Program: Associate in Arts Degree—Overview - Pasco-Hernando Community College - a... Page 1 of 10
Pasco-Hernando Community College
2010-2011 Catalog and Student Handbook
Associate in Arts Degree—Overview
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PHCC provides programs of instruction consisting of college credit courses offered to freshmen
and sophomores who intend to transfer to a Baccalaureate Degree program. The State of
Florida has identified common prerequisites for all majors within the State University System
(SUS) programs. The Board of Governors of the State University System in conjunction with
FACTS.org is currently conducting a review of the common prerequisites for all academic
programs. For the most current information, students should meet with an academic advisor.
Students are strongly encouraged to schedule regular advising appointments to discuss their AA
progression.
Some college/university majors have no common prerequisites while others have very specific
prerequisites. These differing requirements should be considered when students make course
selections to satisfy the 36-credit hour General Education Requirement as well as the remaining
24 credit hours needed to complete the AA degree. (See (AA) degree General Education
Requirements for more information.)
It is the student’s responsibility to verify the transfer prerequisites and grade point average
(GPA) requirements for the specific program at the selected university.
PHCC will review student files to verify completion of the degree requirements for the student’s
declared program of study. Upon earning the credits required to meet the 60-credit AA degree,
students will be graduated. Students who graduate cannot continue to receive Title IV financial
aid and/or Florida Bright Futures while completing the transfer courses.
Intermediate Algebra (MAT 1033) may be required as a prerequisite for college-level math
courses based on placement test scores and will count as elective credit.
Gordon Rule
Rule 6A-10.030, Florida Administrative Code , hereafter referred to as the Gordon Rule, applies
to students who entered college for the first time after Spring Term of the 1982-83 academic
year. The rule stipulates the requirements of student performance in both the communications
and mathematics areas. A grade of “C” or higher is required for all General Education courses,
whether they are being used to fulfill program or elective requirements.
Prior to the award of an Associate in Arts degree, students at the College must fulfill the
communication and computation requirements of the Gordon Rule by successfully completing
the following courses with a grade of “C” or higher:
1. Six (6) credit hours consisting English Composition I (ENC 1101), and English
Composition II (ENC 1102), or a course equivalent to English Composition II (ENC 1102)
2. Three (3) credit hours of humanities course work
3. Three (3) credit hours of social and behavioral sciences course work
4. Six (6) credit hours of mathematics course work at the level of College Algebra (MAC
1105), or higher
Course descriptions for all courses that fulfill the Gordon Rule communication and computation
requirements will include a statement indicating that the course satisfies the Gordon Rule and
that a grade of “C” or higher must be attained. These course descriptions are contained in the
PHCC College Catalog/Student Handbook. Students taking any course that is identified in the
PHCC College Catalog/Student Handbook as a Gordon Rule course must fulfill the writing
requirements of that course whether they are taking the course to fulfill General Education
requirements or as an elective.
http://catalog.phcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=7&poid=209&returnto=376&print
1/31/2011
Program: Associate in Arts Degree—Overview - Pasco-Hernando Community College - a... Page 2 of 10
Gordon Rule Writing Intensive Courses
PHCC’s faculty have established the following rationale for identifying writing intensive courses
that may be used to satisfy the college-level communication portion of the Gordon Rule:
A writing-intensive course is a content-specific course that has as major instructional, learning
and assessment objectives, a substantial discipline-based writing component that consists of
instructor-assessed, college-level writing assignments. College-level writing exhibits critical and
analytical skills to discuss a topic; presents paragraphs that are focused, developed, organized,
coherent, and unified; expresses ideas in complete, clear, well-structured sentences; and
enhances ideas through discipline-appropriate diction, conventions, and rhetorical strategies. In
a writing-intensive course, students are expected to produce a substantial amount of disciplinebased writing of which the majority is assessed by faculty towards refining college-level writing
skills in a specific discipline.
Foreign Language Requirement
Based on Florida Statute 240.233, all undergraduate students who are admitted to a state
university shall have earned two credits of sequential foreign language or American Sign
Language at the secondary level or the equivalent of such instruction (eight to ten semester
hours) at the postsecondary level.
An alternate method for students to demonstrate equivalent foreign language competence is by
means of credit awarded on the basis of scores on the foreign language subject matter
examinations in the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) as indicated in Rule 6A-10.024
(5)(b), F.A.C., which shall count toward the eight to ten semester hours. The examination,
minimum scores for awarding credit, and maximum credit to be awarded are:
Examination
French
German
Spanish
Minimum Score
Maximum Credit
62
50
63
50
66
50
8
4
8
4
8
4
Any AA degree graduate from a Florida state college admitted without meeting the foreign
language requirement must earn such credits prior to graduation from a state university.
Objectives of the AA Degree
The purpose of the AA degree program is to prepare students for transfer at the junior level,
especially to the State University System (SUS) of Florida, by providing academic courses which
are parallel in both content and quality to those taught within the SUS.
General Education Student Learning Outcomes
The General Education curriculum at PHCC provides students with varied opportunities to
integrate knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes that are essential for personal, intellectual,
and professional enrichment. The College’s General Education curriculum assures breadth that
cannot be found in any specific discipline. It exposes all degree-seeking students to a diversity
of disciplines.
A student learning outcome is a statement of what students should understand and be able to
do as a result of what they learned in a course or program of study. The College’s General
Education Student Learning Outcomes are:
Communications: Students will display effective reading, writing, speaking, listening, and
non-verbal communication skills.
http://catalog.phcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=7&poid=209&returnto=376&print
1/31/2011