A.A. Degree General Education

In compliance with Rule 6A-14.0303, General Education Core Course Options, prior to the award of an Associate in Arts degree, students must complete at least one course from each of the General Education subject areas listed in this section. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleNo.asp?id=6A-14.0303  

• Communication:
  •     ENC X101 English Composition 1; or
  •     Any student who successfully completes a course with an ENC prefix for which ENC X101 is an immediate prerequisite shall be considered to have completed the communication core.
• Humanities:
  •     ARH X000 Art Appreciation;
  •     HUM X020 Introduction to Humanities;
  •     LIT X000 Introduction to Literature;
  •     MUL X010 Music Literature/Music Appreciation;
  •     PHI X010 Introduction to Philosophy; or
  •     THE X000 Theatre Appreciation
• Mathematics:
  •     MAC X105 College Algebra;
  •     MAC X311 Calculus I;
  •     MGF X106 Liberal Arts Mathematics I
  •     MGF X107 Liberal Arts Mathematics II
  •     STA X023 Statistical Methods; or
  •     Any student who successfully completes a mathematics course for which one of the general education core courses options in mathematics is an immediate prerequisite shall be considered to have completed the mathematics core.
• Natural Science:
  •     AST X002 Descriptive Astronomy;
  •     BSC X005 General Biology
  •     BSC X010 General Biology I;
  •     BSC X085 Anatomy and Physiology I;
  •     CHM X020 Chemistry for Liberal Studies;
  •     CHM X045 General Chemistry I;
  •     ESC X000 Introduction to Earth Science;
  •     EVR X001 Introduction to Environmental Science;
  •     PHY X020 Fundamentals of Physics;
  •     PHY X048 General Physics with Calculus;
  •     PHY X053 General Physics I; or
  •     Any student who successfully completes a natural science course for which one of the general education core course options in natural science is an immediate prerequisite shall be considered to have completed the natural science core.
• Social Sciences:
  •     AMH X020 Introduction to Survey Since 1877 (also meets Civic Literacy Competency);
  •     ANT X000 Introduction to Anthropology;
  •     ECO X013    Principles of Macroeconomics;
  •     POS X041 American Government (also meets Civic Literacy Competency);
  •     PSY X012 Introduction to Psychology; or
  •     SYG X000 Principles of Sociology.

In compliance with the Florida Department of Education Rule 6A-10.02413, students must demonstrate civic literacy competency prior to the award of an Associates or Bachelors degree.  The State Board of Education defines civics literacy competency as follows:

1. Earning a passing grade in AMH2020 or POS1041 AND earning a passing score on the Florida Civics Literacy Exam

   OR

2. Passing one of the following exams which gives students credit for the course and civics literacy exam

AP Government and Politics: United States  (3)

AP United States History (4)

CLEP: American Government (50).

The faculty of Indian River State College are committed to the continuous improvement of teaching and learning. The Associate in Arts Program Learning Outcomes represent the essential skills needed for successful transfer from the Associate in Arts to the baccalaureate. The Associate in Arts Program Learning outcomes include the General Education Learning Outcomes as a core component of the A.A. Curriculum.

Associate in Arts Learning Outcomes

• Behavioral and Social Analysis - Demonstrate critical thinking skills in the analysis, evaluation, and formation of ideas about the human experience.
• Communication - Demonstrate effective communication skills for a variety of audiences.
• Critical thinking - Demonstrate ability to interpret meaning and draw conclusions using evidence as support.
• Ethical Reasoning - Demonstrate ability to recognize, understand, and use ethical reasoning.
• Historical Thinking - Demonstrate ability to analyze change, continuity, complexity, context, and causality of historical events, people, ideas, or process.
• Information Literacy - Demonstrate the ability to think critically about how information is created, consumed, and distributed. Recognize when information is needed and demonstrate the ability to locate, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information.
• Mathematical Reasoning - Demonstrate mathematical reasoning in problem solving.
• Scientific Reasoning - Demonstrate scientific reasoning in problem solving.

Required Prerequisites

(See Program Listings or Advisor)

To earn the Associate in Arts Degree, certain General Education requirements and elective courses must be satisfactorily completed. Although A.A. students at Indian River State College do not declare majors, students must select prerequisite courses which will best prepare them for transfer into a particular major field at a specific college or university.

In planning the program of study at Indian River State College, students are advised to seek the aid of an advisor. An advisor can help review selections of courses acceptable for meeting the General Education requirements, since specific General Education courses may be recommended for a particular major. In addition, an advisor can suggest prerequisites and sequences of courses for a specific major.

The length of programs may vary depending on the major area of study and the college or university the student plans to attend.

The listings are examples of programs that meet the requirements for the Associate in Arts Degree and include prerequisite electives generally recommended for certain majors at most of the state (public) universities. Students should check, however, that the suggested courses meet the requirement for the major field at the specific college or university that they plan to attend. Choice of program and selection of courses are the student’s responsibility.

The Program Code required for the IRSC Application for Admission is the five digit number following the Program Title.