Des Moines Area Community College.

We award the Associate in Arts (AA), Associate in Science (AS), Associate in Applied Science (AAS), Associate in General Studies (AGS) and Diplomas and Certificates in Specialization.

The requirements listed below and on preceding pages, represent the minimum content required in any program offering these degrees. Specific programs may, and often do, make additional requirements. You must refer to the programs of study which are approved by the State Department of Education and published in the college catalog.

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Core Requirements for an Associate in Arts Degree

A. Communication - 9 credits

Students must take three courses:

  1. ENG 105
  2. ENG 106*or ENG 108
  3. SPC 101 or SPC 126

*Students who intend to transfer to a four-year institution are advised to take ENG 105 and 106.

B. Social & Behavioral Sciences - 9 credits

Student must complete at least 3 courses. Each course must be from a distinct discipline (reflected by a distinct acronym.)

ANT 100, 105
ECN 120, 130
GEO 111, 124, 125
HIS 112, 113, 150, 153
POL 111, 112, 121, 125, 171
PSY 111, 121, 241, 251, 261
SOC 110, 115, 120, 200

C. Mathematics and Sciences - 9 credits

  1. Students must take one laboratory science course from BIO, CHM, ENV, PHY or PHS listed below.
  2. Students must take one MAT or BUS course listed below:
BIO 138, 156, 104, 112, 113, 187, 164, 168, 173
CHM 105, 122, 132, 165, 175, 263, 273
ENV 115, 116 (if student has credit for ENV115)
PHY 106, 152, 160, 161, 213, 223
PHS 152  
MAT 114, 116, 129, 130, 141, 157, 166, 211, 217, 219, 227
BUS 211

D. Humanities - 9 credits.

Select from the following:

ART 101
ASL 151, 181, 251, 291
DRA 101
FLA 141, 142, 241, 242
FLC 141, 142, 241, 242
FLF 151, 152, 241, 242
FLG 141, 142, 241, 242
FLI 141, 142, 241, 242
FLJ 141, 142, 241, 242
FLS 151, 152, 241, 242
HIS 112, 113
HUM 120, 116, 121
LIT 101, 110, 111, 130, 142, 166, 185, 188, 190, 193
MUS 100, 102
PHI 101, 105, 110
REL 101

E. Distributed Requirement - 12 credits

Select the remainder from any of the courses in the above categories A, B, C, D.

F. Electives - 16 credits

1. Students may include no more than 16 semester credit hours of vocational courses.
2. Students may include no more than 8 semester credit hours of Independent Study courses; no more than 4 semester credit hours of Independent Study may be earned in any single semester.

To receive an AA degree a student must:

  1. Maintain a 2.0 grade point average on all work applicable for the AA degree.
  2. A minimum of 1/3 of the semester credit hours applicable to the degree being pursued must be completed at DMACC. No more than 43 transfer credit hours may be applied toward the degree.
  3. Complete the final 10 semester credit hours at DMACC (or petition to the Credentials Office for, and receive, an exception).
  4. Complete a minimum of 64 semester credit hours.
  5. Include at least 48 semester credit hours of core courses.
  6. Include at least 16 semester credit hours of elective credit.

Total AA Degree Requirements - 64 credits

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