Associate in Arts
Our program has a comprehensive curriculum that builds a solid academic foundation for students planning to transfer into a four-year institution's Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science program.
Begin Your Journey
- Enjoy smaller class sizes taught by qualified instructors.
- Experience the flexibility of instruction delivered through traditional, hybrid, or online classes.
- Utilize our Transfer Center for assistance mapping your journey to academic success.
- Take advantage of free tutoring and drop-in labs.
* This program is available online. Note that the only Mathematics courses offered online are MAT-143
and MAT-152.
* This program is financial aid eligible.
Degree Requirements
Courses Semester Hours
UNIVERSAL GENERAL EDUCATION TRANSFER COMPONENT (31-32 SHC) 31-32
The Universal General Education Component (UGETC) includes study in the areas of humanities, fine arts, communication, social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences, mathematics, and English composition.
English Composition (6 SHC)................................................................. 6
Two English composition courses are required:
ENG-111 and ENG-112
Humanities/Fine Arts (9 SHC)................................................................ 9
Select three courses. Those courses must be from at least two different disciplines areas:
Art (ART-111, 114, 115)
Communication (COM-120, 231)
Drama (DRA-111)
Literature (ENG-231, 232, 241, 242)
Music (MUS-110, 112)
Philosophy (PHI-215, 240)
Social/Behavioral Sciences (9 SHC)...................................................... 9
Select three courses. Those courses must be from at least two different disciplines areas:
Economics (ECO-251, 252)
History (HIS-111, 112, 131, 132)
Political Science (POL-120)
Psychology (PSY-150)
Sociology (SOC-210)
Mathematics (3-4 SHC)......................................................................... 3-4
Select one course from the following: MAT-143, 152, 171
Natural Sciences (4 SHC)......................................................................... 4
Select 4 SHC from the following:
Astronomy (AST-111 & 111A)
Biology (BIO-110, 111)
Chemistry (CHM-151)
Geology (GEL-111)
Physics (PHY-110 & 110A)
ADDITIONAL GENERAL EDUCATION HOURS (13-14 SHC)*.. 13-14
An additional 13-14 SHC of courses should be selected from the list below. Those courses are classified as general education within the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement. Students should select these courses based on their intended major and transfer university. While most of these are not UGETC courses, UGETC courses may also be used in this category, if not used elsewhere.
ANT-210, 220, 221, 240
ASL-111, 112, 211, 212
BIO-112, 120, 130, 140 and 140A
CHM-152
CIS-110, 115
COM-110, 140
DRA-126, 211, 212
ECO-151
ENG-114, 131, 261, 262
FRE-111, 112, 211, 212
HIS-121, 122
HUM-110, 115, 120, 122, 130, 150, 160, 211, 212, 220
MAT-172, 263, 271, 272, 273
MUS-210
PHY-151, 152, 251, 252
POL-110, 210, 220
PSY-237, 239, 241, 281
REL-110, 211, 212, 221
SOC-213, 220, 225, 230, 240
SPA-111, 112, 211, 212
TOTAL GENERAL EDUCATION HOURS REQUIRED (45 SHC).... 45
Note: If students have more than 45 credits in the General Education section, the extra credits can be applied to the Other Required Hours section.
OTHER REQUIRED HOURS (15 SHC)*...................................................... 15
Academic Transition (1 SHC)................................................................. 1
The following course is required:
ACA-122 College Transfer Success
An additional 14 SHC of courses should be selected from the list below. Those courses are classified as pre-major, elective or general education courses within the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement. Students should select these courses based on their intended major and transfer university. UGETC courses and Additional General Education Hours courses may also be used in this category, if not used elsewhere.
