Degree and Certificate Programs

Associate in Arts Degree

Admission

Applicants seeking admission to the associate in arts (A.A.) program must have earned a high school diploma or equivalency degree. If applicants graduated on or after Aug. 1, 1987, they must have earned four credits in English and three credits each in mathematics, social studies and science.

University Parallel

The College offers a two-year program leading to the associate in arts (A.A.) degree. Usually referred to as the university parallel or transfer program, it is designed for students who plan to complete their first two years of college work at Florida Community College and then transfer as juniors to four-year institutions of their choice.

The specific programs of study of a given major should be worked out individually between students and the counselor soon after they enroll at Florida Community College. Earned credits in a university parallel study are transferable to four-year institutions and applicable toward a bachelor’s degree.

In planning a program at Florida Community College, students should be certain to meet the General Education Requirements for the associate in arts degree and complete a program of at least 60 semester hours comprising courses counting toward the associate in arts degree. All courses will have a notation at the end of the course description confirming that the course is an A.A. course.

Within these 60 semester hours, students should be certain to fulfill the pre-major course requirements for the major, which they intend to take at the university they plan to attend. Students transferring to a private four-year institution from Florida Community College are advised to write the registrar of that university for information concerning special course requirements that should be met while attending Florida Community College or use the FACTS system. These requirements vary from university to university; thus, specific programs of study for a given major at a given university should be worked out individually by students and an advisor or counselor soon after they enroll at the College. To maximize transferability, students are advised to choose a major as early as possible while at Florida Community College.

Students transferring with the associate in arts degree are guaranteed the transferability of credits earned toward that degree and junior-level standing by the state articulation agreement. Students transferring prior to receipt of the A.A. degree are not assured of junior-level standing, and the transferability of credits earned will be determined by the receiving institution. Also, a student transferring prior to receipt of the A.A. degree may not receive acceptance of credits earned in courses with less than a “C” grade.

Colleges and universities may have different admission and program requirements. Selecting a major and transfer institution early is important. Some institutions have limited access programs, which require students to meet specific admission requirements before being considered for admission into selected programs. Students have the responsibility for making contact with a counselor or advisor in the office of student success to work out their program of study at Florida Community College.

Graduation Requirements

In order to be awarded the associate in arts degree, students must have met the following requirements.

1. Earned a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (C) at Florida Community College in courses eligible toward the associate in arts degree program. (AA Florida Community College GPA).
2. Earned an all-college cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (C) in courses, including transferred credits. (All college cumulative.)
3. Earned a grade of at least a “C” in each course used to satisfy the General Education Requirements areas I Communication, II Mathematics, III Humanities, IV Natural Sciences and V Social and Behavioral Sciences.
4. Completed at least 25 percent of credit semester hours required for the degree at Florida Community College.
5. Completed 60 semester hours of college credit work as follows.
   1. General Education Requirements (36 semester hours) set forth in the general education requirements section of this catalog (the instructional dean may, when appropriate, approve a course not listed under the General Education Requirements of the associate in arts degree to count towards that requirement) and
   2. major prerequisites (24 semester hours) set forth in the major prerequisites section of this catalog.
6. Completed requirements of the Gordon Rule (State Board of Education 6A–10.30) as outlined in the Gordon Rule section in this catalog.
7. Completed requirements of the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST), a college-level communication and computation skills test required by the state (refer to Testing Services section for details), including satisfactory scores as specified by the State Board of Education and the Florida Community College District Board of Trustees. The graduation date for an Associate of Arts degree student will be either the date of completion of coursework required for degree, or successful completion of the CLAST requirement, whichever is completed later. If the student does not meet the CLAST requirementthrough course exemption, then the graduation date will be based upon the date of successful completion of the CLAST exit test.
8. Can demonstrate mastery of the Information Literacy Assessment (effective for students entering fall term 2004). Refer to assessment section of catalog for details.

Note: Students are cautioned to pay particular attention to the following statements.

