Associate of Arts in Elementary Education

The Associate of Arts in Elementary Education degree requires a minimum of 64 hours of course credits to complete, with a grade of 'C' or better in all courses and a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Additionally, some of these courses have placement or course prerequisites that must be fulfilled. Completion of these prerequisites may result in coursework beyond 64 credits.

For courses that do have prerequisites or require satisfactory placement, a grade of 'C' or better is required in the prerequisite courses. [For prerequisite purposes only, a 'P' (passing) grade is the equivalent of a 'C' grade.] More information about course prerequisites may be found in Part V, Course Descriptions, that lists individual courses, or by consulting an Academic Advisor.

Graduates must complete at least 35-36 credits of general education options as listed for the specific degree. These must include 6 credits in English composition, 3-4 credits in Mathematics, 9 credits from the Arts and Humanities, 8 credits from the Natural Sciences, and 9 credits from the Social and Behavioral Sciences. An additional 28-29 credits should be chosen carefully based on lower division and common course requirements for majors at the college or university to which the student plans to transfer.

In most Northland general education courses, special emphasis is placed upon developing written communication skills with intensive writing requirements embedded within each. Race and ethnic issue awareness is also embedded throughout the general education requirements of the Arts/Humanities, Social/Behavioral Sciences, and Physical/Biological Sciences. Specific courses, as noted in the degrees, meet the requirement for Contemporary Global/International or Historical Awareness.

All courses included in these degrees must transfer to the three Arizona public universities as direct equivalents, departmental elective credits, or general elective credits. Students planning to transfer to a four-year college or university are advised to work with NPC Academic Advisors to facilitate a smooth and efficient transfer process. Access to information about degrees and pathways, common courses, Course Equivalency Guides, transfer guides and Arizona college and university catalogs is available through an Academic Advisor or directly on the Internet at www.az.transfer.org/cas.

Transfer Degree Programs

The Associate of Arts (AA), The Associate of Arts in Elementary Education (AAEE), the Associate of Business (ABus), and the Associate of Science (AS) degrees are designed for students intending to transfer into four-year college or university programs. The general education requirements of these degrees are especially designed to transfer to Arizona's public universities, fulfilling their lower division general education requirements.

ASSOCIATE OF ARTS IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION • 64 Credits

The Associate of Arts in Elementary Education degree provides foundation skills in the teaching field and prepares students for transfer into baccalaureate initial teaching certification programs in all publicly funded universities in Arizona. The AA in Elementary Education will also prepare and qualify the student for employment as an Instructional Assistant, working in the elementary and secondary school classrooms of Northeastern Arizona. Career opportunities in elementary education exist nationwide , especially in rapidly growing states such as Arizona and among historically underserved populations such as those in many Northland district communities.

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS • 35 cr.

Completion of the 35 general education course credits fulfills all requirements for the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) requirements.

English • 6 cr.

• ENL 101 College Composition I • 3 cr.
• ENL 102 College Composition II • 3 cr.

Mathematics • 3 cr.

• MAT 142 College Math w/Contemporary Applications • 3 cr.
• or
• MAT 152 Advanced Algebra • 3 cr.

Arts and Humanities • 9 cr.

Courses must be selected from the following list and from at least two disciplines:

• ART 101 Understanding Art • 3 cr.
• ART 115 Art History I • 3 cr.
• ART 116 Art History II • 3 cr.
• ENL 220 World Literature I • 3 cr.
• ENL 221 World Literature II • 3 cr.
• ENL 224 English Literature I • 3 cr.
• ENL 225 English Literature II • 3 cr.
• HUM 150 Humanities in the Western World I • 3 cr.
• HUM 151 Humanities in the Western World II • 3 cr.
• MUS 150 Music Appreciation • 3 cr.
• PHL 101 Introduction to Philosophy • 3 cr.
• PHL 105 Introduction to Ethics • 3 cr.
• SPT 130 Introduction to Theatre • 3 cr.

Physical and Biological Sciences • 8 cr.

Courses must be selected from the following list:

• BIO 100 Biology Concepts • 4 cr.
• BIO 105 Environmental Biology • 4 cr.
• BIO 160 Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology I • 4 cr.
• BIO 181 General Biology I • 4 cr.
• BIO 182 General Biology II • 4 cr.
• **CHM 130 Fundamental Chemistry • 4 cr.
• **CHM 151 General Chemistry I • 4 cr.
• CHM 152 General Chemistry II • 4 cr.
• GEO 111 Physical Geography • 4 cr.
• GLG 101 Introduction to Geology I - Physical • 4 cr.
• GLG 102 Introduction to Geology II - Historical • 4 cr.
• PHY 113 General Physics I • 4 cr.
• PHY 114 General Physics II • 4 cr.

** Students may transfer either CHM 130 or CHM 151, but not both; therefore, CHM 130 and CHM 151 cannot be taken to satisfy the 8 credit requirement.

Social and Behavioral Sciences • 9 cr.

Courses must be selected from the list below and from at least two disciplines. At least one asterisk (*) course must be chosen in order to meet requirements for Contemporary Global/International or Historical Awareness.

• *ANT 102 Cultural Anthropology • 3 cr.
• BUS 140 Principles of Economics - Macro • 3 cr.
• BUS 141 Principles of Economics - Micro • 3 cr.
• *GEO 110 World Regional Geography • 3 cr.
• *HIS 105 U.S. History to 1877 • 3 cr.
• *HIS 106 U.S. History since 1877 • 3 cr.
• *HIS 155 Western Civilization to 1700 • 3 cr.
• *HIS 156 Western Civilization since 1700 • 3 cr.
• POS 110 American Government • 3 cr.
• PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology • 3 cr.
• PSY 200 Psychology of Adjustment • 3 cr.
• PSY 240 Developmental Psychology • 3 cr.
• SOC 120 General Sociology • 3 cr.
• SOC 121 Social Problems in America • 3 cr.
• SOC 130 Racial, Ethnic & Gender Relations in Modern Society • 3 cr.
• SOC 225 Sociology of the Family • 3 cr.

Core Requirements • 15 cr.

• EDU 200 Introduction to Education • 3 cr.
• EDU 220 Diversity in Education • 3 cr.
• EDU 222 Introduction to Special Education • 3 cr.
• MAT 161 Algebra-based Math for Elementary Teachers I • 3 cr.
• MAT 162 Algebra-based Math for Elementary Teachers II • 3 cr.

Required Electives • 14 cr.

Successful completion of one of the following:

• EDU 272 Educational Psychology • 3 cr.
• or
• EDU 276 Managing the Learning Environment • 3 cr.
• or
• EDU 291 Children's Literature • 3 cr.
• or
• ENL 291 Children's Literature • 3 cr.

Plus, successful completion of each of the following

• CIS 100 Introduction to Computer Science • 3 cr.
• POS 221 Arizona Constitution • 1 cr.
• POS 222 U.S. Constitution • 1 cr.

Plus, successful completion of six credits of unduplicated electives from the General Education Requirements list (6 cr.).

The electives component must consist of credits that transfer to all three public Arizona universities as defined in the Course Equivalency Guide of the year the student completes the course. Access to information about degrees and pathways, common courses, Course Equivalency Guides, transfer guides and Arizona college and university catalogs is available through an Academic Advisor or directly on the Internet at www.az.transfer.org/cas.