Golden West College's AA Degree - Continuing to Improve

The Associate in Arts degree at Golden West College was updated in 2008-2009 and additional revisions have been made in this catalog to meet the changes in Title 5 of the California Education Code and the recommendations from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. The AA Degree student will notice there is one Associate Degree rather than 3 different options, but the student will still be able to take a wide variety of courses to attain the AA Degree. If the student has been in continuous attendance at GWC prior to Fall 2008, he/she may continue with the option that was started.

All AA candidates will be required to meet the Graduation Requirements which include completion of 60 units of acceptable course work with an overall GPA of 2.0. At least 12 units of the 60 must be completed at GWC. The General Education Requirements may be satisfied by three different methods which are outlined under the General Education Requirements section on the following pages. Additionally, the requirements for Computer
Competency and Information Literacy must be met. The AA Degree candidates must also choose a Major or Area of Emphasis.

Some Majors and Areas of Emphasis are still going through the State approval process. They may need minor changes so please check with a GWC counselor for the most up to date information. It is imperative that all students seeking the AA degree see a GWC counselor as early as possible and continue to seek counseling advice on an ongoing basis.

The path is far shorter when the road is mapped out in advance.

Graduation Requirements

Application Procedures

Associate in Arts Degrees and Certificates are not automatically awarded when the student completes the requirements. The student must file a petition in person in the Admissions and Records Office according to the following schedule:

Graduation Filing Period

Spring
February 1 - April 1

Summer
July 1 - August 1

Fall
September 1 - November 1

Associate in Arts degrees are awarded only after spring graduation, but the graduation date is posted on the student’s transcript after the graduation period in which the Associate in Arts degree is earned.

Certificate of Achievement application may be made during the semester of completion. Filing deadlines are the same as for graduation, above.

Pre-graduation check: Students who have completed thirty units of college work may request a pre-graduation check from Admissions & Records.