1. Graduation dates will be the date at the end of the college term in which students complete all requirements for the degree or certificate for which they are an applicant. (The removal of an incomplete grade does not affect students’ graduation date, since the grade change is effective as of the end of the term in which the incomplete grade was assigned rather than the term in which the incomplete work was made up.)
2. If students expect to complete the coursework under the terms of the catalog in effect during the term of their first registration, they must graduate within five years or they will automatically be reassigned to the catalog in effect during their fifth year. Accordingly, students who enter under this catalog (2004/2005) must graduate by the end of the Summer Term 2009, or they will automatically be reassigned to the 2008/2009 catalog requirements. Changes to requirements as mandated by law or by rule of the Florida Community College District Board of Trustees may supersede this provision.
3. Some of the courses listed in the options for the General Education Requirements are intended for students majoring or specializing in the discipline. Students are advised to review the course descriptions.
4. Many courses in this catalog have prerequisite requirements and/or prerequisite courses listed in the course descriptions. Students are advised to be guided by these requirements.
5. Degree-seeking students whose native language is not English and who fall below a designated cutoff score on the English as a second language (ESL) entry placement test, will be required to take ESL courses prior to registering for other college credit classes. Students from cultures whose language of instruction may have been in English, but the native language is other than English, also come under the ESL test and course guidelines. The level of these courses will be determined by the entry placement scores. Individual exceptions will be determined by the ESL program manager. Students who place into ESL, as determined by the test, must complete EAP prefix courses before registering for other college credit classes. Non-degree-seeking college credit students who plan to take English, reading or courses where these are critical requisite skills must also meet these requirements. Exceptions to these requirements can be made by the ESL program manager or designee.

Student Warning

When students repeat a course at Florida Community College, only the last grade earned is calculated in their cumulative grade point average (GPA). However, students with an excessive number of “W” grades and students who repeat courses to improve their GPA jeopardize their admission to some programs in the Florida State University System (SUS) institutions or other institutions.

General Education Requirements

Philosophy

The general education program at Florida Community College at Jacksonville is designed to prepare students to be thoughtful, effective, global citizens. Through exploring broad areas of knowledge — the global and historical; the cultural and aesthetic; the human; and the mathematical, scientific and technological — students will acquire the knowledge bases, develop the intellectual competencies, and be exposed to the values requisite for participating responsibly in a complex and diverse world.

Knowledge Bases, Intellectual Competencies and Values

I. Knowledge:
A generally educated person possesses knowledge in the following areas:
A.	Global and Historical Knowledge and Understanding Comprehends a general knowledge of the nature, origins and contributions of major civilizations Comprehends the workings and interrelations of personal, business and government economies Comprehends political, social and economic systems and their effects upon society
B.	Cultural and Aesthetic Knowledge and Understanding Comprehends the contributions of the arts and humanities to the human experience on a personal, national or global level Comprehends the historical development of the arts and sciences Comprehends religious and cultural systems and their effects upon society
C.	Human Awareness and Understanding Comprehends the dynamics of human behavior and the process of increasing self-awareness, growth and development Comprehends the stages of human development and the dynamics of human relationships in diverse cultures Comprehends the factors that promote physical, mental and social well-being
D.	Mathematics, Science and Technology Comprehends the basic concepts and investigative processes of the natural sciences Comprehends the breadth, significance and development of the mathematical sciences Comprehends the ways science and technology have shaped and continue to reshape human cultures and the environment
II. Intellectual Competencies:
	A generally educated person develops the following intellectual competencies:
	Can read, write, speak and listen effectively Can acquire, evaluate, analyze, present and communicate information Can employ quantitative and qualitative analysis to solve problems Can use information technology in communication, research and problem solving Can organize concepts into orderly systems Can work collaboratively within complex systems and diverse groups Can apply ethical judgment to everyday life Can apply the scientific method of inquiry
III. Values:
	A generally educated person exhibits the following values:
	Intellectual honesty Curiosity and openness to new ideas Recognition of one’s own creative potential Acceptance of and respect for differences among people and cultures Civic engagement Lifelong learning

Required General Education Courses Categories and Options

The general education core for the associate in arts degree consists of 36 semester hours of coursework in these broad discipline areas:

Communication, Mathematics, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social and Behavioral Sciences

I. Communication (9 semester hours — 3 semester hours from each category)

Category A. Three semester hours
ENC 1101	English Composition I
Category B. Three semester hours
ENC 1102	English Composition II: Writing About Non-Fiction Prose
or LIT 2000	Introduction to Literature (Fiction)
Category C. Three semester hours
SPC 2016	Speech Communication for Business and the Professions
SPC 2040	Introduction to Oral Communication
SPC 2600	Fundamentals of Speech Communication

II. Humanities (6 semester hours)

STUDENTS HAVE TWO OPTIONS: A or B

Option A: Three semester hours from category A and three semester hours from category B.
Option B: Six semester hours from category A.

