Certificates & Degrees Defined

What is a Degree?

Mt. San Antonio College offers both Associate in Science (A.S.) and Associate in Arts (A.A.) degrees. In general, the Associate in Science degrees are two-year occupational degrees that prepare students for a variety of career and technical fields. The Associate in Arts degrees, while not intended specifically for transfer, are two-year degrees in Liberal Arts and Sciences that provide for broad exploration of a specific area of emphasis. In many cases and with appropriate academic advising, students obtaining the Associate in Arts degree will find that they have a solid foundation for further postsecondary study should they wish to transfer at a later date. The Associate in Arts for Transfer and Associate in Science for Transfer degrees are designed to provide students with a seamless transition for transfer with junior standing somewhere in the CSU system.

Mt. San Antonio College currently offers 101 Associate and Transfer Degrees. These programs of study appeal to a diversity of interests reflecting industry needs and career trends to provide students with the skills and knowledge needed to earn a degree, transfer to a four-year college/university or prepare for employment.

What is a Certificate?

Mt. San Antonio College offers two different types of certificates for credit programs of study:

• Skills Certificates are certificates of less than 16 units in various occupational areas. Although the awarding of Skills Certificates is not noted on a student’s official transcript, the student may apply for and receive a documentation certificate from the college that may be of value in documenting knowledge and skills to potential employers. In many cases, entry-level Skills Certificates may be part of a series of increasing levels of preparation in an occupational area, and courses used to complete them may form a core of requirements that are augmented as students pursue higher levels of proficiency toward a Certificate of Achievement.

Requirements for an Associate Degree

Application for Graduation

The Application for Graduation is the student’s notification to Admissions and Records that the student has completed all requirements and would like to receive a degree. The Application for Graduation form is available in the Admissions and Records office or online. (Complete the Application for Graduation by logging into your Mt. SAC Portal, https://inside.mtsac.edu, link #45). Students should meet with a Counselor to discuss their Education Plan prior to submitting the Application for Graduation.

All students intending to receive a degree must file an Application for Graduation with the Admissions and Records office and have on file all required documents and official transcripts. The deadline dates for submitting the Application for Graduation are as follows:

Fall: deadline to apply for fall graduation is the end of the ninth week.

Winter: deadline to apply for winter graduation is the end of the ninth week of the fall semester.

Spring: deadline to apply for spring graduation is the end of the ninth week.

Summer: deadline to apply for summer graduation is the end of the ninth week of the spring semester.

Students should check the Schedule of Classes in the Key Dates section for specific deadline dates for any given term. Applications received after the deadline will be processed with the next graduation cycle. Students may apply for graduation one semester prior to completing all required coursework. Once the degree has been conferred, the degree will be posted to the student’s academic record and will appear on the transcript. Students will also receive their diplomas in the mail thereafter. If a student is denied graduation, they will be informed in writing.

Multiple Degrees

The Associate in Science degree shall be awarded to those graduates who majored in one of the occupational programs at Mt. San Antonio College. Students may be awarded multiple Associate in Science, Associate in Arts, Associate in Arts for Transfer, and/or Associate in Science for Transfer degrees if they have met the requirements within the 60 units of earned credit. Returning students seeking additional degrees must meet or complete the current general education requirements in effect at the time of re-entry.

Residency Requirement

The Residency Requirement for Mt. San Antonio College can be met with a minimum of 12 units completed in residence at Mt. SAC.

General Education Philosophy Statement

General education is the distinguishing feature of higher education. It is a broadly-based core of humanistic knowledge and abilities, the acquisition of which is the distinctive characteristic of the educated person. General education courses emphasize the ability to reason, to examine issues from different perspectives, to challenge authority, and to communicate ideas logically and confidently. They instill open-mindedness, respect for differences among people, and knowledge of self. By exposing students to different fields of study, general education courses provide an understanding of the human condition and of human accomplishments and encourage a lifelong interest in learning. Together with other Mt. San Antonio College degree requirements, the general education component of the associate degree prepares students to:

• transfer to and function successfully in a baccalaureate degree-granting institution;
• enter the work force as a competent, productive citizen;
• live a richer, more rewarding life.

