Delivered cooperatively across UAA's five campuses (Anchorage, Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, Mat-Su College, and Prince William Sound College), the Associate of Arts (AA) degree with a major in General Program provides an academic foundation for success in multiple pathways, including life, career preparation, continued study, and engaged citizenship for Alaska’s diverse peoples.
The AA provides an introduction to a wide range of academic subjects, and a strong foundation in intellectual and practical skills, including inquiry and analysis, quantitative literacy, critical and creative thinking, problem solving, written and oral communication, information literacy, and collaborative learning. The AA can be completed using solely 100- and 200-level courses.
AA students may select courses of personal interest or, with the assistance of an academic advisor, tailor the AA program to prepare for a particular baccalaureate major. Academic advisors assist students in ensuring the transition is smooth. A student who graduates with the AA has completed all General Education Requirements for a baccalaureate degree at UAA except for an integrative capstone course (an upper-division course usually taken as part of a student's baccalaureate major). A completed general education program also more easily transfers to other institutions.
Admission Requirements
- Complete the Admission Requirements for Associate Degrees.
Graduation Requirements
- Complete the General University Requirements for Associate Degrees.
- Complete the following major requirements:
- Complete 3 credits from the GER Oral Communication Skills list.
- Complete 6 credits from the GER Written Communication Skills list.
- Complete 3 credits from the GER Quantitative Skills list.
- Complete 3 credits from the GER Fine Arts list.
- Complete 6 credits from the GER Humanities list.
- Complete 6 credits from the GER Social Sciences list.
- Complete 7 credits including one laboratory course (either combined or separate) from the GER Natural Sciences list.
- Complete 3 credits from the GER Alaska Native-Themed list.
- Complete 3 credits from the GER Diversity & Inclusion list.
- Complete 20 credits of electives.
A minimum of 60 credits is required for the degree.
Mission Statement
The Associate of Arts (AA) degree provides an academic foundation for student success in multiple pathways including continued study, career preparation, and engaged citizenship for Alaska's diverse peoples.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating with an AA degree from UAA will be able to do the following at the introductory level:
- Communicate effectively
- Think critically
- Evaluate analytically
- Reason empirically.
Sample Plan
The academic plan below is one pathway through the degree/certificate. It includes all requirements, taking into account recommendations from program faculty. Each student’s plan may vary according to their initial course placement, intended course load, additional majors and/or minors, and their placement into required prerequisite courses. Any change in the plan below can have an unforeseen impact on the rest of the plan. Therefore, it is very important to meet with your academic advisor to verify your personal academic plan.
Please review the following terms, definitions, and resources associated with the sample academic plan below.
- Each course in the far left column links to a pop-up bubble with a course description, prerequisite requirements, and associations with university requirements. For example, if a course fulfills a general education requirement, you will see that in the pop-up bubble.
- GER: indicates a General Education Requirement. GERs that also count toward degree/certificate requirements appear as a specific course in the plan. For these courses, "GER" is not indicated explicitly in the table, but if you click on the course, you will see the course's GER status in the pop-up bubble.
- Program Elective: indicates a specific course selection determined by program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
- Elective: indicates an open selection of 100-400 level university courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate.
- Upper Division Program Elective: indicates a specific 300-400 level course selection determined by the program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
- Upper Division Elective: indicates an open selection of 300-400 level courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate. These courses must be upper division in order to meet General University Requirements for the particular degree/certificate type.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| WRTG A111 | Writing Across Contexts | 3 |
| GER Fine Arts | 3 | |
| GER Humanities | 3 | |
| GER Oral Communication Skills | 3 | |
| GER Quantitative Skills | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| GER Humanities | 3 | |
| GER Natural Sciences Lecture | 3 | |
| GER Natural Sciences Lab | 1 | |
| GER Social Sciences | 3 | |
| GER Written Communication Skills (200-level) | 3 | |
| Elective | 2 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| GER Alaska Native-Themed | 3 | |
| GER Diversity & Inclusion | 3 | |
| GER Natural Sciences Lecture | 3 | |
| GER Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 60 | |