Associate in Arts

The Associate in Arts Degree allows students to choose multiple concentrations to satisfy degree requirements based on their personal interests and future career goals. The Associate in Arts can be used as a basis for further study toward a baccalaureate degree, employment in a variety of positions which require a broad college education, or cultural enrichment.

This program is offered in both a traditional on-campus format and 100% online. Faculty teaching in the online program have completed a mandatory faculty distance learning training and development program to ensure you have an engaging, valuable, and consistent learning experience.

Fine/Visual Arts: These courses emphasize a variety of art media and philosophies for students wishing to specialize in the Fine Arts at the university level.
Music: The music concentration fulfills a variety of needs: transfer to a four-year institution, or begin work in an area of music with a solid understanding of music theory, music history, and performance experience.
Photography - OCC offers courses in professional and technical experience with still black and white, color and digital photography.
Theatre: Theatre coursework includes the performance and technical aspects of theatre, along with theory and practical experience.

Cinematic Arts: The Cinematic Arts concentration incorporates a theoretical and practical field of study with a solid foundation for a bachelor degree. This concentration may include coursework in photography (PHO 1220, 1700, 1800, 2800, 2803), humanities (HUM 1900, 2101-2106), creative writing, playwriting and screenwriting (ENG 1710, 2780, 2800), and acting for film (THE 1585).
History: The history concentration provides the first two years of a four-year curriculum for students who wish to specialize in history or historical topics.
Literature: The literature concentration provides a strong writing and analytical thinking foundation to prepare students for success at a four-year institution.
Philosophy: The philosophy concentration provides the first two years of a four-year curriculum for students who wish to specialize in philosophy or are interested in learning the foundations of philosophical thought.
World Language: The world language concentration provides a foundation for the study of a foreign language at the associate level. Options include Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish.

Social & Behavioral Science: The social and behavioral sciences concentration provides the first two years of a four-year curriculum for students who wish to study the fundamental aspects of human behavior and culture. This concentration may include courses in anthropology, economics, geography, physical education and recreation, political science, psychology, and sociology.

Mathematics: The mathematics concentration provides the first two-years of a four-year curriculum for students who intend to transfer to a four-year institution and earn a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, statistics, computational mathematical science, or related fields.
Science: See OCC’s Associate in Science degree option

Requirements for an Associate in Arts (AA.AA)

Eligibility for a degree rests upon the satisfaction of these requirements:

Complete a minimum of 60 credit hours for a degree with a minimum cumulative 2.00 grade point average (GPA) over all.

To transfer credit you must complete a minimum of 15 credit hours at OCC.
Meet all General Education Distribution requirements.

When leaving OCC those who have completed 15 or more OCC credits may apply for graduation upon submission of transfer credit to complete degree requirements.

If the break is longer than three years, the effective catalog for the determination of degree requirements becomes the one in effect at the point at which the transfer credit is applied.
If the break is less than three years, the effective catalog remains unchanged for determining the completion of program requirements.

An Application for Admission is needed before the transfer credit can be processed. See an OCC counselor to discuss this plan of study and your intended pathway.

OCC Alum Shines Bright as Youth Advocacy Leader and Author

“Attending OCC was quite possibly one of the best decisions I could have ever made in my life. Being able to complete my prerequisite courses in a nurturing environment with resources that catered to my individual learning style was extremely important to me.” Read Danielle's Story