General education courses are not primarily skills-based, nor are they limited to, or more appropriate for, majors in a specialized field of study. Courses that fulfill general education requirements must:

1. Require post-secondary level skills in reading, writing, quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking.
2. Improve students’ abilities to:
   • communicate oral and written ideas effectively;
   • define problems, design solutions, critically analyze results;
   • use available media to access and retrieve reliable information for data gathering and research;
   • work effectively, both cooperatively and independently;
   • develop and question personal and societal values, make informed choices, and accept responsibility for their decisions;
   • function as active, responsible, ethical citizens;
   • acquire the curiosity and skills essential for lifelong learning.
3. Impart understanding, knowledge, and appreciation of:
   • our shared scientific, technological, historical, and artistic heritage, including the contributions of women, ethnic minorities, and non-western cultures;
   • the earth’s ecosystem, including the processes that formed it and the strategies that are necessary for its maintenance;
   • human social, political, and economic institutions and behavior, including their interrelationships;
   • the psychological, social, and physiological dimensions of men and women as individuals and as members of society.

Courses that fulfill general education requirements must fall into one of the content categories listed below:

1. Communication and Critical Thinking
2. Science and Math
3. Arts and Humanities
4. Social Sciences
5. Lifelong Understanding and Self-Development

Criteria for inclusion in each of the above categories are itemized below:

1. Communication and Critical Thinking
   These courses emphasize both the content and form of communication. They teach students the relationship of language to logic, as well as how to analyze, criticize, and advocate ideas; to reason deductively and inductively; and to reach sound conclusions. Courses fulfilling this requirement:
   • provide understanding of the psychological and social significance of communication;
   • illustrate how communication operates in various situations;
   • focus on communication from the rhetorical perspective: reasoning, advocacy, organization, accuracy; the discovery, critical evaluation, and reporting of information; reading, listening, speaking, and writing effectively;
   • provide active participation and practice in written and oral communication.
2. Science and Mathematics
   These courses impart knowledge about living and non-living systems, and mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning with applications. Courses fulfilling this requirement:
   • promote understanding and appreciation of the methodologies and tools of science;
   • emphasize the influence of scientific knowledge on the development of civilization;
   • impart appreciation and understanding of basic concepts, not just skills;
   • offer specific inquiry into mathematical concepts, quantitative reasoning and application. (Refer to Mt. SAC degree requirements.)
3. Humanities
   These courses cultivate intellect, imagination, sensibility and sensitivity. They encourage students to respond subjectively as well as objectively and to develop a sense of the integrity of emotional and intellectual responses. Courses fulfilling this requirement:
   • study great work of the human imagination;
   • increase awareness and appreciation of the traditional humanistic disciplines such as art, dance, drama, literature, and music;
   • impart an understanding of the interrelationship between creative art, the humanities, and the self;
   • provide exposure to both Western and non-Western cultures;
   • may include a foreign language course that contains a cultural component as opposed to a course that focuses solely on skills acquisition.
4. Social Sciences
   These courses explore, at the micro and macro-level, the social, political, and economic institutions that underpin society. Courses fulfilling these requirements:
   • promote understanding and appreciation of social, political, and economic institutions;
   • probe the relationship between these institutions and human behavior;
   • examine these institutions in both their historical and contemporary context;
   • include the role of, and impact on, non-white ethnic minorities and women;
   • include both Western and non-Western settings.
5. Lifelong Understanding and Self-Development
   These courses facilitate an understanding of human beings as integrated physiological, social and psychological organisms. Courses fulfilling this requirement:
   • provide selective consideration of human behavior, sexuality, nutrition, health, stress, implications of death and dying, and the relationship of people to the social and physical environment.

Institutional Level Outcomes (ILOs)

Institutional Level Outcomes (ILOs) are statements about the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes that students are expected to develop as a result of their overall experiences with any aspect of the college, including courses, programs, departments, and services.  All college personnel directly or indirectly impact the student experience including faculty, administrators, and staff.  The College adopted four ILOs:

• Communication:  Students effectively communicate with and respond to varied audiences in written, spoken or signed, and artistic forms.

