Academic Catalogs

Associate Degree (AA, AS)

Orange Coast College awards the Associate Degree to students who have met all the requirements for graduation. OCC offers the Associate in Arts and the Associate in Science Degrees. Check with your counselor to determine which degree you should complete.

In accordance with the law and with rules and regulations of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges and the Board of Trustees of the Coast Community College District, the requirements for the degree of Associate in Arts or Associate in Science include the following:

  1. Unit Requirement
    60 Degree-applicable UNITS, with at least a 2.0-grade point average. At least 12 of the units must be earned in residence within the Coast Colleges (Orange Coast College, Golden West College and/or Coastline College), with a minimum of one course taken for a letter grade. At least 3 units of major coursework from the program must be completed at OCC. A student must be enrolled at the time of application for graduation. Units earned at an accredited college or university on a credit/no credit basis will be counted toward the degree requirements of the college, to a maximum of 15 units.
  2. Major Requirement
    Complete the AA or AS major requirements as detailed in the Degree and Certificate section of this catalog.
  3. Mathematics Requirement
    Demonstrate competence in mathematics by either obtaining a satisfactory grade (grade of “C” or better or “pass”) in a mathematics course at or above the level of Intermediate Algebra as demonstrated by prior coursework or by demonstrating competency that is comparable through the completion of a college-level math course: Psychology A160 or Math A100 or higher, except Math A220. 

*Any baccalaureate-level mathematics coursework (does not require a prerequisite of intermediate algebra) fulfills the mathematics requirement regardless of equivalency with OCC coursework.

4. General Education Requirement
Students may choose to complete Option 1 (OCC AA/AS GE), Option 2 (CSU GE), or Option 3 (IGETC) to satisfy the general education requirement. See the General Education Patterns section of this catalog for more information.

5. Global and Multicultural Requirement (Required for AA degree only)
Some of the courses listed in this requirement can also be used to meet General Education Requirements. Courses that are repeatable for credit can only be used once in this area.
Select one or more courses from the following totaling 3 units (Courses subject to change. To confirm course eligibility, schedule an appointment with a counselor):

Course Title Units
ANTH A100Cultural Anthropology 13
ANTH A100HCultural Anthropology Honors 13
ANTH A102Native American 13
ANTH A190Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology 13
CMST A155Intercultural Communications 13
CDE A126Teaching in a Diverse Society3
COUN A107Chicana/o & Latina/o Experience and Success in Higher Education 13
COUN A107HChicana/o & Latina/o Experience and Success in Higher Education Honors 13
DANC A130Mid-Eastern Dance 1 10.5-2
DANC A135Flamenco Dance 1 10.5-2
DANC A138African Dance and Drumming I 10.5-2
ENGL A152Race, Culture, and Identity in Literature 13
ENGL A173Women Writers 13
ETHS A100Contemporary Ethnic America 13
ETHS A110Introduction to LatinX Studies3
ETHS A115Introduction to Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies3
ETHS A150Ethnic Groups in the United States: Their Histories 13
ETHS A190The Ethnic Family3
FN A185Cultural Foods2
GEOG A185Cultural Geography 13
HIST A101Afro-American History 13
HIST A150Ethnic Groups of the United States: Their Histories 13
HIST A151History of the Middle East to 1500 13
HIST A152History of the Middle East Since 1500 13
HIST A161World History 1 13
HIST A161HWorld History 1 Honors 13
HIST A162World History 2 13
HIST A162HWorld History 2 Honors 13
PHIL A120Ethics 13
RLST A110World Religion 13
RLST A150Eastern Thought 13
SOC A100Introduction to Sociology 13
SJS A101Introduction to Race and Ethnicity3
SJS A102Social Justice and Activism3
SOC A100HIntroduction to Sociology Honors 13
SOC A150Introduction to Race and Ethnicity 13
1

Denotes courses that fulfill CSU GE Breadth and/or IGETC requirements.  See the General Education Patterns section of this catalog for more information.