Community College Associate in Arts graduates are guaranteed certain rights under the statewide Articulation Agreement (Administrative Rule 6A-10.024). This Articulation Agreement governs the transfer of students from Florida public community college to the state university system. The agreement addresses general admission to a state university/college and Program Admission.
General Admission to Florida State Universities and Colleges
Guarantees
The Florida Articulation Agreement designates the Associate in Arts degree as the transfer degree to Florida state universities. In doing so, the Agreement guarantees that:
- Community college A.A. degree holders will be granted admission to one of the state universities or colleges, but not necessarily to limited-access programs.
- Upon transferring to a state university/college, A.A. degree graduates will be awarded at least 60 credits toward the baccalaureate degree.
- The university/college catalog in effect the year the A.A. degree student first enrolled at the community college will remain in effect for the student’s program at the university/college, provided the student maintains continuous enrollment as defined in that catalog.
- Once a student has completed the general education core courses and this is so noted on the transcript, regardless of whether or not an A.A. degree is awarded, no other state university or state community college to which the student may transfer can require additional general education core courses.
- When transferring among institutions participating in the statewide course numbering system, a receiving institution must accept all courses taken at the transfer institution if the same course with the same course number is offered at the receiving institution.
- Credits earned through acceleration mechanisms (Advanced Placement, College Level Examination Program, Dual Enrollment, International Baccalaureate, DANTES and Excelsior) within the A.A. degree at the community college will be transferable to the state university.
Students without an A.A. degree who are seeking admission to a state university do not have all the guarantees provided by the Articulation Agreement and may be denied admission or lose credit when transferring. In most cases, students without an A.A. degree will have to meet freshman admissions standards.
Admission to Specific Programs at Florida State Universities
The universities determine the courses and prerequisites that must be taken in order to receive a Bachelor’s degree for a chosen program. Although all credit earned toward an A.A. degree will transfer to a university, not all credit may satisfy the program prerequisites or the course requirements for a Bachelor’s degree. Therefore, it is important to know the program requirements and to satisfy as many of these course requirements as possible at Valencia while completing the A.A. degree.
Limited-Access
Due to limited resources, some programs have limited enrollments; in order to select students, these programs may have additional admission requirements which are more restrictive than the university’s general admission requirements. These requirements may include one or more of the following: completion of specific courses; minimum grade point average; minimum test scores; interviews, auditions; submission of a portfolio; and deadlines.
Guarantees
A.A. graduates are not guaranteed admission into limited-access programs but are guaranteed that:
- The community college student will have the same opportunity to enroll in a university limited-access program as the native university student.
- Selection and enrollment criteria for a university limited-access program will be established and published in catalogs and appropriate publications. Notification of any changes in a program will include sufficient time for prospective students to adjust to meet program criteria.
Resources are available for planning your transfer to a Bachelor’s degree program. For assistance in accessing this information, refer to the Transfer Plans in this catalog, visit Career Center, access flvc.org, or the Atlas Lab on any campus where you may complete, through the LifeMap Tools in Atlas, an education plan to prepare you for a specific major(s). Once you create an education plan, you may meet with a Student Services staff member to discuss the requirements for a particular major(s) and review your education plan. Refer to your education plan when you are selecting the courses in which you will enroll each term.
Appeals
Should any of these guarantees be denied, the student has the right to file an appeal. Each state university or college has established appeal procedures. Students may contact the state university articulation officer for information about these procedures.
Associate in Arts Degree
The Associate in Arts degree is designed for students who plan to transfer to an upper division institution. The degree requires completion of 60 hours. Of those hours, 36 need to be completed within the five areas of general education and 24 hours are elective credit. There are five areas of focus within Valencia’s general education program: Communications, Humanities, Mathematics, Science and Social Science.
Students who wish to transfer to one of the state universities, should review the degree pathways section of the catalog. These pathway plans will show you how to take courses that are required common prerequisites within each major and use them efficiently within the 36 hours of general education and the 24 hours of electives.
It is the student’s responsibility to review the requirements for admission to the major at the transfer university. For specific transfer information, meet with a Student Success Coach to review your pathway plan, and check the transfer institution catalog for specific degree requirements. Students are strongly encouraged to take electives that are related to their intended baccalaureate degree program.
| ENC 1101 | FRESHMAN COMPOSITION I (GR) +*~ | 3 |
| SPC 1608 | FUNDAMENTALS OF SPEECH ~ | 3 |
| or SPC 1017 | INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION |
| ENC 1102 | FRESHMAN COMPOSITION II (GR) +*~ | 3 |
| SLS 1122 | NEW STUDENT EXPERIENCE ~ | 3 |
| ~ | 3 |
| +*~ | 3 |
| +*~ | 3 |
| +*~ | 3 |
| ~ | 3 |
| ~ | 3 |
| ~ | 3 |
| +*~ | 3 |
| |
| | 24 |
| Total Credit Hours | 60 |
Note:
Specialized courses may not be offered every session or on every campus.