• Critical Thinking:  Students apply creative, computational, and analytical skills to identify and solve problems, analyze information, synthesize and evaluate ideas, and transform existing ideas into new forms.

• Information and Technology Literacy:  Students will use resources and technologies to locate, evaluate, synthesize, and communicate information in various formats.

• Personal, Social, Civic, and Environmental Responsibility:  Students demonstrate awareness and respect for personal, social, civic, and environmental responsibilities.

Program Level Outcomes (PLOs) and Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) identify what students will know, think, or do as a result of completing programs and courses.  Administrative Unit Objectives (AUOs) and Student Service Outcomes (SSOs) identify what students will know, think, or do as a result of interactions with operational and support services.   General Education courses are assessed through the discipline-specific SLOs and the comprehensive ILOs.  Outcomes mapping demonstrates the connections among the different levels of outcomes.

Program and Course Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Program and course student learning outcomes are statements that define the knowledge, skills, and perspectives acquired by students who satisfy program and course requirements. It is through the assessment of SLOs that the curriculum will be evaluated for improvements. SLOs will be assessed by faculty who teach courses and oversee programs. The SLOs can be found at SLO by Certificate/Degree/Discipline. 

Adapted from CSU Executive Order 595 and Title 5 Section 40405.1

Adult & Continuing Education

Adult education courses are designed to support students towards a career or college pathway, as well as to provide developmental, educational, and lifelong learning opportunities. Courses and programs are defined categorically under the California Education Code, Section 84711, whereby state funding is authorized for specific categories. Categories currently provided by Mt. SAC noncredit include: Basic Skills (including tutoring), English as a Second Language (ESL and VESL), Citizenship, Education for Older Adults, Adults with Disabilities, Secondary Education, Short-term Vocational, and additional courses defined as adult education curricula.

A.A. and A.S. Degree Requirements

• Unit Requirement: Sixty (60) degree-appropriate units. A letter grade of “C” or better or "P" is required for each course required for graduation.
• General Education Requirements: At least 30 units are required which shall include courses in each of the General Education areas, A through F (refer lists below).  All courses must be completed with a grade of “C” or better or "P".
• Physical Well-Being Requirement: Complete at least one of the physical education activity courses with the following prefixes: DNCE, KINA, KINF, KINI, KINL, KINS, KINX with a grade of “C” or better or “P”.
• Reading Competency: This requirement is met by attaining eligibility for READ 100. Eligibility for READ 100 can be acquired by completing one of the following with a grade of “C” or better.

    1. READ 90 Reading College Texts
         or
         AMLA 91 American Language Advanced Reading
         or
    2.  By obtaining eligibility for READ 100 on the Assessment Questionnaire (AQ)

• GPA Requirement: A Mt. San Antonio College “degree” total grade point average, and “all college” total grade point average of 2.0.
• Residency Requirement: The residency requirement for Mt. San Antonio College can be met with a minimum of 12 units completed in residence at Mt. SAC.

Additional Requirements for the Associate in Science Degree

• Students must complete all required courses in an approved occupational major with a minimum grade of “C” or "P" in all courses.

Additional Requirements for the Associate in Arts Degree

• Students must complete a pattern of 18 or more units from the courses identified within a specific area of emphasis with a minimum grade of “C” or "P" in all courses.

Note: All courses used for the associate degree majors may be double counted toward the Mt. San Antonio College General Education and major requirements.

General Education Requirements for 2024-25

Area A: Communication in the English Language

Area B: Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning

*

Passing (C or better) Intermediate Algebra (previously offered as MATH 71, MATH 71B, and MATH 71X – these courses are no longer offered at Mt. SAC) or obtaining a satisfactory score on the Intermediate Algebra Competency Exam (this exam is no longer offered) satisfies the Mathematics Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning Requirement.

Area C: Arts and Humanities

Area D: Social, Political, and Economic Institutions

¹

Courses may not be double counted to satisfy more than one area, even if a course is listed in more than one area.

Area E: Lifelong Understanding and Self-Development 

Area F: Ethnic Studies

¹

Courses may not be double counted to satisfy more than one area, even if a course is listed in more than one area.