AREAS OF EMPHASIS

ADMINISTRATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students possessing an associate degree in Administration/Information Systems can be expected to demonstrate achievement of the following learning outcomes:

1. Categorize basic administrative terms, theories and principles;
2. Demonstrate basic understanding of economic systems, i.e., the manner in which goods are produced and distributed in a society and the means by which economic growth is achieved and sustained;
3. Understand and apply fundamental management principles, such as profit/loss, balancing accounts, conflict resolution, effective customer relations and time management;
4. Perform functions such as preparation of memoranda, utilization of spreadsheets, adherence to schedules and responding effectively to changes in the work environment;
5. Implement the fundamental concepts from courses in business, public administration, economics and/or information systems; and
6. Locate, process, and utilize information effectively.

COMMUNICATION, MEDIA, AND LANGUAGES

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students possessing an associate degree in Communication, Media and Languages can be expected to demonstrate achievement of the following learning outcomes:

1. Analyze college level texts to understand and apply themes and evidence in appropriate communication formats.
2. Evaluate purpose and audience to create well-developed, supported, and stylistically fluent responses in written or verbal form.
3. Evaluate and apply appropriate evidence in support of arguments made in different forms of communication.
4. Recognize and understand the role of nonverbal, verbal, interpersonal, visual, mass media, and cultural indicators inherent in different communication mediums.
5. Understand how socioeconomic and cultural factors work in constructing knowledge in different forms of communication.
6. Use a variety of research methods to collect and evaluate sources and evidence to apply in various forms of communication.

FINE AND APPLIED ARTS

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students possessing an Associate of Arts Degree in Fine and Applied Arts can be expected to demonstrate achievement of the following program learning outcomes:

1. Demonstrate basic knowledge and skills (technique) in one discipline of the fine and applied arts.  These include fundamentals of the field in terms of practice, history, analysis and their applications and technical ability in one discipline to create, sustain, and evolve a personal vision and/or purpose.
2. Develop a personal vision and/or purpose - sometimes called "artistic voice" - that is evident in terms of work produced and manifested in a portfolio, performance, exhibition, or other presentation.
3. Generate and apply original ideas and methods to discover, create and communicate specific artistic content.
4. Demonstrate conceptual acuity, clarity, imagination, and technical ability to combine, integrate, and synthesize elements into works in ways that enhance their communicative powers.

HUMANITIES, PHILOSOPHY, AND ARTS

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Interpret key philosophical, religious and literary texts, as well as creative works, in historical and cultural contexts and express that interpretation persuasively in oral and/or written form.
2. Analyze the role and use of language, rhetoric and/or the arts in informing and contextualizing human experience.
3. Analyze the role and use of the arts (literature, music, theatre, dance, and the fine arts) as a reflection of the culture in which it appears.
4. Evaluate the role of individual human agency in history.
5. Research and write critical interpretive essays demonstrating a high skill level.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION, HEALTH AND WELLNESS

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Upon completion of this emphasis area, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding of the impact life choices have on overall human health and apply this knowledge to maintain healthful living appropriate to the situation.
   
2. Recognize the positive impact of physical activity in fostering optimal health and apply this knowledge to lifestyle choices.
3. Recognize and understand the role of individual decision-making processes to the development of strategies concerning personal health and wellness.

SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL STUDIES

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Upon completion of this area of emphasis, the successful student should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding that the development, maintenance, and adaptation of the individual self and the personality is a product of the interaction between the individual and their social environment.
2. Demonstrate a breadth of knowledge of the social and cultural environments at the local, regional and global levels.
3. Demonstrate a working knowledge of the many facets and intricacies of social interaction from the intrapersonal, to the interpersonal to the societal levels.
4. Demonstrate an ability to apply the theories and principles of human development, human interaction, cultural diversity, and global awareness to their everyday lives.

MATH AND SCIENCE

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students possessing an associate degree in Math and Science can be expected to demonstrate achievement of the following learning outcomes:

1. Apply the basic operations of mathematics on the set of real and complex numbers, expressions, and equations.
2. Apply the principles of the scientific method, including the use of inductive and deductive reasoning to pose, test, and accept or reject hypothesis.
3. Recognize and determine the role of mathematics and the sciences as investigative and reasoning tools of human societies.

General Education Requirements from 2009-2010 Catalog - pdf