ARIZONA GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM

The Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) has been reviewed and approved by a number of joint community college and university groups. The following is a list of the approving groups and dates of approval:

The Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) was also contained in a transfer articulation progress report which was favorably reviewed by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) on December 18, 1997.

Through a general education program, a college or university commits students and faculty to the pursuit of wholeness in learning - to seeing the relationship of our special interests to the larger academic and cultural contexts which we share. The search for an integrated understanding requires a general desire to learn, an energetic interest in the world, and a willingness to put ourselves in the place of those whose beliefs and outlooks are different from our own. A general education program, pursued by curious and empathetic faculty and students, provides a structure in which the accumulation of knowledge and the practice of disciplined, independent thinking can grow into comprehensive understanding and reasoned value.

Wholeness in learning results from participation in a learning community where both thinking independently and connecting with the heritage of human thought and knowledge are necessary and complementary. We come to understand our nature and our limits. We develop skill, openness, delicacy, and strength in negotiating with the world beyond ourselves. We test the conceptual frameworks that govern thought against the details of content and subject matter and the realities of experience. We accept the inevitable responsibility for making informed judgments.

An effective general education program requires the exercise of thoughtful and precise writing, critical reading, quantitative thinking, and processes of analysis and synthesis which underlie valid reasoning. Therefore, students must have a solid foundation in writing, reading, mathematics, and critical thinking.

Studies in the traditional academic disciplines are built upon foundation skills in thought and communication and lead students to grasp the conceptual frameworks that govern different fields of study. Such courses demonstrate that the study of specialized subject matter in any of the traditional knowledge areas - Arts and Humanities, Mathematics, Physical and Biological Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences - is critical to the central dialogues of general education.

Interdisciplinary studies focus on the conceptual frameworks through which a thinker, a culture, or an academic discipline may approach an issue. We discover both the ordering power and the potential limitations of the fundamental models of understanding that have shaped thinking throughout the history of civilization. We acknowledge the dependence of thought upon these models, judge them through comparison with alternative models from other thinkers and cultures, and yet are able to continue to participate with active, discerning commitment in the political, ethical and aesthetic life of the community.

General education is designed for all undergraduate students and may include course work at both the lower division and upper division levels. The purpose is to give every student pursuing an undergraduate degree the basic skills and the familiarity with various branches of knowledge which are associated with college and university education and are useful in advanced study within the university and in life beyond the university.

With the statement of values as common ground, the Arizona public community colleges and universities have agreed upon a common structure for a transfer general education curriculum. This curriculum provides students attending any Arizona public community college with the opportunity to build a general education curriculum that is transferable upon completion without loss of credit to another Arizona public community college or university. This common agreement is called the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC).

The structure of the AGEC is based on a previous articulation agreement, the Transfer General Education Core Curriculum (TGECC). Approved in 1991 and revised in 1993, the TGECC attempted to go beyond course-by-course articulation by creating a 41 semester-credit block of courses that any student could transfer, as a block, to meet the lower division university general education requirements at Arizona's public universities. Although the TGECC was an option for all students, it was intended to provide a useful pathway to ensure meaningful transfer of a substantial number of credits for students who had not selected a major or university.

The AGEC has three forms - the AGEC-A, AGEC-B and AGEC-S:

The mathematics and science requirements differ among the three forms of AGEC. The AGEC-A requires a minimum of college mathematics or college algebra. The AGEC-B requires a minimum of brief calculus. The AGEC-S requires a minimum of calculus and a minimum of university chemistry or university physics.

The goal is to create for community college students clear and secure transfer pathways - different from, but parallel to the pathways followed by native university students - that will allow them to maximize their experience at the community college, to incorporate community college credits or degrees efficiently into university graduation requirements, and to complete baccalaureate majors in the minimum number of required credits.

Completion of the AGEC will fulfill lower division general education requirements at all Arizona public community colleges and universities and will be fully applicable to the baccalaureate degree, but may not apply to degrees articulated with the Transfer Guide Pathway -- TG-XR. Students completing the AGEC will still be required to fulfill lower division program requirements and prerequisites within their college and major/minor area of study. In order to most efficiently complete a degree program, students should select courses to meet the AGEC requirements that will also fulfill program requirements in the college and major they intend to pursue upon transfer. Majors in the professional fields, e.g. architecture, engineering, business, fine/creative arts, or health professions and sciences have significant prerequisites and/or program requirements that must be completed before a student may be admitted to upper division course work. Community college students who are undecided about which of the Arizona public universities they plan to attend or what program of study they intend to pursue are advised to explore educational options while they complete the AGEC.

