Program Overview

The Associate of Arts (AA) in General Studies provides a well-rounded foundation of knowledge designed to prepare students for employability and/or further academic work. Students can focus their skill set by selecting courses specifically designed to support their professional goals. The AA is ideal for working adults with a minimal number of academic credits who seek a milestone of achievement while working toward a bachelor's degree.

The AA program is taught by practicing professionals, with a curriculum that integrates the liberal arts with knowledge of management principles, leadership strategies and organizational theory. Coursework emphasizes practical business applications, while providing a strong educational foundation for lifelong learning. Students develop the capacity to think critically and creatively in preparation for a successful future in business or management.

Step Up to a Bachelor's Degree
In the process of completing the AA, students fulfill the general education and liberal studies requirements of GGU's bachelor's degrees, while also developing skills and knowledge outcomes in communication, critical thinking, information literacy, and quantitative fluency. A flexible course of study is designed to maximize the number of transfer credits counted toward degree completion.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students who successfully complete the program will cultivate the following skills, attitudes, and knowledge:

• Communication:
  Communicate effectively to general and specialized audiences through structured written, oral and visual presentations.
• Critical Thinking:
  Identify, categorize, and analyze problems and issues, and draw warranted conclusions.
• Quantitative Fluency:
  Perform accurate calculations using symbolic operations, and provide accurate interpretations and explanations of data.
• Information Literacy:
  Correctly identify, categorize, evaluate, and cite multiple resources to create projects, papers, or performances.
• Ethical Reasoning:
  Describe ethical issues and apply ethical principles or frameworks in judgment and decision-making.
• Applied Learning:
  Describe and analyze relationships between academic learning and problems outside the classroom.
• Broad Integrative Knowledge:
  Explore, connect, and apply concepts and methods across multiple fields of study.
• Lifelong Learning:
  Examine connections between academic learning and professional goals and demonstrate attitudes such as curiosity, self-awareness, adaptability, and motivation.