The Associate in Arts (AA) degree is designed to provide two academic years of college study for transfer to a four-year university or upper-division college toward a Bachelor of Arts degree.
1. Group Requirements
(Area of concentration courses may be counted toward satisfaction of group requirements.):
- Communications (9 hours)
- Fine Arts/Humanities (at least one course selected from each area) (11-12 hours)
- Social Science (selected from 2 or more disciplines) (9-10 hours)
- Life/Physical Science (at least one course selected from each area) (7-8 hours)
- Mathematics (3-4 hours)
2. Area of Concentration:
- Two or more courses completing one or more sequences in a specified subject area such as accounting, English, French, history, psychology, physical education, OR
- Four or more courses in a broad field such as business, humanities, or social science for the student who does not desire to pursue a specific subject area.
3. General Education
(Courses in the student's area of concentration do not count toward those requirements.)
39-43 hours are required.
4. Constitution Requirement
Richland Community College requires having met the Constitution Requirement in order to receive the Basic or Advanced Certificate for any occupational-oriented program. Illinois law requires anyone graduating from Richland with an associate's degree to pass an examination covering American patriotism and the principles of representative government, as well as the proper use and display of the American flag.
The test also covers the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Illinois Constitution.
The requirement may be satisfied in one of two ways:
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If the required examination was taken and passed in high school, the student's high school transcript must verify that the requirement has been met. (Holders of an Illinois GED certificate may submit an official copy of their test scores or verification from the Superintendent of the Regional Office of Education through which the GED certificate was issued); or
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Students may obtain study material from the Kitty Lindsay Learning Resources Center and take the examination through the Testing Center, Room W124.
5. Total Credits Required
60 hours in courses numbered 100 and above. Students transferring credit to Richland Community College should see regulations concerning transfer credit.
6. Cumulative Grade Point Average
2.00 ("C") or better for all work applicable toward the degree that was completed at Richland.
