Liberal Arts

Overview

The Liberal Arts Associate of Arts degree offers students an opportunity to explore a variety of disciplines, focus on specific interests, or take specialized courses required for their anticipated baccalaureate programs. The program incorporates the history, values, traditions, and knowledge systems of the Iñupiat to enhance student learning. The AA degree is usually considered a transfer degree and can serve as the freshman and sophomore years at four-year colleges and universities. Students wishing to transfer are strongly urged to meet with their academic advisors early in their first year. The AA degree is also an excellent preparation for many career fields. The general education portion of the Associate of Arts degree consists of core courses providing a base of knowledge in several domains.

Degree Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Associate of Arts degree, graduates will be able to:

• Make inferences based upon scientific methods and interpretation
• Retrieve, analyze, and synthesize information for responsible decision making
• Effectively integrate concepts and knowledge for multiple disciplines
• Effectively communicate using written and oral communication

Program Entry and Timing

The AA program is designed to accommodate full and part-time students. Students may begin at any point and may take classes for which they meet the prerequisites

Course Requirements

The following matrix is designed to assist in program planning and may be modified by the student in order to meet specific requirements of the intended four-year program at a university. Each student is urged to consult with an academic advisor early in his/her freshman year to plan a program of study with reference to a specific four-year program at a university.

Important

All credits must be at the 100 level or above with at least 20 credits at the 200 level. Two semester-length courses in a non-English, indigenous language (e.g.,Iñupiaq) may substitute for one (3-credit hour) course in the Indigenous Peoples' Perspectives category of the Humanities and Social Science courses. A student who achieves the IT competency rating through testing at admission will add equivalent General Electives Credit requirements so that in all cases an AA degree will require 60 credit hours.