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Associate of Arts
General Education Requirements

The AA in General Studies requires you to complete 35 credits of general education coursework.

Within your associate degree program, University of Maryland Global Campus incorporates core and program-specific competencies known as general education requirements.

These requirements are for students who enroll in the 2023–2024 academic year. For prior year academic requirements, please visit our catalog archive.

General Education Course Requirements: 35 Credits

Credit applied to general education requirements may not be applied toward major, minor, or elective requirements. Courses applied to general education requirements may not be taken pass/fail.

Research & Computing Literacy | 7 Credits

  • One 3-credit professional exploration course (to be taken as the first course), chosen from the following:
    • (3 Credits, PACE 111B)
    • (3 Credits, PACE 111C)
    • (3 Credits, PACE 111M)
    • (3 Credits, PACE 111P)
    • (3 Credits, PACE 111S)
    • (3 Credits, PACE 111T)
  • One 1-credit research skills and professional development course, chosen from the following:
    • (1 Credit, LIBS 150)
    • (1 Credit, CAPL 398A)
    • Any general education course
  • One 3-credit course or three 1-credit courses, chosen from the following:
    • (3 Credits, IFSM 201)
    • (3 Credits, DATA 200)
    • Any CMIS, CMIT, CMSC, CMST, CSIA, IFSM, or SDEV course

Communication | 6 Credits

No more than 3 credits in writing may be earned through credit by examination.

  • (3 Credits, WRTG 111) or another writing course (3 credits) chosen from the following:
    • All 3-credit WRTG courses (except WRTG 288, WRTG 388, WRTG 486A, or WRTG 486B)
    • (3 Credits, COMM 390)
    • COMM 492
    • (3 Credits, ENGL 102)
    • (3 Credits, JOUR 201)
  • (3 Credits, WRTG 112)
    • Must be completed with a grade of C- or better within the first 24 credits. May not be earned through Prior Learning (Portfolio or Course Challenge) assessment.

Mathematics | 3 Credits

Must be completed within the first 24 credits. A prerequisite is required for (3 Credits, MATH 108), (4 Credits, MATH 140), and any higher-numbered MATH or STAT courses. Check individual majors for recommended math courses and related requirements.

  • One 3-credit course chosen from the following:
    • (3 Credits, MATH 105)
    • (3 Credits, MATH 107)
    • (3 Credits, MATH 115)
    • (4 Credits, MATH 140)
    • (3 Credits, STAT 200)
    • A mathematics course approved by the department

Arts & Humanities | 6 Credits

Two 3-credit courses chosen from the following courses and disciplines:

  • Any ARTH, ARTT, GRCO, HIST, HUMN, MUSC, PHIL, THET, dance, literature, or foreign language course
  • An ASTD course (depending on course content)
  • Any ENGL course, with the exception of (3 Credits, ENGL 281) and (3 Credits, ENGL 384)

Behavioral & Social Sciences | 6 Credits

Two 3-credit courses chosen from the following courses and disciplines:

  • (3 Credits, AASP 201)
  • Any ANTH, BEHS, ECON, GEOG, GVPT, PSYC, or SOCY course
  • An ASTD course (depending on course content)
  • (3 Credits, CCJS 100)
  • (3 Credits, CCJS 105)
  • (3 Credits, CCJS 350)
  • (3 Credits, CCJS 360)
  • (3 Credits, CCJS 461)
  • Any GERO course, with the exception of GERO 342 and GERO 351
  • (3 Credits, WMST 200)

Biological & Physical Sciences | 7 Credits

  • A science lecture course (3 credits) with related laboratory course (1 credit) or a science course combining lecture and laboratory (4 credits)
  • Any other science course (3 credits)

Courses from the following disciplines may satisfy both requirements: ASTR, BIOL, CHEM, GEOL, NSCI, NUTR, or PHYS. Science courses in other disciplines may also satisfy these requirements.

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