Associate of Arts Degree

The Associate of Arts degree is designed to give you a traditional liberal arts education that will transfer to a four year college or university. The AA provides a solid foundation of study in the areas of arts and humanities, communication, or social sciences.

Spend two years at PPCC, earning your Associate of Arts, and we’ll send you off with half the credits you’ll need for a Bachelor of Arts, Guaranteed.

If you sign up for the 60+60 Bachelor’s Degree Transfer Program, we guarantee that the credits you’ve earned at PPCC will automatically be accepted by any four-year, public institution of higher learning in the state – providing, of course, you follow a few simple rules. For instance, you have to maintain at least a “C” in each of your 60+60 courses. And only approved 60+60 courses apply. But other than that, there’s hardly anything difficult about it.

If you think you might want to move on to a state college or university after completing your two years at PPCC, ask one of our advisors about the 60+60 program. Find out more at www.ppcc.edu/60plus60.  Contact a military advisor at mil.programs@ppcc.edu.

Pikes Peak Community College is approved by the Colorado State Approving Agency for Veterans Education. Our degree and certificate programs are approved for payment of educational benefits to those veterans and dependents that are determined eligible by the Veterans Administration.  The Veterans Affairs office at Centennial Campus has staff that can provide assistance with the necessary VA forms to apply for payment of benefits. For additional information, please contact va@ppcc.edu

Degree Requirements:

I. Communications

Nine (9) credit hours

• GT-CO1:ENG 121
• GT-CO2:ENG 122
• COM 115 or COM 125*

*This requirement is a Colorado Community College System requirement and is in addition to the State Guaranteed General Education Transfer Courses.

II. Art and Humanities

Nine (9) credit hours

Select three (3) courses, with no more than two (2) courses from any one (1) of the following categories:

• GT-AH1:ART 110, ART 111, ART 112, MUS 120, MUS 121, MUS 122
• GT-AH2:HUM 121, HUM 122, HUM 123, LIT 115, LIT 201, LIT 202, LIT 211, LIT 212, LIT 221, LIT 222
• GT-AH3:PHI 111, PHI 112, PHI 113, PHI 114, PHI 214
• GT-AH4:FRE 211, FRE 212, GER 211, GER 212, SPA 211, SPA 212

III. Mathematics

Three (3) credit hours minimum (credit hours over three (3) will be applied to the electives category).

• GT-MA1:MAT 120, MAT 121, MAT 122, MAT 123, MAT 125, MAT 135, MAT 155, MAT 156, MAT 166, MAT 201, MAT 202, MAT 203, MAT 255, MAT 265

*Students who choose to take MAT 155 must also take MAT 156 to satisfy this requirement.

IV. Social and Behavioral Sciences

Nine (9) credit hours

Select 3 courses, at least 1 of which must be History, with no more than 2 courses from any 1 category.

• GT-HI1:HIS 101, HIS 102, HIS 111, HIS 112, HIS 201, HIS 202, HIS 247
• GT-SS1:ECO 201, ECO 202, POS 105, POS 111, POS 205
• GT-SS2:GEO 105, GEO 106
• GT-SS3:ANT 101, ANT 107, ANT 111, ANT 215, PSY 101, PSY 102, PSY 205, PSY 226, PSY 235, PSY 238, PSY 249, SOC 101, SOC 102, SOC 231

V. Physical and Life Sciences

Eight (8) credit hours: select two (2) courses (credits over eight (8) will be applied to the electives category). 

• GT-SC1:AST 101, AST 102, BIO 105, BIO 111, BIO 112, BIO 201, BIO 202, BIO 204, CHE 101, CHE 102, CHE 105, CHE 111, CHE 112, ENV 101, GEO 111, GEY 111, GEY 121, PHY 105, PHY 111, PHY 112, PHY 211, PHY 212

VI. Fine Arts/Communications*

One to three (1-3) credit hours

• Select one (1) to three (3) credit hours from the approved list in the catalog – contact your advisor for more information.

*This requirement does not apply to transfer programs with state-approved articulation agreements.

VII. Computer Communication

Three (3) credit hours

• CSC 105 or CSC 120

Students entering with strong computer skills have three options for meeting this requirement:

a) Challenge and receive credit for CSC 105 by enrolling in an Open Entry/ Open Exit section and successfully completing with a C or higher. 

b) Meet the requirement through Credit for Prior Learning.

c) Waive the requirement by applying to the Business, Social & Behavioral Sciences Division.  Waiving will require proof of competency via completion of a self test and a structured interview with a faculty member from the CIS or CSC department. Waiver also requires the credits be replaced by another elective from the approved elective course list.

VIII. Electives

Sixteen to eighteen (16-18) credit hours selected from the AA approved course list.

Other Requirements

1. A minimum of 60 credit hours in a prescribed program of study with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (a C average). At least 15 of these credit hours must be earned from PPCC.
2. Only 6 elective credits are allowed in any combination of PED courses.
3. Students may concentrate their study in a specialized area such as speech communication, journalism, or political science. Many “Course of Study” are included in the next section of this catalog.
4. Career and technical courses, whether taken at another institution or at PPCC, are not accepted toward this degree without approval of the Vice President for Educational Services. Approval is given only when it is appropriate to the educational objectives of a student.
5. Courses numbered below 100 do not apply toward degrees.

Foreign Language Note: It is advisable to verify the foreign language admissions requirements for the university/four-year college you are planning to attend. For example, many of the Colorado four-year institutions require foreign languages for admission; the CU system requires 2-3 years of high school foreign language (or equivalent 2-3 semesters at Pikes Peak Community College). Students planning to attend a Colorado four-year institution who do not have the prerequisite foreign language requirement from high school should consider enrolling in these courses in addition to the degree requirements.

To tailor your electives to your specific degree plan please contact Vanessa Cook or Cheri Arfsten prior to selecting electives.