Academic Planning and the A.A. Degree Overview

The Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree prepares students to transfer to a four-year college or university. Full-time students will typically complete the 60 credit hours that make up an A.A. over the course of about two years. Of those credit hours, 36 credits will be from general education classes, and the remaining 24 credits will be from electives classes taken to fulfill the specific prerequisites of your intended transfer institution's program. If you graduate from Santa Fe College with an A.A. degree, your diploma will say Associate of Arts. Even though you'll have picked an advisement track so that you're prepared for your upper division coursework, SF doesn’t identify this as an individual “major.” There is just one A.A. degree. AA Degree pie chart. Electives (24 credits). General education (36 credits).

Because A.A. degree and transfer requirements vary based on when you first enrolled at Santa Fe College, and on your academic goals, the SF Academic Advisement Center has developed general education handouts and suggested academic plans that you can use as a guide. Students also have access to a degree audit within their eSantaFe account.

In addition to using general education handouts, academic plans, and your degree audit, it is also recommended that you consult with your academic advisor (listed in on your degree audit page) at least once per semester to make sure that you are still on track for your goals. Your advisor can help you determine the correct classes to take each semester, and learn how to follow your online degree audit, so that you have a smooth and successful transfer to one of our Guaranteed Transfer partners or to another institution of your choosing!