A.A. - Associate in Arts

The Associate in Arts: University Parallel Program

The Associate in Arts Degree (A.A.) is a university parallel degree designed for students who intend to earn a bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university. The A.A. degree is comparable to the freshman and sophomore years (lower division) of a university program and requires a total of 60 college-level credit hours and cumulative grade point average of 2.0 for completion.

Within the 60 credit hour A.A. curriculum, students must successfully complete 36 credit hours of general education courses from within the subject areas of communications, mathematics, humanities, behavioral/social sciences and natural sciences. A specific number of credit hours are required in each subject area. A grade of "C" or higher must be earned in all courses designated as meeting the College-Level Communication and Computation Skills requirements dictated by the state of Florida.

The remaining 24 credit hours are electives. It is essential that students work closely with an academic advisor to choose electives required for their intended major at the university or college baccalaureate degree program.

Within the General Education and Elective credits, students must ensure that they satisfy the following requirements:

Foreign Language

Students initially entering a Florida College System institution or state university in fall 2014 and after, including former dual enrollment students entering college for the first time following high school graduation, must demonstrate competency in a foreign language pursuant to s.1007.262, Florida Statutes. Visit EFSC's Foreign Language Competency page for more details on meeting this requirement, including through proficiency testing offered at EFSC.

CORE Courses

First-time-in-college students initially entering Eastern Florida or any school in the Florida College System in fall 2015 and after must successfully complete at least one core course from each of the general education subject areas: Communications, Mathematics, Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences, pursuant to s.1007.25(3), Florida Statutes, and SBE Rule 6A.14.0303. Visit EFSC’s CORE Course page for more details on meeting this requirement.

Civic Literacy Competency

Florida lawmakers want graduates of the Florida College System to understand America's civics, especially the principles in the United States Constitution. Legislators modified the existing Civic Literacy Graduation Requirement in fall 2021 and it now impacts many more students. The requirement initially applied to some Associate in Arts students who first entered Eastern Florida State College in the 2018-2019 academic catalog year and it now covers additional students who started under the 2021-2022 catalog year and beyond. Visit the Civic Literacy Competency page for details on the requirement and how to meet it, plus detailed Frequently Asked Questions about the related courses and civic literacy exams.

Preparing for Transfer

You want to start your A.A. program with your long-range goal in mind. Florida’s Statewide Articulation Agreement, general education requirements, common prerequisites, a Statewide Course Numbering System and FloridaShines all assist students in transitioning smoothly from two-year to four-year college or university programs, including EFSC’s Bachelor degrees. Students are provided certain guarantees and protections to ensure the Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree program is comparable to the first two years of a four-year program.

To transfer into junior level work in a specific major, students must have completed the common program prerequisites for their selected baccalaureate degree. In addition to knowing the common prerequisites, you will want to identify your intended transfer institution and check on any specific admission requirements for the program you would like to transfer into. EFSC advisors can help guide you through this process and Florida's online educational hub known as FloridaShines has extensive resources for preparing to transfer.

Visit our articulation agreements page for more information on the documents that guide the transfer process after receiving an EFSC credential. Plus see the Florida College Transfer Student Bill of Rights below, explore our transfer options webpage and click to view official EFSC Catalog A.A. information.

Florida College Associate in Arts Transfer Student Bill of Rights

Students who graduate from Florida colleges with an A.A. degree are guaranteed the following rights under the Statewide Articulation Agreement (State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.024):

• Admission to one of the state universities, except to limited access programs.
• Acceptance of at least 60 semester hours by the state universities.
• Adherence to the university requirements and policies, based on the catalog in effect at the time the student first enters college, provided the student maintains continuous enrollment.
• Transfer of equivalent courses under the Statewide Course Numbering System Acceptance by the state universities of credits earned in accelerated programs (e.g., CLEP, AP, Dual Enrollment, Early Admission, International Baccalaureate and AICE).
• No additional General Education Core requirements. Advance knowledge of selection criteria for limited access programs.
• Equal opportunity with native university students to enter limited access programs.
• The state universities will honor all grade forgiveness awarded under the A.A. degree.