Liberal Arts, Associate of Arts

The Liberal Arts degree program offers students a wide variety of courses to choose from and, at the same time, prepares the student to transfer into the junior year of study at a four-year college. The program is similar to other general Liberal Arts programs in the first two years at such colleges.

Liberal Arts is the study of basic knowledge and the development of one’s ability to think clearly. Thus, Liberal Arts students take courses in English, their own and foreign cultures, mathematics and science, the arts, the study of society, past and present, the study of ideas and a foreign language. Students who want to study Liberal Arts but also know they want to concentrate in Social Science, Music, Studio Arts, Theatre, or Communication may select one of the Liberal Arts options.

Although Liberal Arts is not career training in a direct way, many employers in corporations, government and in such professions as law and medicine believe that the best preparation for work in their fields is a Liberal Arts education. Liberal Arts teaches the student how to use and think about information, no matter what the job is or how jobs change.

Graduates are able to:

• think critically and interpret complex ideas and phenomena both orally and in writing
• analyze and synthesize ideas in writing and speech
• demonstrate the ability to forge a practical linkage between learning in the classroom and applying that learning to real-world problems
• demonstrate the highest level possible of skills in oral and written communication
• demonstrate the skills of textual explanation, analysis and interpretation

Students enrolled in Associate of Arts degree programs who intend to transfer to four-year colleges or universities are strongly advised to discuss the General Education Foundation Courses with a counselor. Selection of these courses will facilitate full transfer of general education credits completed toward the degree.