Political Science Emphasis (AA)

A Statewide Transfer Articulation Agreement

This emphasis area is also part of a statewide transfer articulation agreement. A statewide transfer articulation agreement identifies the courses students need to take in order to graduate with a 60-credit Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree with designation (DwD). Students are responsible for informing the admissions counselor or intake advisor at their receiving four-year institution that they are completing a DwD.

It is important for students to understand that completion of an AA or AS degree within two years requires them to complete 15 credits per semester (or 30 credits per year). Also, research shows that students who take classes in their major area within their first 30 credit hours are more likely to persist and graduate.

The guarantees and limitations below describe the minimum requirements to which all participating institutions have agreed. Students who believe an institution is not meeting the guarantees described below can file a complaint with the CDHE.

General Education Requirements (32 credits)

Select a content area to view the course options when specific courses are not listed

Additional Required Courses (12 credits)

• ◆ POS 1011 - American Government (GT-SS1) 3.0 Credits
• ◆ POS 2005 - International Relations (GT-SS1) 3.0 Credits

•      POS-2005 also meets CMC Cultural Competency  requirements

• ◆ POS 2020 - Introduction to Political Science (GT-SS1) 3.0 Credits
• ◆ POS 2025 - Comparative Government (GT-SS1) 3.0 Credits

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  Please note: if these credits are not required for the major at a receiving 4-year institution, they will be applied to the Bachelor’s degree as elective credit towards graduation. Please check with the receiving institution to determine in which way these courses will be applied.
   

Electives (16 credits)

•     Advised Electives  16.0 credits

Please note:  Additional Political Science (POS) courses beyond the 4 courses (12 credit hours) identified may not count toward the Political Science major at the receiving 4-year institution.  See explanation in Limitations section.

Total Credits Earned

General Education Requirements (32 credits)
Additional Required Courses (12 credits)
Electives (16 credits)
Total Credits Toward AA: Political Science Emphasis (60 credits)

Statewide Transfer Articulation Agreement Guarantees & Limitations

GUARANTEES

Students who complete a Degree with Designation (DwD) pursuant to the prescribed curriculum in this statewide transfer articulation agreement and pass all 60 credits with a C- or higher and are admitted to the receiving institution’s corresponding degree program are guaranteed the following:

• Junior standing with no more than 60 remaining credits to meet the graduation requirements for a baccalaureate degree in the degree program covered by this articulation agreement.
• Completion of the receiving institution’s lower-division general education requirements as defined by the GT Pathways curriculum.
• The same graduation requirements as students who begin and complete this degree program at the four-year institution.
• Admission to all Colorado public baccalaureate awarding institutions (except Colorado School of Mines) will be guaranteed to applicants who have completed any AA or AS degree from a Colorado public two-year institution, provided certain requirements are met. To see these requirements, please refer to the Colorado Commission on Higher Education’s Admissions Standards Policy , section titled “Guaranteed Transfer Admissions”. Please note: Students transferring to a University of Colorado institution (Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver) must satisfy the CU System’s MAPS (Minimum Academic Preparation Standards) requirement.
• Per the Commission’s Prior Learning Assessment policy, section 2.07, and pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes §23-1-108 (7)(b)(II)(A), “a state institution of higher education that admits as a junior a student who holds an associate of arts degree, associate of applied science degree, or associate of science degree that is the subject of a statewide degree transfer agreement shall not require the student to complete any additional courses to fulfill general education requirements”, and that the receiving institution of higher education is responsible for the total cost of tuition “for any credit hours that exceed the total credit hours required for a native student or that extend the total time to receive the degree beyond that required for a native student.”
• The Commission’s Prior Learning Assessment policy also states “every Colorado public institution of higher education shall accept in transfer from within the institution and from other state institutions of higher education prior learning assessment credit awarded for GT Pathways requirements” (section 3.01), and “Colorado public institutions of higher education shall not prohibit students from meeting general education/GT Pathways requirements with prior learning assessment credit” (section 3.02).

