Avila University Core Curriculum

Program Description

The Associate of Arts, AA at JCCC is a general transfer degree and partners well with the first two years of most bachelor degree programs. Students pursuing the AA may select courses that satisfy both the AA degree requirements and lower division requirements for a bachelor’s degree at four-year institutions. The elective hours within the AA allow students to complete additional general education and lower division courses required for specific majors. The AA degree requires completion of 60 credit hours. Meeting with a JCCC counselor is strongly recommended for selection of appropriate courses.

The Avila Core Curriculum manifests Avila’s commitment to higher education grounded in the Liberal Arts. The Core Curriculum is divided into three levels of requirements that students complete while meeting the requirements for their baccalaureate degrees.

• Skills Level requirements develop fundamental skills key for both academic and professional success.

• Liberal Arts Level requirements provide diverse disciplinary lenses through which to examine the world. Concepts learned and viewpoints experienced at this level promote critical thinking and ethical decision-making with reference to real-life situations across the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and arts.

• Core Component Designations requirements focus on seeing beyond the self, immediate community, or chosen discipline. Designations include Interdisciplinary Studies, Global Studies, and Community Engagement, all of which call for application of learning across boundaries.

• All students must complete the Avila University Core Curriculum as part of their degree programs. The Core consists of a minimum of 38 credit hours that meet the requirements below.

  ● Transfer students coming to Avila with an Associate of Arts (AA), a Bachelor’s degree, or higher degree from an institution accredited by accreditors recognized by both the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the US Department of Education (USDE), or regional accrediting bodies, will be considered to have completed all Skills and Liberal Arts level requirements in the Core Curriculum. They are still required to complete the following Core Component Designations:

  ⸰ IS-Interdisciplinary Studies (3 credit hours)

  ⸰ GS-Global Studies or CE-Community Engagement (3 credit hours)

  ⸰ Any core courses specifically required as part of the general education curriculum for the student’s major not previously completed

  ● Transfer students coming to Avila without an Associate of Arts (AA), a Bachelor’s degree, or higher degree from an institution accredited by accreditors recognized by both the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the US Department of Education (USDE), or regional accrediting bodies, are required to complete all the Skills and Liberal Arts level requirements in the Core Curriculum as well as the following Core Component Designations:

  ⸰ IS-Interdisciplinary Studies (3 credit hours)

  ⸰ GS-Global Studies or CE-Community Engagement (3 credit hours)

  ⸰ Any core courses specifically required as part of the general education curriculum for the student’s major not previously completed

  ● FS 101 - First-Year Seminar (1 hours) under Skills Level, is waived for transfer students.

• Credit/No Credit Policy: No major courses specifically required for the major may be taken CR/NC. No more than 12 hours of the CR/NC grade option are applied toward an Avila University Degree. Visit the Avila University catalog for more information.