 credit hours plus 24 other credit hours, for a total of 60 credits. The public universities and colleges in Florida agree that once students are certified by Polk State as having completed the General Education requirements, no further General Education courses are required of them when they transfer.

Some courses designed for use in AS programs are not used in AA degree programs. AA students should not take these courses and should consult with an advisor prior to registration to avoid taking unnecessary or inapplicable courses.

Associate in Arts Degree Advising Tracks

The following is a list of AA advising tracks for which specific plans have been developed by Polk State College on the basis of information provided by the Florida State University System. All Polk State College advising tracks lead to an Associate in Arts degree in Liberal Arts.  Advisors have information from all public Florida universities on every program offered. This information can assist students when using the facts.org website to find program requirements and when tracking progress to graduation with the degree audits found at www.facts.org. Current Polk State College students may also view degree audits through the College’s portal, PASSPORT, at www.polk.edu.

Associate in Arts Degree
  11000   Liberal Arts
      Including the following university programs:
      African-American Studies
      American Studies (USA)
      Asian Studies
      Criminal Justice Studies
      English, General
      English, Literature
      Environmental and Urban Systems
      Humanities
      Independent Studies
      Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences
      International Relations
      Jewish Studies
      Latin American Studies
      Legal Assisting
      Liberal Arts and Sciences
      New College
      Russian and East European Studies
      Social Science
      Speech Pathology and Audiology
      Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling
      Women’s Studies
 
Agribusiness and Agriculture
  11200   Animal Science
      Including the following university programs:
      Animal Science
      Dairy Science
      Poultry Science
  11250   Agriculture Science
    
Business and Management
  11500   Business Administration
      Including the following university programs:
      Accounting
      Business Administration and Management
      Business, General
      Business Managerial Economics
      Business Marketing Management
      Economics - Business
      Finance, General
      Financial Service
      Hospitality Administration/Management (FSU, UCF)
      Human Resources Management
      Insurance and Risk Management
      International Business Management
      Management Information Systems/Business Data Process
      Management Science
      Real Estate
      Transportation Management
    
Computer and Information Sciences
  11700   Computer Information Systems
      Including the following university programs:
      Information Systems
      Information Science
      Information Technology
  11725   Computer Science
    
Education
Elementary  Education
  12000   Elementary Education
      Including the following university programs:
      Education of the Blind and Visually Handicapped
      Education of the Emotionally Handicapped
      Education of the Mentally Handicapped
      Education of Specific Learning Disabled
      Elementary Teacher Education
      Pre-Elementary/Early Childhood Teacher Education
      Special Education, General
    
Secondary Education
  12200   Biology Teacher Education
  12220   Chemistry Teacher Education
  12230   English Teacher Education
  12240   Foreign Language Teacher Education
  12260   Mathematics Teacher Education
  12265   Music Teacher Education
  12280   Physics Teacher Education
  12300   Social Studies Teacher Education
    
Engineering
  12540   Engineering
    
Engineering Technology
  12600   Civil Engineering Technology
  12610   Construction Engineering Technology
  12650   Electronic Engineering Technology
    
Foreign Languages
  12800   Foreign Languages
      Including the following university programs:
      Foreign Language/Multiple
      French
      German
      Linguistics
      Spanish
    
Health Professions and Related Sciences
  12903   Athletic Training
  12905   Community Health
  12910   Health Information Management
  12925   Health Sciences (BS)
  12930   Medical Technology
  12940   Nursing
  12950   Pharmacy
  12990   Dietetics/Nutritional Services
    
Independent/Interdisciplinary Studies
  13040   Human Resources Development
 
Mass Communications and Rhetoric
   13500   Mass Communications
      Including the following university programs:
      Advertising
      Journalism
      Communication Studies
      Public Relations and Organizational Communication
      Radio and TV Broadcasting
      Rhetorical Speech and Communication
       
Mathematics and Statistics    
  13600   Mathematics and Statistics 
      Including the following university programs:
      Applied Mathematics/Mathematical Sciences
      Mathematics, General Statistics
 
Parks and Recreation
  13700   Exercise Science/Wellness
    
Philosophy and Religion
  13800   Philosophy and Religion
      Including the following university programs:
      Philosophy
      Philosophy and Religion
      Religious Studies
    
Sciences
  13900   Astronomy
  13950   Biological Science
      Including the following university programs:
      Biochemistry
      Biology, General
      Marine/Aquatic Biology
      Microbiology/Bacteriology
  14000   Botany or Zoology
  14100   Chemistry
  14250   Environmental Sciences
  14255   Forest Resources and Conservation (Wildlife Ecology and Conservation)
  14300   Forensic Science
  14350   Physics
    
Social Sciences
  14500   Economics - Social Science
  14650   History
  14700   Political Science and Government
  14750   Psychology
  14800   Public Administration
  14850   Social Work
  14900   Sociology
 
Visual and Performing Arts
  13100   Art
      Including the following university programs:
      Art, General
      Studio/Fine Art
      Art History and Appreciation
  13200   Music
      Including the following university programs:
      Music, General
      Music History and Appreciation
      Music Performance
      Music Composition
      Jazz Studies
      Music/Music Theory
  13300   Theatre
      Including the following university programs:
      Acting
      Costume Design
      Directing
      Musical Theatre
      Technical Production
      Theatre
      Theatre Management


A bachelor’s degree is required in a field of interest for the following majors: Pre-Dental, Pre-Law, Pre-Medical, and Pre-Veterinarian. A student may take pre-admission requirements for these programs at Polk State College. 

AA General Education Requirements


Polk State College requires AA students to earn 36 semester hours of General Education coursework in specified areas. Some AA advising tracks have modified General Education requirements. Students should consult with an academic advisor to determine the General Education and elective requirements of their specific advising tracks.

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