Associate in Arts Degree (A.A.)

The Associate in Arts degree (A.A.) is intended primarily for students who plan to transfer to another college to complete a bachelor's degree. The A.A. degree is a generalist liberal arts degree and no specific major is listed in conjunction with the degree. However, many students choose to concentrate in a particular field of study as preparation for a planned major at a four-year college or university. Students may choose to follow one of the A.A. Pre- Major Tracks or develop an individual plan within the general A.A. degree. Both options are designed to identify the appropriate core of courses for transfer in a student's major to their chosen four-year college or university. At least 40 of the 60 credits must be taken within the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) . Students are strongly encouraged to develop an educational plan in consultation with an Inver Hills counselor to assure that degree requirements are fulfilled.

Objectives

Upon completion of the A.A. curriculum, the student will have acquired the following competencies:

• Knowledge of fundamental concepts and principles of the natural sciences, mathematics, history, behavioral sciences, arts and humanities.
• The skills necessary to advance this knowledge; including skills in thinking, communication, and methods of inquiry in the various fields of knowledge.
• Critical examination of the self and the fundamental values of our society.
• Ability to apply general education to the vital issues of our times.

Distribution Requirements-Associate in Arts Degree (60 credits total)

All courses must be numbered 1000 or higher.

Required Minnesota Transfer Curriculum Distribution* (40 credits)

MnTC Goal 1 Communication, 3 courses
MnTC Goal 2 Critical Thinking, 0-1 course
MnTC Goal 3 Natural Science, 2 courses
MnTC Goal 4 Mathematical/Logical Reasoning, 1 course
MnTC Goal 5 History/Social Sciences/Behavioral Sciences, 3 courses
MnTC Goal 6 Humanities/Fine Arts/Literature, 3 courses
MnTC Goal 7 Human Diversity, one course
MnTC Goal 8 Global Perspective, one course
MnTC Goal 9 Ethic and Civic Responsibility, one course
MnTC Goal 10 People and the Environment, one course
More information can be found on the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) page.

*Some courses may be applied to more than one goal area resulting in completion of the 10 goals with fewer than 40 credits. If this occurs, additional credits from the 10 goals listed must be taken to complete a minimum of 40 credits..

Electives, liberal arts and pre-major (18 credits)

Courses numbered 1000 and above from any department may be used to fulfill these electives. These electives may be freely chosen or selectively used for transfer requirements. The Pre-Major Tracks in the A.A. degree or individual educational plans developed with an academic counselor are used to focus these electives to meet transfer coursework for specific majors.

Health and Physical Education (2 credits)

See MnTC for more detailed information about the Physical Education and Health requirement.

Preparation for a Bachelor's Degree

An Associate in Arts degree allows students to complete both general education requirements and pre-major requirements for a wide range of majors and programs at four-year colleges and universities. Students may choose to follow one of the Pre-Major Tracks within the A.A. degree or develop an individual educational plan to focus their course selection on their transfer plans. Students should consult with an Inver Hills counselor to assure that courses taken at Inver Hills fulfill the requirements of a particular field of study.

Listed below are examples of the bachelor degree or pre-professional programs a student may begin at Inver Hills.

Accounting	Journalism
Agriculture
Anthropology	Law
Architecture	Liberal Arts
Art	Library Science
Art History	Mass Communications
Biology	Mathematics
Business Management and Administration	Medical Technology
Chemistry	Medicine
Chiropractic	Nursing
Commnications	Occupational Therapy
Computer and Information Systems	Paralegal
Computer Science	Pharmacy
Criminal Justice	Physical Education
Dentistry	Physical Therapy
Economics	Physics
Elementary Education	Political Science
Engineering	Psychology
English	Public Health Education
Exercise Science	Recreation and Parks Administration
Fish, Game, and Wildlife	Secondary Education
Forestry	Social Work
Geography	Sociology
Geology	Statistics
History	Theatre Arts
Individualized Professional Study	Veterinary Medicine
Industrial Education	World Languages (ASL, Chinese, French, German, Spanish)
Information Networking	Zoology