The Associate of Applied Science degree is awarded to students who complete the requirements of a specific career or professional program outlined in this catalog. These programs are 60-76 semester hours. Of the total hours in a program, a representative percentage must be courses chosen to ensure competency in writing, oral communication, computer applications, and fundamental mathematics and to satisfy CVCC core requirements. The remaining hours must be taken in the specific area of concentration and may include related courses and electives. This area of concentration must include 15 semester hours of coursework, with appropriate prerequisites, above the level of elementary courses. In addition, coursework in the area of concentration must follow an orderly, identifiable sequence.
Each career-oriented course and program at CVCC has a primary goal of preparing students for a productive and successful career after graduating from the College. Each curriculum contains college-level courses pertinent to that particular field as well as general education courses that provide a well-rounded college education.
Each program has been designed with the assistance of a community advisory committee composed of people currently working in the field who are aware of the job requirements and job potential. Although the primary objective of career programs is early job entry with potential for growth in the job, further education in these options is possible after two years of college. A growing number of colleges and universities now offer specialized programs leading to a bachelor’s degree and credits in these curricula may be transferable to such programs. An Associate of Applied Science degree candidate who is following a specific Associate of Applied Science program, taking courses in the proper sequence under the guidance of a designated program advisor, may be said to be majoring in that program of study.
All Associate of Applied Science degrees will contain the following General Education core requirements. Not all courses listed will satisfy these requirements in all programs; courses should be selected to ensure that they meet the requirements of an approved program.
Degree Requirements
Area I: Written Composition
Area II: Humanities, Speech and Fine Arts
Area III: Natural Science and Mathematics
Students enrolled in health-related disciplines for which the AAS degree is awarded must take BIO 103 as the prerequisite for BIO 201, BIO 202 and BIO 220 to ensure the transfer of courses within parameters of the AGSC Minimum General Education Semester-Hour Distribution requirements to successfully complete the system-wide biology placement examination.
Area IV: History, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Programs in which the AAS represents the terminal award are not required to complete the six-semester-hour History or Literature sequence in Area IV.
Minimum General Education Requirements
Area V: Professional Core, Technical Concentration, and Electives
Courses appropriate to the degree requirements, occupational or technical specialty requirements, core courses, and electives.
Students planning programs of study for which the AAS does not represent the terminal degree and for which national or regional programmatic licensure and certification are required should be encouraged to integrate the “General Studies” transfer courses whenever possible.