LIMITATIONS

• Students must meet all admission and application requirements at the receiving institution including the submission of all required documentation by stated deadlines. Students are advised to consult with the Office of Admissions at the institution to which they intend to transfer.
• Only courses with grades of C- or higher are guaranteed to transfer.
• Admission to a receiving institution does not guarantee enrollment in a specific degree program. Some programs at receiving institutions have controlled entry due either to space limitations or academic requirements.
• The credit and course transfer guarantees described in this agreement apply to the specific degree program covered by this agreement. If the student changes majors, receiving institutions will evaluate application of the courses designated in this agreement to other degree programs on a course-by-course basis.
• Students are allowed to use credits awarded by exam, such as AP (Advanced Placement), and IB (International Baccalaureate), as long as those exams are listed on the exam tables or may use challenge exams to fulfill GT Pathways requirements (not necessarily major requirements) and those credits are guaranteed to transfer and apply to GT Pathways requirements at the receiving institution per the Colorado Commission on Higher Education’s Policy I, X: Prior Learning Assessment. See the entire policy for more information.
• The receiving institution shall accept all applicable credits earned within ten years of transfer to the receiving institution. Credits earned more than ten years earlier will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis.
• All the courses a student needs to take in the associate degree program covered by this statewide transfer articulation agreement are listed in the prescribed curriculum. Course substitutions are allowed as long as the student and sending and receiving institutions agree to the substitution; such agreement should be documented in writing and the student should keep a copy until the baccalaureate degree is conferred. Note that if students substitute a course, then this is no longer a statewide agreement and some of the guarantees are only for the receiving institution that agreed to the substitution. Any additional courses taken in the discipline covered by this agreement might not count toward the requirements of the major at the receiving institution. Students can avoid this problem by either taking no more courses in the discipline than the ones identified in the prescribed curriculum. STUDENTS SHOULD CONSULT THE PROGRAM ADVISOR AT THE RECEIVING INSTITUTION FOR GUIDANCE. Any advisement from an academic advisor should be obtained IN WRITING.
• Students seeking K-12 teacher licensure may not use this agreement because teacher preparation programs have different requirements for educator licensure.

Because of the limitations above, students must consult with the Office of Admissions at the institution to which they are transferring.

Articulation Agreement Addendum

Students who do not complete an AA/AS degree can use the prescribed curriculum in a statewide transfer articulation agreement as a common advising guide for transfer to all public institutions that offer the designated baccalaureate degree program.

Please note the following:

• Students are guaranteed application of general education courses completed with a C- or higher in the prescribed curriculum in this agreement up to the established maximum in each GT Pathways content area.
• Except in special cases (e.g., the partial completion of a required sequence of courses or variation in the number of credit hours institutions award for course equivalents), students can expect that courses specified within the prescribed curriculum in this agreement, successfully completed with a C- or higher, will fulfill the relevant course requirements in the designated major.
• Receiving institutions will evaluate all courses other than those specified in this agreement on a course-by-course basis.

Students transferring without a completed AA/AS degree must consult with the Office of Admissions at the institution to which they are transferring to review the issues identified above and to make sure they meet all admission and application requirements at the receiving institution, including the submission of all required documentation by stated deadlines.

This agreement will be reviewed by disciplinary faculty no less frequently than every five years. The agreement will remain in force until such time as it is formally modified or terminated.

The Department of Higher Education -in consultation with the General Education Council -may make minor technical changes to this agreement on behalf of participating institutions. The most current version of the agreement can be found at CDHE Website.

Institutions that wish to join or withdraw from this agreement should consult the Division of Academic Affairs at the Colorado Department of Higher Education. Terms and processes are outlined in the Commission’s policy on Statewide Transfer and GT Pathways, available at CDHE Website.

A paper or hard copy of this document may not be the most current version of the agreement-check the website of the Colorado Department of Higher Education for the most current version.

Signatures from institutional/system Chief Academic Officers for all participating institutions, as listed on the CDHE cover page, have signed this agreement. Signatures of Chief Academic Officers, who possess or have been delegated authority to enter into this agreement on behalf of their institution or institutions (in some cases by the institutional or system governing board), are on file in the Division of Academic Affairs at the Colorado Department of Higher Education

Note:

◆ State Guaranteed Transfer Course

✽ Applies to CMC AA/AS/AGS Degrees

Not all programs/courses are available at every campus and may require travel to another campus or access via technology-enabled learning (video-conferencing, hybrid, or online).