Category A:
HUM 2021	Humanities Forum
HUM 2211	Humanities: The Foundations
HUM 2236	Humanities: Mainstreams of Cultures, 15th to 20th Century
HUM 2250	Humanities: 20th Century Cultural Perspectives
HUM 2410	Humanities of Asia
HUM 2450	Humanities in the Americas

Category B:
AML 2012	American Literature: Colonial Times to 1900
AML 2022	American Literature: 1900 to Present
ARH 1000	Art Appreciation
ARH 2050	Art History I
ARH 2051	Art History II
ENL 2012	English Literature to 1750
ENL 2022	English Literature Since 1750
FIL 1000	The Movies as Art (Film as Literature)
HUM 2472	Intercultural Explorations
LIT 2100	Great Ideas in World Literature
MUL 1010	Music Appreciation
PHI 2010	Introduction to Philosophy
REL 2000	Introduction to Religion
REL 2300	World Religions
THE 2000	Theatre Appreciation
PHI 2600	Moral and Political Philosophy

III. Mathematics (6 semester hours)

ANY TWO OF THE FOLLOWING:
MAC 1105	College Algebra
MAC 1140	Precalculus Algebra
MAC 1114	College Trigonometry
MAC 1147	Precalculus Algebra and Trigonometry
MAC 2233	Calculus for Business and Social Sciences
MAC 2311	Calculus With Analytic Geometry I
MAC 2312	Calculus With Analytic Geometry II
MAC 2313	Calculus With Analytic Geometry III
MAP 2302	Differential Equations
MAS 2103	Elementary Linear Algebra
MGF 1106	Mathematics for Liberal Arts I
MGF 1107	Mathematics for Liberal Arts II
STA 2023	Elementary Statistics

IV. Natural Sciences (minimum of 6 to 8 semester hours)

STUDENTS HAVE TWO OPTIONS: A or B

Option A: Choose one three or four credit course from the biological sciences and one three or four credit course from the physical sciences. (One of the courses must have a laboratory credit associated with it. These courses are designated with a “C” or an “L” following the course number.)

Biological Sciences:

BSC 1005	Life in Its Biological Environment
BSC 1005L	Biology Laboratory (to be taken with or following BSC 1005)
BSC 2050	Biology of Environmental Systems
BSC 2085C	Human Anatomy and Physiology I
BSC 2086C	Human Anatomy and Physiology II
BOT 1010C	Botany
BSC 2010C	Principles of Biology I
BSC 2020C	Human Biology
BSC 2011C	Principles of Biology II
*ISC 1001	Fundamentals of Natural Science
MCB 2010C	Microbiology
OCB 2003C	Fundamentals of Marine Biology
ZOO 1010C	General Zoology

Physical Sciences:

AST 1002	Introduction to Astronomy
AST 1002L	Astronomy Laboratory (to be taken with or following AST 1002)
CHM 1020	Chemistry for Liberal Arts
CHM 1025C	Introduction to General Chemistry
CHM 1032C	Principles of General Chemistry
CHM 2045C	General Chemistry and Qualitative Analysis I
CHM 2046C	General Chemistry and Qualitative Analysis II
GLY 1001	Earth and Space Science
GLY 1001L	Earth and Space Science Laboratory (to be taken with or following GLY 1001)
GLY 1010C	Physical Geology and Laboratory
*ISC 1001	Fundamentals of Natural Science
MET 1010	Meteorology
MET 1010L	Meteorology Laboratory (to be taken with or following MET 1010)
OCE 2001	Survey of Oceanography
OCE 2001L	Survey of Oceanography Laboratory (to be taken with or following OCE 2001)
PHY 1020C	Physics for Liberal Arts with Laboratory
PHY 2048C	Physics I With Calculus
PHY 2049C	Physics II With Calculus
PHY 2053C	General Physics I
PHY 2054C	General Physics II
PSC 1341	Physical Science

*May fulfill requirement in either area but not both.

