Nov 27, 2024  
2020-2021 Catalog 
    
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2020-2021 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Liberal Studies, A.A.

Two Year Degrees

The Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts (A.A.) degree is recommended for students whose educational goals require flexibility. This two-year degree helps prepare students for transfer to a four-year post-secondary institution and also provides students with an opportunity to design a customized program to accomplish their personal educational goals. A minimum of 60 credit hours are required for the AA degree. The degree allows students to choose any elective courses, except for Developmental Courses, to complete the degree. Courses will be offered in a manner to facilitate the completion of this degree in two years.

A candidate for an associate degree offered by WNMU must meet the specific requirements indicated in the degree program outlined in the catalog.

The Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts Degree is intended to meet the needs of two types of students:

  1. Those who want to design an associate degree to meet their own specific needs.
  2. Those who plan to pursue a four-year degree but are undecided as to their choice of a major. The required core curriculum for this degree helps students partially fulfill the New Mexico Department on Higher Education lower-division general educational common core.

Note the different Natural Sciences and Humanities credit requirements listed below for these two types of students.

Required Core Curriculum

The course selection for the required core curriculum may be selected from the General Education Requirement section of this catalog.

University Requirements

Elective Credits

  • for degree plans designed to meet students’ own specific needs Credit Hours: 29

Total Credit Hours 60

Exit Requirement

In order to complete the A.A. in Liberal Studies degree, students must complete an exit requirement. This includes a self-assessment portfolio of their learning and goals. Detailed guidelines about how to complete this exit should be requested from the Department in the final semester of the degree. Students are asked to reflect, in a typed, 5-page minimum essay, on the elements listed below:

  1. General Education Core Requirements - how did taking these courses benefit the student and how did they help to increase the student’s awareness of personal interests?
  2. Guided Electives - what courses did the student take as guided electives and why did they make those choices?
  3. Future Direction (or current pursuits) - now that the student is completing the A.A. in Liberal Studies degree, what are their personal, professional, and educational intentions?

Further, students are asked to include sample items that help to document their learning and goals. For example, the student might include syllabi, papers, an updated resume, and applications to jobs or programs.

Students are required to complete this self-assessment portfolio in their last semester or in the semester in which they process their request to graduate with the A.A. in Liberal Studies degree. The exit project will be graded on a pass/fail basis by the Chair of Interdisciplinary Studies and other faculty as necessary.