ACC-120, 121
All ART Prefix Courses
BIO-155, 163, 168, 169, 175, 271, 275
BUS-110, 115, 137
CHM-130 and 130A, 251, 252
CJC-111, 113, 121, 141, 212
COM-150
CSC-134, 139, 151
CTS-115
DFT-170
All DRA Prefix Courses
EDU-131, 144, 145, 216, 221
EGR-120, 150, 220
ENG-125, 126, 273
HEA-112
HIS-151, 221, 236
HUM-170, 180, 230
MAT-285
All MUS Prefix Courses
All PED Prefix Courses
PSY-230, 231, 243, 249, 259, 263, 271, 275
SOC-234, 242
SPA-161
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS CREDIT (SHC) IN PROGRAM...... 60-61
*Students must meet the receiving university's foreign language and/or health and physical education requirements, if applicable, prior to or after transfer to the senior institution.
| Course Hours Per Week | Semester Hours | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester (Fall) | Class | Lab | Credit | |
| ACA-122 | College Transfer Success | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| ENG-111 | Writing and Inquiry | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| *** | AST, BIO, CHM, GEL, or PHY UGETC course | 4 | ||
| *** | Hum/FA/Com UGETC course | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| *** | Soc/Beh Science UGETC course | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| *** | Soc/Beh Science UGETC course | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 12 | 2 | 17 | |
| Second Semester (Spring) | Class | Lab | Credit | |
| ENG-112 | Writing/Research in the Disc | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| MAT*** | Math UGETC course | 3-4 | ||
| *** | Hum/FA/Com UGETC course | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| *** | Hum/FA/Com UGETC course | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| *** | Soc/Beh Science UGETC course | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 12 | 0 | 15-16 | |
| Third Semester (Fall) | Class | Lab | Credit | |
| *** | Additional Gen Ed courses or Other Required Hours courses | 14 | ||
| Credit Hours | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| Fourth Semester (Spring) | Class | Lab | Credit | |
| *** | Additional Gen Ed courses or Other Required Hours courses | 14 | ||
| Credit Hours | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| Total Required Minimum Semester Hours Credit | 60 | |||
Expenses estimated over the two-year program timeline.
| ITEM | IN-STATE COST | OUT-OF-STATE COST |
| Tuition* | $4,560.00 | $16,080.00 |
| Student Activity Fee | $140.00 | $140.00 |
| Technology Fee | $192.00 | $192.00 |
| Textbooks | $600.00-$2,870.00 | $600.00-$2,870.00 |
*Program credit hours: 60 – $76.00 per credit hour in-state tuition, $268.00 per credit hour out-of-state tuition.
Sandhills is committed to the belief that every student should have an opportunity to pursue an education, regardless of financial resources. We are here to guide you through the financial aid system to make costs more manageable and higher education more accessible.
Transfer Agreements
The Associate in Arts degree is designed for students who wish to transfer to a university to earn a Bachelor of Arts or Science. Courses are approved for transfer through the Comprehensive Articulation Agreements (CAA). To be eligible for the transfer of credits under the CAA, A.A. graduates must obtain a grade of “C” or better in all CAA courses and an overall GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. A.A. graduates who have earned 60 semester hours of academic credit in approved transfer courses with a grade of “C” or better in each course and an overall GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale will receive at least 60 semester hours of academic credit upon admission to a university. A.A. transfer students are strongly encouraged to align their course work to the Baccalaureate Degree Plan (BDP) of their intended major at their intended university. Baccalaureate Degree Plans are available on the University of North Carolina System web site linked below.
Students who do not complete all degree or general education requirements of the Comprehensive
Articulation Agreement (CAA) will be able to transfer credit on a course-by-course
basis and must comply with the requirements of the receiving institution. In all cases,
it remains the responsibility of the student to be aware of special requirements of
a particular institution or program.
Students who wish to transfer to a North Carolina independent college or university
should consult the Independent Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (ICAA).
In addition, Sandhills CC partners with the universities linked below to offer guaranteed admission. Be aware that some of those guaranteed admission programs apply to a first-semester community college student and require a higher than 2.0 GPA.
Helpful Links
| University of North Carolina System – Transfer Information |
| University of North Carolina System – Program and Degre Finder |
Contact
Professor Catherine Skura, University Studies Coordinator
207-208 Stone Hall
(910) 695-3750
skurac@sandhills.edu