Law, Public Policy and Society Associate in Arts Degree for Transfer

PROGRAM CODE: 1A39650

The Law, Public Policy and Society Associate in Arts Degree for Transfer has been identified as good preparation for law school upon completion of a bachelor’s degree. This interdisciplinary area of emphasis emphasizes the development of communication skills, introduces students to the legal field, and prepares students for further study in a variety of majors. Students who opt to pursue this course of study are encouraged to engage in further exploration of one or more specific majors as they select electives for degree completion. This curriculum specifically prepares the prospective transfer student for upper division coursework in a variety of majors such as: American Studies, Communications, Criminal Justice, Criminology, Global Intelligence and National Security, International Relations, Philosophy, Political Science, Social and Behavioral Sciences or a similar major at a California State University (CSU) campus. Students should consult a counselor, the Transfer Center and the catalog of the transfer college or university to plan a specific program of study to meet the college or university's requirements. Note: Courses that fulfill major requirements for an Associate Degree for Transfer at Cypress College might not be the same as those required for completing the major at all transfer institutions offering a Baccalaureate Degree. The Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act (Senate Bill 1440, now codified in California Education Code sections 66746-66749) guarantees admission to a California State University (CSU) campus for any community college student who completes an "associate degree for transfer", a newly established variation of the associate degrees traditionally offered at a California community college.

Students completing these degrees (AA-T) are guaranteed admission to the CSU system, but not to a particular campus or major. Students transferring to a CSU campus that does accept the AA-T will be required to complete no more than 60 units after transfer to earn a bachelor's degree (unless the major is designated "high-unit" major). This degree may not be the best option for students intending to transfer to a particular CSU campus or to a university or college that is not part of the CSU system. Students should consult with a counselor when planning to complete the degree for more information on university admission and transfer requirements.

To earn this degree, students must complete the following requirements:

1. 33-34 semester units or 49.5-51 quarter units in the major or area of emphasis as determined by the community college district;
2. earn a grade of C or better in all courses required for the major or area of emphasis;
3. the California State University General Education Breadth requirements (CSU GE-Breadth) or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) pattern;
4. 60 semester or 90 quarter CSU-transferable units;
5. ADTs also require that students must earn a C or better in all courses required for the major or area of emphasis. A P (Pass) grade is an acceptable grade for a course in the major only if the P is defined to be equivalent to a C or better, and
6. obtainment of a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0.