Academic Catalog

Associate in Arts Program

The A.A. degree prepares students for transfer as juniors to a Florida public university; however, students need to be aware of specific courses required for acceptance into most majors. With careful selection, these courses may be used as either general education requirements or as electives. The A.A. degree guarantees admission to a Florida public university but not necessarily to an upper division, limited access program which may have additional requirements.

Financial Aid 

Any course taken above the minimum credit hours required for the AA degree (60 credit hours) may not be covered by financial aid. Only required courses for an LSSC degree or qualifying certificate program are eligible for federal financial aid.  Verify course choices and avoid charges by making an appointment with an academic advisor.

Writing Emphasis or "Gordon Rule" Requirement

In addition to the two required Area I: Communications courses, A.A. students must select two additional courses from the list below to complete the remaining 6 credit hours of the 12 credit hour Writing Emphasis or "Gordon Rule" Writing (GRW) requirement. Courses used toward the satisfaction of this 12 credit hour Writing Emphasis (GRW) requirement must be passed with a grade of “C” or higher.

Writing Emphasis Courses (p. )

Foreign Language Requirement

All AA degree seeking students must satisfy the foreign language requirement prior to graduation by:

  1. Option 1) Completed and passed two years of one language in high school.
    or
  2. Option 2) Complete and pass the second course of one foreign language sequence at the college level 
    or
  3. Option 3) Take a CLEP exam and submit qualifying test scores

Any credit hours obtained at the college level may be included in the Program Electives component of the AA degree.

Civic Literacy Requirement

As per the amended Florida Rule 6A-10.02413, prior to the award of an associate in arts or baccalaureate degree, LSSC students under the 2021-2022 Catalog and thereafter must demonstrate competency in civic literacy through one of the following options prior to graduation:

  • successfully passing POS 2041 American National Government or AMH 2020 U.S. History Since 1877 and achieving a 60% or higher on the Florida Civic Literacy Exam , or
  • successfully passing a prescribed assessment:
    • AP Government & Politics Test: United States (passing score of 3), or
    • AP U.S. History Test (passing score of 4), or
    • CLEP: American Government (passing score of 50)

To verify your Civic Literacy Requirement, please visit DegreeWorks. 

LSSC Residency Requirement

Students must complete 25% of the AA degree's total credits (15 credit hours) at LSSC to qualify for graduation.

For information about career options, visit www.lssc.edu/careers.

Academic Advising

Career Development Services