Academics
A college degree may be closer than you think!
As a student of a Sarasota or Manatee County school, you may have taken one or more career, technical or academy classes at your high school or technical college. Through a career pathways articulation agreement between State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) and the local school districts, students can receive college credit for the work they have completed. The Agreement provides at no cost to eligible students, college credit for eligible classes in the Certificate and Associate in Science (A.S.) Degree programs. Instructors from SCF, the high schools and the technical colleges, along with local employers, review the curriculum and agree on what courses can be given college credit.
Learn MoreAssociate in Arts (A.A.)Degree
Get your college career started off on the right foot at SCF
Earning an A.A. degree at SCF is an affordable and convenient way to start college while preparing to continue your studies in the future. Whether you are uncertain of your eventual academic and career goals, or you have a dream university you hope to one day graduate from, starting at SCF will keep you ahead of the game.
Consider the benefits:
- Affordable tuition.
- Flexible scheduling…It’s College When You Can, the Way YOU Want!
- Transferable credits accepted at any Florida public college or university.
- The full college experience, including student life organizations, fine and performing arts, and intercollegiate athletics.
SCF offers one Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree.
Associate in Arts [1058] This curriculum classification is for students who, upon graduation from SCF, transfer to a public or private college/university to earn a bachelor’s degree in a specific area of study. Many areas of study are available at Florida public and selected private colleges/universities for which students may prepare while completing the A.A. degree at SCF. Academic advisors are available to assist with program planning so that the proper academic program prerequisites are taken before successful transfer to the university/college from SCF.
Undecided [1052] This curriculum classification is for students who are undecided about their career and/or university/college major. Advisors will ensure that students are provided a broad academic background and the opportunity to focus on a wide array of academic and/or career goals.
Completing an A.A. degree at SCF fulfills the core course/Lower Division requirements at any state university in Florida.
SCF offers areas of study leading to the A.A. degree. Usually referred to as the university parallel or transfer degree, it is designed for students who plan to complete the equivalent of their first two years of college work at SCF and then transfer to a senior institution to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
The bachelor’s degree, offered by four-year colleges (including SCF) and universities, is defined by a total minimum of 120 term credits: 60 credits at the lower division plus 60 credits at the upper division. At the lower division, students enroll in general education courses and courses to prepare for the major. At the upper division, students declare the major and enroll in specific courses that constitute the major. The A.A. degree is parallel to the first 60 credits of the lower division.
The A.A. degree includes a minimum of 36 credits of general education requirements in the areas of communications, mathematics, social science, humanities and natural science. An additional 24 credits are required in course work to prepare students for their majors at the upper division of a university or four-year college. Included in the A.A. degree of 60 credits is the requirement that students complete SCF’s international/intercultural requirement and Gordon Rule writing and mathematics requirements. Students who do not complete all the international/intercultural and the Gordon Rule courses within the 60 credits must complete additional courses to fulfill A.A. degree requirements. No substitution of courses can be made without approval of the appropriate administrator(s).
Students who complete the A.A. degree and are planning to transfer to a state-assisted senior institution have transfer guarantees based on the State Articulation Agreement (SBE Rule 6A-10.024, FAC). General education requirements are considered met when SCF awards the A.A. degree, and no further general education courses will be required by state universities. When students include the state prerequisites for university majors within the A.A. degree, they are guaranteed successful transfer within Florida’s State University System, except to majors that have selective admissions or limited access.
Students attending on a part-time basis will require more than two years to complete the 60 A.A. credits. Developmental (D) credits and courses carrying only Associate in Science (A.S.) credits cannot be applied to the A.A. degree.
Students who place into one or more developmental courses are strongly encouraged to enroll in SLS 1101 Strategies for College Success (three credits) before completion of the first 15 degree-term credits.