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General Education Requirements
The general education requirements for associate degrees at Florida Gateway College are consistent with the College philosophy which states that each student who attends the College shall be assisted in acquiring learning as a lifelong pattern. Specifically, students in career-oriented areas should be able to communicate, to calculate, and to understand the social and scientific implications of the world around them. Students seeking transfer to a baccalaureate program should complete a general education requirement which is broad in scope and requires an in-depth level of inquiry.
The College recognizes that student learning goals may change during a lifetime; therefore, the general education requirement for all degrees is collegiate in nature and, as such, should provide an academic foundation for lifelong learning. It is designed to meet students at their levels of ability and assist them in attaining collegiate levels of performance. Not all students come to the College prepared for this level of endeavor. Developmental education courses, therefore, are provided to assist the student in gaining the requisite skills necessary to be successful in a work or collegiate setting.
Students in the Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree are required to demonstrate computer competency with the completion of the computer competency course within Canvas during the first semester and prior to registering for the second semester.
Florida Gateway College requires students in all associate degree programs to demonstrate oral communication competency. Competency is defined as the ability to perceive, interpret, evaluate, organize, and demonstrate effective oral presentation. Students who were admitted for first time registration for the summer of 2001 and after (or students who have not been enrolled for at least one semester for every year of enrollment), are required to prove competency by passing one of the following courses before graduation: ORI 2000 Fundamentals of Oral Interpretation , SPC 1017 Oral Communications , SPC 1061 Introduction to Academic and Professional Speaking , or SPC 2608 Public Speaking .
Beginning with students initially entering a Florida College System institution or state university in 2014-2015 and thereafter, (including former dual enrollment students entering college for the first time following high school graduation in fall 2014 or thereafter), coursework for an Associate in Arts degree shall include demonstration of competency in a foreign language pursuant to s.1007.262, Florida Statutes.
In accordance with Rule 6A-14.0303, beginning fall 2015, first-time-in-college students (including former dual enrollment students entering college for the first time following high school graduation in fall 2015 or thereafter) entering a Florida College System institution must complete at least one core course from each of the general education subject areas prior to the award of an Associate in Arts degree.
General Learning Outcomes
Listed below are the FGC General Learning Outcomes to be mastered by all students who complete an Associates degree program.
- Communication
Students will effectively communicate through oral or written skills.
- Critical Thinking
Students will logically evaluate, analyze, and synthesize information.
- Quantitative Reasoning
Students will apply mathematical concepts and reasoning to draw valid conclusions.
- Scientific Reasoning
Students will apply empirical evidence to evaluate natural phenomena.
- Information Literacy
Students will use information effectively and ethically.
- Cultural Awareness
Students will explain how aspects of culture relate to the human experience.
General Information
A student wishing to transfer to an upper division university should be enrolled in courses leading to the Associate in Arts degree (A.A.). The Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree is the freshman and sophomore years of a four-year bachelor’s degree. Florida Gateway College offers a wide range of preprofessional courses designed to prepare students to transfer to upper division universities.
The transfer articulation agreement between state universities in Florida and Florida College System (FCS) institutions allows each FCS institution to develop its own general education requirements and determine what electives are allowed for the granting of the Associate in Arts degree. A student who completes the general education program at a FCS institution will not be required to complete other general education requirements at the four-year university.
A student should realize that upper division universities also set their own academic requirements for entry into specific programs. The College will make every effort to advise a student concerning upper division requirements for each major. However, for reliable information concerning which electives to choose while in residence at Florida Gateway College, each student is encouraged to consult with the dean, department chair, advisor or registrar of the school he or she expects to attend. Students are strongly encouraged to declare a major upon first enrolling at the College, because courses selected for electives may have to be used to meet university prerequisites to degree programs.
A student who has determined a professional program of study should become thoroughly familiar with the requirements for admission into that program at the particular four-year university to which he or she plans to transfer. The following meta-major academic pathways are established for the purpose of advising Florida College System associate degree seeking students of the gateway courses that are aligned with their intended academic and career goals.
- Arts, humanities, communication and design
- Business
- Education
- Health sciences
- Industry/manufacturing and construction
- Public safety
- Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
- Social and behavioral sciences and human services
Graduation Requirements
Graduation requirements for the Associate in Arts degree are shown below. A student who owes an obligation to the college will not receive a diploma or transcript until the obligation is resolved.
- Demonstrate competence in oral communication and computer literacy by assessment or passing the appropriate courses. Computer competency must be met during the first semester at FGC and prior to registering for the second semester.
