LIBERAL ARTS (LA)

Liberal Arts Homepages

Associate in Arts Degree

The Liberal Arts program combines studies that develop general intellectual capacities, such as reason or judgment, rather than specific professional, vocational, or technical capacities. These studies encourage students to think clearly and creatively, to seek and assess information, to communicate effectively, to take pleasure in learning, to learn to adapt to change, and to live more consciously, responsibly, and humanely.

The Associate in Arts Degree may be earned by students who complete a two-year program of study comprising 60 credits. Only courses numbered 100 or above may count toward the degree, and all area requirements must be satisfied. Students intending to transfer to other campuses within the University of Hawai`i System may transfer credits earned at Kaua`i Community College and most credits will transfer to other 2- and 4-year institutions if the courses are numbered 100 and above. Students intending to earn a Bachelor's degree should consider working toward an Associate in Arts Degree at Kaua`i Community College.

Fulfillment of General Education Requirements at all UH campuses: Effective Fall 1994, students who have earned an articulated Associate in Arts Degree from a University of Hawai`i Community College shall be accepted as having fulfilled the general education core requirements at all other University of Hawai`i campuses. While an articulated Associate in Arts Degree satisfies general education core requirements, students must also complete all specialized lower-division, major, college and degree/graduation requirements. Additional campus-specific requirements, such as competency in a foreign language or writing-intensive courses may also be required. With planning,
most, if not all, of these requirements may be incorporated into the Associate in Arts Degree; if not, they are required in addition to the Associate in Arts Degree.

Transfer to a four-year college: Students planning to transfer to a four-year college are advised to meet with a Kaua`i Community College counselor to review transfer requirements of the college they plan to attend.

Writing Intensive (WI) requirements in the University of Hawai`i System: The number of WI courses required for graduation from the University of Hawai`i Community Colleges
varies from none to two. The University of Hawai`i-M_anoa requires completion of five WI courses prior to graduation. Three of these WI courses can be numbered below 300 and can therefore be taken at Kaua`i Community College or another community college in the UH System. At this time, the University of Hawai`i-Hilo and University of Hawai`i West O`ahu require two to three WI classes to graduate.

A GPA of 2.0 or higher for all courses applicable toward the degree or certificates is needed to meet graduation requirements.

Foreign language requirement: Many programs at the University of Hawai`i (M_anoa) require students to complete the second-level study of a language (201 and 202 or equivalent). The University of Hawai`i (Hilo) and the University of Hawai`i (West O`ahu) do not have a foreign language requirement. Using a foreign language as an elective at Kaua`i Community College is highly recommended.

No course may be used to satisfy more than one requirement. None of the requirements may be satisfied with a course graded as credit/no credit.