The AGEC does not replace articulation agreements developed to enhance the transfer process between specific institutions. Nor does the AGEC eliminate the possibility that students who have identified the university they plan to attend and/or a major area of study will follow transfer guides provided by the state universities through mechanisms such as the Course Applicability System (CAS).

The AGEC allows the community colleges flexibility in their approach to general education requirements. Subject Area Requirement, Special Requirements, and Options that were previously approved as a part of a community college TGECC may be incorporated into that college's AGEC without further review.

In order for a course to be included in a community college's AGEC, it must be accepted for transfer credit in any of the following categories: equivalent course, departmental elective credit, general elective credit, at all Arizona public universities according to the Arizona Higher Education Course Equivalency Guide for the academic year in which the course was taken. All courses included in the AGEC block must be completed with a grade of "C" or better. Upon completion of the AGEC, the community college will certify achievement of the block on the official institutional transcript. A minimum of 15 semester credits of course work must be completed within the community college district of the college certifying completion of the AGEC.

The certified AGEC is transferable from one Arizona public community college to another Arizona public community college as well as from an Arizona public community college to an Arizona public university.

The AGEC is reviewed and monitored each academic year by the General Education Articulation Task Force (GEATF). The GEATF is comprised of representatives from each Arizona public community college district and university. The GEATF reports to the Academic Program Articulation Steering Committee (APASC).

AGEC-A is a 35 semester-credit lower division general education curriculum block that fulfills the lower division general education requirements of liberal arts majors (e.g., social science, fine arts, humanities). The block will transfer without loss of credit from any Arizona public community college to any other Arizona public community college or university, and is for students who intend to transfer into liberal arts majors. It includes the following requirements: Subject Area Requirements and Special Requirements.

I. SUBJECT AREA REQUIREMENTS

An approved AGEC-A, together with the number of courses and number of semester credits, must contain the following Subject Areas. An interpretation of the Subject Areas is in Appendix A.

SUBJECT AREA	# OF COURSES	# OF SEMESTER CREDITS
A. FRESHMAN COMPOSITION	2	6
B. MATHEMATICS	1	3
C. ARTS AND HUMANITIES	2-3	6-9
D. SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES	2-3	6-9
E. PHYSICAL & BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES	2	8
F. OPTIONS*	0-2	0-6

* Courses in this area should be selected to meet Special Requirements (see II below) or enhance the AGEC-A and to expand the preparation of students prior to transfer.

II. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

An approved AGEC-A must contain an intensive writing and critical inquiry component and specified awareness area components. The requirements for the intensive writing and critical inquiry component and the specified awareness area components may be met through one of the alternatives listed below. An interpretation of the Special Requirements is in Appendix A.

APPENDIX A
ARIZONA GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM (AGEC-A)
INTERPRETATION OF SUBJECT AREA AND SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

A. FRESHMAN COMPOSITION: The Freshman Composition requirement must be fulfilled by completion of a one-year lower division English Composition sequence. Courses designed exclusively for satisfaction of preparatory composition cannot be counted toward fulfillment of this requirement.

B. MATHEMATICS: Acceptable courses include College Algebra, College Mathematics with applications, Pre-Calculus, or any quantitative course having College Algebra, College Mathematics with applications, or Pre-Calculus as a prerequisite.

C. ARTS AND HUMANITIES: Courses that can be used to fulfill this requirement may include art, dance, humanities, literature, music, philosophy, religion, theatre arts, or western civilization. Course work must be chosen from at least two disciplines.

D. SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES: Courses in this requirement may include anthropology, economics, ethnic/race/gender studies, history, political science, psychology, cultural geography, linguistics, or sociology. Course work must be chosen from at least two disciplines.

E. PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES: Two courses, both with laboratory requirements, may be taken from astronomy, biology, botany, environmental science, chemistry, geology, physics, physical geography, or zoology.

A. INTENSIVE WRITING AND CRITICAL INQUIRY: At least one course beyond the Freshman Composition requirement shall involve the development of competence in written discourse and involve the gathering, interpretation, and evaluation of evidence. This course work may be completed in the following ways:

1) by selecting an approved course in one or more of the Subject Area Requirements C, D, E, or F listed in the AGEC-A;

2) by embedding the intensive writing experience into the AGEC-A curriculum as a whole; or

B. AWARENESS AREAS: Awareness areas include courses which advance ethnic/race/gender awareness, contemporary global/international awareness, and historical awareness. One course emphasizing ethnic/race/gender awareness is required. One course emphasizing contemporary global/international awareness or historical awareness is also required. The awareness area requirements may be completed in the following ways:

1) by completing an approved course in one or more of the Subject Area Requirements C, D, E, or F listed in the AGEC-A;

2) by embedding forms of awareness into the Subject Area Requirements C, D, E, or F listed in the AGEC-A; or

AGEC-B is a 35 semester-credit lower division general education curriculum block that fulfills the lower division general education requirements of business majors. The block will transfer without loss of credit from any Arizona public community college to any other Arizona public community college or university, and is for students who intend to transfer into business majors. It includes the following requirements: Subject Area Requirements, Special Requirements, and a Mathematics Requirement.

