Responsibility for meeting the requirements for graduation with an Associate in Arts degree rests with the student. To be awarded an A.A. degree from Valencia College a student must have an active student record and do the following:
- Complete 60 eligible college-level credits which may include the following:
- a maximum of six elective credits may be in music ensemble courses and/or physical education activity courses; and/or
- a maximum of twelve credits may be in college-level English as a Second Language for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses; and/or
- a maximum of four credits may be in internship courses; and/or
- a maximum of four credits may be in SLS 2940 SERVICE LEARNING and SLS 2940H SERVICE LEARNING (combined); and/or
- a maximum of eight credits may be in military science courses; and/or
- a maximum of 45 credits may be in any combination of Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), credit-by-examination, DANTES, Excelsior, experiential learning, and International Baccalaureate.
- Complete the 36 credits of General Education described in the A.A. degree course requirements section. Honors sections of general education courses will satisfy this program requirement.
- Complete the 24 credits of electives described in the A.A. degree course requirements section.
- Satisfy the foreign language proficiency requirement described in the A.A. degree course requirements section.
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Satisfy the civic literacy requirement. As per Florida Rule 6A-10.04213, prior to the award of an associate in arts or baccalaureate degree, students initially entering a Florida College System institution in the 2021-22 school year*, and thereafter must demonstrate competency in civic literacy prior to graduation by:
a. receiving a passing score on the Florida Civic Literacy Exam (FCLE), and
b. successful completion of one of the following:
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successfully passing POS 2041 U.S. GOVERNMENT, or AMH 2010 UNITED STATES HISTORY TO 1877 or
AMH 2020 U.S. HISTORY 1877 TO PRESENT or
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successfully passing a prescribed assessment:
AP Government & Politics: United States Test** (passing score =3), or
AP United States History Test** (passing score = 4), or
CLEP American Government** (passing score = 50)
CLEP History of the United States I** (passing score = 50)
*The Department of Education has provided guidance that the Civic Literacy requirement is based on the student's governing catalog year (e.g., it is for all students who have a catalog year of Fall 2021 or after even if they had previously attended a Florida public institution).
**receiving a passing score will satisfy both the FCLE and course requirements.
- Satisfy entry testing requirements and complete, with a minimum grade of C, all required mandatory courses in reading, mathematics, English and/or English for Academic Purposes.
- Earn a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in:
- all earned credit hours at Valencia (Institutional GPA)
- all earned credit hours (Overall GPA)
- Submit official transcripts of all college course work, including course work attempted at other institutions following initial enrollment at Valencia.
- Complete at Valencia at least 25% of the college-level credits required for the degree.
- Complete with a grade of C or better the courses which satisfy the Gordon Rule requirements (6A-10.30 Florida Administrative Code):
- ENC 1101 FRESHMAN COMPOSITION I or ENC 1101H FRESHMAN COMPOSITION I - HONORS
- ENC 1102 FRESHMAN COMPOSITION II or ENC 1102H FRESHMAN COMPOSITION II - HONORS
- One three-credit Gordon Rule Humanities course
- One three-credit Gordon Rule Social Science course
- Six credits of general education mathematics courses.
- Obtain a degree audit through your Atlas account and review it for readiness to submit your application for graduation.
- Submit an application for graduation online through Atlas by the deadline date listed in the Academic Calendar in the online official catalog. You must have at least 60 college-level credits, including all courses for which you are currently registered, and meet all GPA requirements in order to submit your graduation application.
- Fulfill all financial obligations to Valencia.
Important Notes:
- Valencia awards degrees to students at the end of each Fall, Spring, and Summer Full Term, and holds commencement ceremonies annually at the end of Fall and Spring Term.
- Your governing catalog is the Valencia College catalog in effect at the time of your initial enrollment in associate or bachelor’s degree credit courses as a degree-seeking student at Valencia. A Valencia catalog is valid for five academic years provided you are continuously enrolled as defined in the glossary of this catalog. If you are applying to a limited access program and the admissions requirements change within your five year catalog time period, you will qualify for a transition plan to the new requirements. Your governing catalog will be updated to the Valencia College catalog in effect at the time of your enrollment in the limited access program. You may officially declare any subsequent catalog as your governing catalog and follow its requirements for your initial degree or certificate program until that catalog expires. If you change your degree or certificate program, your governing catalog will be the catalog in effect at the time of your change. If you add a degree or certificate program, the new program will be governed by the catalog in effect at the time of the addition while the governing catalog for the original program will remain unchanged. If your governing catalog has expired, your new governing catalog will be the catalog in effect in your next term of enrollment. Should the District Board of Trustees approve changes in program requirements to be effective within the academic year, the revised requirements will be available in the catalog, academic departments, and Student Success Coaches offices. Students affected by the change in requirements should contact the appropriate Student Success Coach, Program Director, or Academic Dean to discuss degree requirements and education plan options.
- You may earn one Associate in Arts degree from Valencia. If you have earned an Associate in Arts or Bachelor’s degree from an institution that has regional accreditation in the U.S., you are not eligible to be awarded an Associate in Arts degree from Valencia. If you have earned an Associate in Arts or Bachelor’s degree in a foreign country, you are eligible to earn an Associate in Arts degree at Valencia College. (In addition to the Associate in Arts degree, you may earn any number of Associate in Science degrees.)
- If you want to earn more than one degree at Valencia, you may complete the first degree and then pursue another degree or you may pursue two degrees at the same time. Whenever possible, a course will be applied to more than one degree.
- You will not receive grade forgiveness for any course that counts toward your degree and is repeated after you have been awarded the degree from Valencia.