- Complete general education requirements (36 semester hours) and elective courses (24 semester hours) to complete a minimum of 60 semester hours,
- Complete the college residency requirement, which is a minimum of 25 percent of credits of the program at Florida Gateway College before graduation,
- Demonstrate foreign language competencies. The Florida Department of Education has identified the competencies as successful completion of two credits of the same foreign language or American Sign Language in high school, the equivalent of completion of the elementary 2 level at the postsecondary level, or passing scores as determined by the Articulation Coordinating Committee (ACC) Credit-By-Exam Equivalencies for the elementary 2 level course, as adopted by the Board of Governors. A student whose native language is not English may demonstrate proficiency in their native language by one of the following:
- Submitting proof of high school graduation from an institution where the language of instruction was in the native language.
- Submitting proof of college attendance for at least one year in an institution where the language of instruction was in the native language.
- Passing an FGC approved examination.
All transcripts from foreign high schools or colleges to be considered to meet the foreign language requirement for the Associate in Arts degree must be evaluated and translated by an approved foreign credential evaluation and translation service. FGC reserves the right to validate the foreign language competency of any student prior to awarding the Associate in Arts degree through methods including, but not limited to, review of official transcripts, portfolio and performance reviews, competency testing, standardized testing, or other methods determined by FGC that are designed to assess the foreign language competencies outlined in state rules.
- Complete multiple writing assignments in the areas below with a grade of C or better in each course,
Communications
Humanities
Social Sciences
- Earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all college credit courses,
- Complete at least one core course from each of the five general education subject areas. General Education core course options are identified in Rule 6A-14.0303. Institutions are not required to offer all core course options, but all core course options identified in rule must be accepted in transfer as meeting general education requirements in the area for which the course is designated. Students may satisfy core course requirements in communication, mathematics or natural sciences by completing a course that has a core course as a direct prerequisite, as shown below.
The remaining courses and credits, in addition to the core course options, to fulfill the total 36-hour general education requirement are at the discretion of the Florida College System institution.
General Education Core Course Options:
Communication:
ENC 1101
Any student who successfully completes a course with an ENC prefix for which ENC 1101 is an immediate prerequisite shall be considered to have completed the communication core.
Humanities:
ARH 1000
HUM 2020
LIT 2000
MUL 1010
PHI 2010
THE 2000
Mathematics:
MAC 1105
MAC 2311
MGF 1106
MGF 1107
STA 2023
Any student who successfully completes a mathematics course for which one of the general education core course options in mathematics is an immediate prerequisite shall be considered to have completed the mathematics core.
Natural Sciences:
AST 1002 or AST 1002C
BSC 1005
BSC 2010C
BSC 2085
CHM X020 (not offered at FGC)
CHM 2045
ESC X000 (not offered at FGC)
EVR 1001
PHY 1020
PHY 2048C
PHY 2053C
Any student who successfully completes a natural science course for which one of the general education core course options in natural science is an immediate prerequisite shall be considered to have completed the natural science core.
Social Sciences:
AMH 2020
ANT X000 (not offered at FGC)
ECO 2013
POS 1041
PSY 2012
SYG 1000
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Prior to the award of an associate in arts or baccalaureate degree, students who have no prior college credit and initially enter a Florida College System (FCS) or State University System (SUS) institution as a first-time-in-college student in fall 2018 or thereafter must meet the civic literacy requirement.
Students who were in dual enrollment prior to fall 2018 are not required to satisfy the civic literacy requirement. Prior to the award of an associate in arts or baccalaureate degree, students who began dual enrollment in the fall of 2018 or later are required to demonstrate civic literacy.
Students who are admitted to an FCS baccalaureate degree program are not considered to be first time in college; they are considered transfer or continuing students.
Civic Literacy Requirement Options:
(1) Successfully completing either POS 1041 - American Government or AMH 2020 - United States History from 1865 with a grade of C or higher
OR
(2) Achieving the standard score on one of the following assessments:
| Assessment |
Standard Score |
| AP Government and Politics: United States |
3 |
| AP United States History |
4 |
| CLEP: American Government |
50 |
- Satisfactorily complete the following specific requirements as listed below:
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Communications |
9 semester hours |
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Mathematics |
6 semester hours |
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Science |
6 semester hours |
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Social Science |
9 semester hours |
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Humanities |
6 semester hours |
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Electives |
24 semester hours |
Associate in Arts Degree Requirements
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