An approved AGEC-B, together with the number of courses and number of semester credits, must contain the following Subject Areas. An interpretation of the Subject Areas is in Appendix B.

SUBJECT AREA	# OF COURSES	# OF SEMESTER CREDITS
A. FRESHMAN COMPOSITION	2	6
B. ARTS AND HUMANITIES	2-3	6-9
C. SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES	2-3	6-9
D. PHYSICAL & BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES	2	8
E. OPTIONS*	0-2	0-6

* Courses in this area should be selected to meet Special Requirements (see II below) or enhance the AGEC-B and to expand the preparation of students prior to transfer.

An approved AGEC-B must contain an intensive writing and critical inquiry component and specified awareness area components. The requirements for the intensive writing and critical inquiry component and the specified awareness area components may be met through one of the alternatives listed below. An interpretation of the Special Requirements is in Appendix B.

An approved AGEC-B, together with the number of courses and number of semester credits, must contain a mathematics requirement. An interpretation of the mathematics requirement is in Appendix B.

SUBJECT AREA	# OF COURSES	# OF SEMESTER CREDITS
MATHEMATICS	1	3

APPENDIX B
ARIZONA GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM (AGEC-B)
INTERPRETATION OF SUBJECT AREA, SPECIAL, AND MATHEMATICS REQUIREMENTS

A. FRESHMAN COMPOSITION: The Freshman Composition requirement must be fulfilled by completion of a one-year lower division English Composition sequence. Courses designed exclusively for satisfaction of preparatory composition cannot be counted toward fulfillment of this requirement.

B. ARTS AND HUMANITIES: Courses that can be used to fulfill this requirement may include art, dance, humanities, literature, music, philosophy, religion, theatre arts, or western civilization. Course work must be chosen from at least two disciplines.

C. SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES: Courses in this requirement may include anthropology, economics, ethnic/race/gender studies, history, political science, psychology, cultural geography, linguistics, or sociology. Course work must be chosen from at least two disciplines.

D. PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES: Two courses, both with laboratory requirements, may be taken from astronomy, biology, botany, environmental science, chemistry, geology, physics, physical geography, or zoology.

AGEC-S is a 35 semester-credit lower division general education curriculum block that fulfills the lower division general education requirements of majors with more stringent mathematics and mathematics-based science requirements The block will transfer without loss of credit from any Arizona public community college to any other Arizona public community college or university, and is for students who intend to transfer into majors with more stringent mathematics and mathematics-based science requirements. It includes the following requirements: Subject Area Requirements, Special Requirements, and Mathematics/Science Requirements.

An approved AGEC-S, together with the number of courses and number of semester credits, must contain the following Subject Areas. An interpretation of the Subject Areas is in Appendix S.

SUBJECT AREA	# OF COURSES	# OF SEMESTER CREDITS
A. FRESHMAN COMPOSITION	2	6
B. ARTS AND HUMANITIES	2-3	6-9
C. SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES	2-3	6-9
D. OPTIONS*	0-2	0-6

* Courses in this area should be selected to meet Special Requirements (see II below) or enhance the AGEC-S and to expand the preparation of students prior to transfer.

An approved AGEC-S must contain an intensive writing and critical inquiry component and specified awareness area components. The requirements for the intensive writing and critical inquiry component and the specified awareness area components may be met through one of the alternatives listed below. An interpretation of the Special Requirements is in Appendix S.

An approved AGEC-S, together with the number of courses and number of semester credits, must contain a mathematics and science requirement. An interpretation is in Appendix S.

SUBJECT AREA	# OF COURSES	# OF SEMESTER CREDITS
MATHEMATICS	1	3+
SCIENCE	2	8

APPENDIX S
ARIZONA GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM (AGEC-S)
INTERPRETATION OF SUBJECT AREA, SPECIAL, AND MATHEMATICS/SCIENCE REQUIREMENTS

A. MATHEMATICS: Acceptable courses include the first course in the calculus sequence or any mathematics course for which that course is a prerequisite.

B. SCIENCE: 8 semester credits of university chemistry or 8 semester credits of university physics appropriate to the major.