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 the 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.
GGU’s nationally recognized eLearning environment allows students to pursue a degree
online, in person, or in combination.
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.
TOTAL UNITS — 60
The degree requires completion of 60 units as follows: 36 units of general education,
6 units of foundation, 3 units of cap-stone, and 15 units of elective courses. Each
course listed carries three semester units of credit, unless otherwise noted.
A cumulative grade-point average of 2.00 (“C” grade) or higher is required in all
courses taken at Golden Gate University. Prerequisites to a course, if any, are listed
in the course descriptions. All degree-seeking undergraduate students must complete
their English, mathematics, and critical thinking basic proficiency requirements within
their first 27 units at Golden Gate University. Placement tests must be taken prior
to enrolling in ENGL 10A, ENGL 10B, or ENGL 1A and MATH 10, MATH 20 or MATH 30 to
ensure proper placement in the sequences.
GENERAL EDUCATION - 36 UNITS
LIFELONG LEARNING AND SELF DEVELOPMENT - 3 UNITS
- UGP 10
- Gateway to Success (to be taken in first term of program)
COMMUNICATION AND CRITICAL THINKING - 9 UNITS
- CRTH 10
- Critical Thinking
- ENGL 60
- Research Writing
Plus one of the following:
- COMM 35
- Speech Communication
- COMM 40
- Understanding Communication
QUANTITATIVE REASONING - 3 UNITS
One of the following:
- MATH 20
- Applied Intermediate Algebra
- MATH 50
- From Numbers to Decisions
LIBERAL STUDIES — 21 UNITS
- ARTS 50
- Contemporary Arts and Culture (or any other ARTS course offered)
- HIST 50
- Contemporary American Economic History (or any other HIST course offered)
- HUM 50
- Examining the Humanities (or any other HUM course offered)
- LIT 10
- Foundations of Literary Study (or any other LIT course offered)
- PHIL 50
- Ethics in Personal and Professional Life (or any other PHIL course offered)
- SCI 50
- Science, Technology and Social Change (or any other SCI course offered)
- SOSC 50
- American Government in the 21st Century (or any other SOSC course offered)
Or:
- PSYCH 10
- Introduction to Psychology (or any other PSYCH course offered)
FOUNDATION COURSES — 6 UNITS
- MATH 40
- Statistics
- ECON 1
- Principles of Microeconomics
OR
- ECON 2
- Principles of Macroeconomics
CAPSTONE COURSE — 3 UNITS
- UGP 80
- Pathway to Success
ELECTIVE COURSES - 15 UNITS
Select five additional 3-unit upper or lower-division courses from any subject for
a total of 15 units.
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.