Option B: Choose one of the following pairs of courses:

BSC 2085C	Human Anatomy and Physiology I and
BSC 2086C	Human Anatomy and Physiology II
BSC 2010C	Principles of Biology I and
BSC 2011C	Principles of Biology II
BSC 2010C	Principles of Biology I and
BSC 2020C	Human Biology
BOT 1010C	Botany and
ZOO 1010C	General Zoology
CHM 2045C	General Chemistry and Qualitative Analysis I and
CHM 2046C	General Chemistry and Qualitative Analysis II
PHY 2048C	Physics I With Calculus and
PHY 2049C	Physics II With Calculus
PHY 2053C	General Physics I and
PHY 2054C	General Physics II

V. Social and Behavioral Sciences (9 semester hours — 3 semester hours from each category)

Category A:
AMH 2010	United States History to 1865
AMH 2020	United States History From 1865 to the Present
EUH 1000	Western Civilization Through 1589
EUH 1001	Western Civilization From 1589 to Present
POS 2041	American Federal Government
Category B:
AMH 2070	History of Florida
AMH 2092	African-American History and Culture (From African Origins Through Reconstruction)
AMH 2093	African-American History and Culture (From World War I to the Present)
ANT 2410	Cultural Anthropology
ANT 2511	Physical Anthropology
ECO 2013	Principles of Economics I
GEA 1000	World Geography
LAH 2000	History of the Americas
POS 2112	State and Local Government
WST 2010	Introduction to Women's Studies
GEO 2420	Cultural Geography
INR 2002	International Relations
Category C:
DEP 2004	Human Growth and Development
PSY 1012	General Psychology
SOP 1002	Human Relations
SYG 2000	Introductory Sociology

Major Prerequisites

The additional semester hours (maximum of 24) required (beyond the General Education Requirements for the associate in arts degree) may be selected from courses listed in the College catalog identified in the course descriptions with program designation for transfer. These courses should be part of a program designed for a major to transfer to an upper-level college/university. Students are advised to see a counselor for guidance in the selection of these courses.

In addition to addressing the field of study of an intended major at the upper-level university, students are encouraged to include in these courses from the general areas noted below.

Foreign Language

Students who plan to transfer to a Florida public university should complete a minimum of eight semester hours in a foreign language at Florida Community College or have completed two high school credits. Courses are offered in Chinese (CHI 1120 and CHI 1121), French (FRE 1120 and FRE 1121), Spanish (SPN 1120 and SPN 1121), German (GER 1120 and GER 1121) and Russian (RUS 1120 and RUS 1121) that fulfill this eight semester hours requirement. You may use Sign Language I, II and III (SPA 1612, SPA 1613 and SPA 1614) to satisfy foreign language requirements, however, these courses may not count toward the requirements of the university.

Total for major prerequisites: 24 semester hours
Total for the associate in arts degree: 60 semester hours

Gordon Rule

Writing and Mathematics Requirements (State Board of Education Rule 6A–10.30 — Gordon Rule)

The state of Florida requires that all students pursuing an associate in arts degree complete coursework that includes a specified amount of writing (24,000 words) and mathematics.

Writing: Florida Community College has distributed the writing requirement throughout its general education core as follows: 12,000 words shall be completed in the two English composition courses, ENC 1101 and LIT 2000 or ENC 1102; 3,000 words in one oral communications course from section B of communications; 7,000 words in two humanities courses (either two courses from section A or one course from section A and one course from section B); and 2,000 words in social sciences (any one course from section A). In all writing courses, a grade of “C” or better is required to meet the A.A. degree requirements.

Mathematics: Students must complete six semester hours of mathematics coursework at the level of college algebra or higher. For the purposes of this rule, a grade of “C” or higher shall be considered successful completion.

College Level Academic Skills Test

College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) is a statewide test of college-level communications and mathematics skills developed by the State of Florida.

The CLAST is designed to test the communications and mathematics skills that are judged by state university and community college faculty to be generally representative of the sophomore level of achievement. The test is required, for those students who are not eligible for CLAST exemptions, by Florida statutes and rules of the State Board of Education.

The CLAST is administered three times per year to community college students who:

1. plan to complete the associate in arts degree or
2. plan to complete the associate in science degree and transfer to Florida public universities.

The CLAST requirement also applies to students transferring to community colleges from private colleges in Florida and from out-of-state colleges.

The following guidelines apply to those students who are required to take CLAST:

Students who do not achieve satisfactory scores on the CLAST will not be awarded the associate in arts degree. Students who have passed three of the four CLAST subtests may (at university discretion) enroll in a state university for up to 36 semester credits in upper division before being required to pass the fourth subtest.

Students seeking to participate in intercollegiate athletics at senior institutions may be required to have graduated to be eligible to participate. Questions regarding athletic eligibility may be directed to the director of athletics and physical education.

