Academic Catalogs

Liberal Arts, Associate in Arts Degree

Banner Code: 1_AA_LIB

Control Number: 04040

Financial Aid Eligible


Complete eighteen (18) units from the following and the Associate in Arts graduation requirements as outlined in the Graduation Requirements section of the catalog. If a student chooses this degree option, a plan must be developed with a counselor and placed on file prior to petitioning for graduation.

Associate in Arts Degree Requirements

  1. UNIT REQUIREMENT - 60 UNITS, with at least a 2.0 grade point average. At least 12 of the units must be earned at OCC, with a minimum of one course taken for a letter grade. At least 3 units in an advanced course 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 major requirements.
  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 that has Intermediate Algebra as a prerequisite: Psychology A160 or Math A100 or higher, with the exception of Math A220.
  4. GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENT - Students may choose to complete Option 1 (OCC AA 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: Anthropology A100*, A100H*, A102*, A190*, Art A108*, Communication Studies A155*, Counseling A107*, A107H*, Dance A130*, A133*, A135*, A137*, A138*, Early Childhood A126, English A152*, A173*, Ethnic Studies A100*, A150*, Fashion A125, Food, and Nutrition A185, Geography A185*, History A101*, A110*, A141, A142, A145,* A150*, A151*, A152*, A161*, A161H*, A162*, A162H*, Philosophy A120*, Psychology A105*, Religious Studies A110*, A120*, A140*, A150*, A160, Sociology A100*, A100H*, A115*, A150*, A190* *Denotes courses that fulfill CSU GE Breadth and/ or IGETC requirements. 

All coursework must be 100 level or above.

Course Title Units
Required Courses
Select 18 units from the following:18
Cultural Anthropology (or above)
Survey of Western Art from Prehistory Through Gothic
Survey of Western Art from Renaissance to Modern
Survey of Modern and Contemporary Art History
Women in Art
Introduction to Astronomy (or above)
Principles of Biology (or above)
Principles of Chemistry (or above)
Interpersonal Communication (or above)
Appreciation Of Dance
Economics: General Concepts (or above)
Contemporary Ethnic America (or above)
Introduction to Environmental Science (or above)
Freshman Composition (or above)
History and Appreciation of the Cinema
The Great Directors of the Cinema
CHIN, FREN, GERM, ITAL, JAPN, PORT, SPAN, VIET
A180 or above
Introduction to Gender Studies (or above)
World Regional Geography (or above)
Afro-American History (or above)
Introduction to the Humanities (or above)
Oceanography (or above)
History and Appreciation of Western Classical Music
Music from Bach Up to Rock
Theory 1
Introduction to Philosophy (or above)
Photography and Society
History and Aesthetics of Still Photography
Introduction to Psychology (or above)
Introduction to Religious Studies (or above)
Introduction to Sociology (or above)
Introduction to Theatre
Introduction to History and Literature of the Theatre
Drama and Acting
Minimum Program Major Units18
AA General Education Option 1, 2, or 3Varies
Transferable electives as needed to satisfy unit requirementVaries
Total Units60