Students failing any portion of CLAST will be prohibited from subsequent CLAST registration without documented proof of remediation. All remediation procedures must begin with the appropriate campus CLAST resource specialist. To obtain additional information about the CLAST resource specialists and retesting requirements and procedures, contact the CLAST coordinator’s office or the assessment and certification center.

Current passing scores on the CLAST are as follows: essay — 6, English language — 295, reading — 295 and mathematics — 295.

Effective with the October 1995 CLAST, students are eligible to register for the CLAST provided the following criteria have been met:

1. At least 18 semester hours of college level coursework have been completed satisfactorily, and
2. The CLAST-related General Education Requirements have been completed successfully with a grade of “C” or better. (For the communications portion: ENC 1101, ENC 1102 or LIT 2000, and the mathematics as stated
   in the college catalog under “General Education Requirements for A.A. Degree.”) Exceptions to this policy must be approved by an instructional dean.

Students have the option of taking the complete CLAST or splitting the test into two separate sessions: one for the communications portion (essay, English language and reading) and one for the mathematics portion. Coursework requirements for split testing (communications and mathematics) must adhere to the criteria outlined in 1 and 2 above.

Students who have completed the General Education Requirements in communications and/or mathematics but want additional preparation for the CLAST should take ENC 2105 CLAST Review: English Language Skills and Essay, ENC 2103 CLAST Review: Reading, Essay and English Language Skills, REA 2125 CLAST Review: Reading, and/or MGF 2118 Topics in Finite Mathematics.
Provisions have been made for the College to consider waiver requests from students who have attempted and failed any portion of the CLAST at least four times.

Students with a disability may request assistance to complete the CLAST. Assistance is obtained through the disabled student specialist on any campus. For any portion of the CLAST in which the disability interferes with the performance on the test even with assistance, students may contact any disabled student specialist for waiver request forms and procedures. All requests must be accompanied with appropriate documentation.

Additional information on CLAST is available in the CLAST coordinator’s office, the campus registration office and the assessment and certification center.

Eligibility for CLAST Alternative Exemption

In accordance with Florida statutes dealing with the college-level communications and computation skills examination (CLAST), students who meet certain conditions, as explained below, may be exempt from having to pass CLAST in order to fulfill their associate in arts (A.A.) degree requirements.

Students who have earned a grade point average of 2.5 or above on a 4.0 grade scale in selected postsecondary level courses shall be exempted from one or more sections of the College-Level Academic Skills Test as specified below. Each postsecondary institution shall establish its own policies for the evaluation of students’ coursework when that student earned credits from an Institution other than a Florida public community college or university.

To exempt the English Language Skills, Reading and Essay sections of the College-Level Academic Skills Test, the student must have earned a 2.5 grade point average in two (2) courses for a minimum of six (6) semester hours of credit from: ENC 1101, English Composition I and ENC 1102, English Composition II: Writing About Non-Fiction Prose, or LIT 2000, Introduction to Literature (Fiction), or other equivalent college-level English courses.

Students who meet any of the following alternatives may be exempt from the communications portions of CLAST (essay, English language skills and reading) to fulfill A.A. degree requirements:

1. A score of 500 or above on the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT-I)
2. A score of 21 or above in English on the Enhanced American College Testing Program (ACT) and a score of 22 or above in reading on the Enhanced American College Testing Program (ACT)
3. A 2.5 grade point average for two English composition courses, ENC 1101 and ENC 1102

Students who meet any of the following alternatives may be exempt from the mathematics portion of CLAST to fulfill A.A. degree requirements:

1. A score of 500 or above on the quantitative section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT-I)
2. A score of 21 or above in mathematics on the Enhanced American College Testing Program (ACT)
3. A 2.5 grade point average for any two mathematics courses from the General Education Requirements for mathematics (Note: MAT 0025 and MAT 1033 cannot be used to determine this average.)

Students who meet any of the alternatives listed above for both the communications and mathematics portions of the CLAST may be exempt from having to take any portion of CLAST to fulfill A.A. degree requirements.

Students will need to supply any documentation not already on file with Florida Community College to verify these conditions.

These alternative exemptions for CLAST apply to both first-time takers as well as retakers of CLAST.

Students who feel they meet any of the alternatives specified above must apply for CLAST exemption by contacting one of the campus counseling/advising centers for student affairs.

Communication skills and computational skills are measured by CLAST.