Transfer Associate Degrees
Arts and Sciences offer programs for transfer to baccalaureate degree-granting institutions. Students planning to transfer to a senior college or university should consult the catalog of that institution, a faculty advisor, the Registrar, or guidance office when planning their courses to meet specific degree requirements.
General degree requirements are outlined below. Specific program majors can be found in the Transfer Associate Degrees section of the catalog.
Associate of Arts
To complete the Associate of Arts degree (60 semester credit hours), a student must:
- Complete the Core Curriculum.
- Complete an additional 6 semester credit hours of English.
- Complete a computer science course (3 semester credit hours).
The Computer Science requirement may be replaced by an elective course if the student meets one of the following:
- A student passed a high school computer course within five years of enrollment (students may be required to provide course description from high school).
- A student has documentation of computer proficiency from another college or institution.
- A student passes a Howard College / SWCID computer proficiency exam (see Admissions Office for more information).
- Proficiency is demonstrated by successful completion (grade of C or better) of a college course with a significant computer component as determined by college advisor, course syllabus, and/or course instructor (students may be required to provide course syllabus and/or course description) with final approval by the campus instructional dean.
4. Complete an additional 6 semester credit hours of transfer college credit coursework.
Students are encouraged to select courses from their chosen area of emphasis. Electives should be selected from academic transfer courses. Workforce education courses may be taken if approved by an advisor. Electives may include Physical Education courses as approved by an advisor.
Note: Courses previously taken cannot be used to satisfy both the Core Curriculum and this requirement.
5. Complete Learning Framework (EDUC 1100 or PSYC 1100 ) or a Physical Education course (1 semester credit hour).
All students are encouraged to complete Learning Framework during the first semester of enrollment. All first time in college students that take one or more college preparatory courses will be required to take Learning Framework the first long semester they are enrolled. Students with proven success in college-level course work who do not wish to take Learning Framework may enroll in a Physical Education course with approval from an advisor. Students placed on Scholastic Probation will be required to enroll in Learning Framework the next semester of enrollment (if they have not already successfully completed the course).
6. Complete 2 semester credit hours of Life and Physical Science labs.
All Life & Physical Science lecture courses have corresponding lab sections as co-requisite requirements. Permission to waive the lab requirement may be granted by an advisor only if evidence is presented to demonstrate that the lab sections do no meet degree requirements at the college or university to which a student is transferring. If the co-requisite lab requirement is waived, additional elective credit hours must be completed in order to meet the 60 SCH graduation requirement.
Associate of Arts in Music (Pending Approval)
Program requirements for the Associate of Arts in Music are designed to apply to the Bachelor of Music degree but may also be applied to the Bachelor of Arts or other baccalaureate-level music degree as deemed appropriate by the awarding institution. This degree includes the Field of Study Curriculum for Music as approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
To complete the Associate of Arts in Music degree (60 semester credit hours), a student must complete all degree requirements as outlined.
Associate of Arts in Teaching
This degree is awarded upon the completion of a curriculum which has been designed based on the guidelines established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and parallels the first two years of a Texas four-year college or university program. It is strongly advised that prospective teacher certification candidates consult an advisor with regard to courses required by a proposed transfer institution.
To complete the Associate of Arts in Teaching degree, a student must:
- Complete the Core Curriculum .
- Complete all courses in the degree program .
Associate of Science
To complete the Associate of Science degree (60 semester credit hours), a student must:
- Complete the Core Curriculum .
- Complete a computer science course (3 semester credit hours).
The Computer Science requirement may be replaced by an elective course if the student meets one of the following:
- A student passed a high school computer course within five years of enrollment (students may be required to provide course description from high school).
- A student has documentation of computer proficiency from another college or institution.
- A student passes a Howard College / SWCID computer proficiency exam (see Admissions Office for more information).
- Proficiency is demonstrated by successful completion (grade of C or better) of a college course with a significant computer component as determined by college advisor, course syllabus, and / or course instructor (students may be required to provide course syllabus and / or course description) with final approval by the campus instructional dean.
3. Complete an additional 12 semester credit hours of transfer college credit coursework.
Students are encouraged to select courses from their chosen area of emphasis. Electives should be selected from academic transfer courses. Workforce education courses may be taken if approved by an advisor. Electives may include Physical Education courses as approved by an advisor.
Note: Courses previously taken cannot be used to satisfy both the Core Curriculum and this requirement.
4. Complete Learning Framework (EDUC 1100 or PSYC 1100 ) or a Physical Education course (1 semester credit hour).
All students are encouraged to complete Learning Framework during the first semester of enrollment. All first time in college students that take one or more college preparatory courses will be required to take Learning Framework the first long semester they are enrolled. Students with proven success in college-level course work who do not wish to take Learning Framework may enroll in a Physical Education course with approval from an advisor. Students placed on Scholastic Probation will be required to enroll in Learning Framework the next semester of enrollment (if they have not already successfully completed the course).
5. Complete 2 semester credit hours of Life and Physical Science labs.
All Life & Physical Science lecture courses have corresponding lab sections as co-requisite requirements. Permission to waive the lab requirement may be granted by an advisor only if evidence is presented to demonstrate that the lab sections do no meet degree requirements at the college or university to which a student is transferring. If the co-requisite lab requirement is waived, additional elective credit hours must be completed in order to meet the 60 SCH graduation requirement.
Associate of Applied Science Degree
The Associate of Applied Science Degree is designed for the student pursuing a two-year specialized collegiate level Career Technical Education program of study that will prepare him or her for immediate employment in business or industry. The following general educational requirements are included as an integral part of each AAS program. Both the general educational requirements and the specified Career Technical Education courses for the program in which the student is enrolled must be met in order to qualify for the degree. Degree plans are required for students working toward an AAS degree. Counseling should be sought as early as possible. Specific degree requirements for individual programs can be found in the Career Technical Education and Health Professions section of this catalog.
| Associate of Applied Science |
| Subject |
Credit Hours |
| English |
3 |
| Speech |
3 |
| Computer Science |
3-4 |
| Social/Behavioral Science |
3 |
| Natural Science/Mathematics |
3-4 |
| Humanities/Fine Arts |
3 |
| Courses from area of specialization |
42-52 |
| TOTAL |
60-72 |
Certificate of Completion
Certificates Level I and II will be conferred for those completing the designated courses and general requirements as outlined in the Career Technical Education and Health Professions section of the catalog.
Second Degree/Advanced Certificates
Students wishing to graduate from Howard College/SWCID may apply for only one degree and/or certificate during the same semester in which the student plans to meet graduation requirements for that particular degree and/or certificate. After receiving any degree from Howard College/SWCID, a student must complete a minimum of twelve additional semester hours at Howard College before earning a separate degree or advanced certificate in a different major course of study. More than 12 semester hours may be required to complete the second degree depending on the course requirements in the major course of study.
The additional hours required must be completed after the date on which the first degree/certificate was awarded. A student may earn only one AAS in each program area. Multiple Certificates may be earned in the same program area.
Marketable Skills Achievement Awards
A marketable skills achievement award is a sequence of credit courses totaling 9-14 semester credit hours or workforce continuing education courses of 144-359 contact hours. These awards are listed in the Catalog under specific career technical education programs.
Core Curriculum Completion
To facilitate transferability of lower division courses, Texas law (Senate Bill 148) requires each institution of higher education to adopt a core curriculum of at least 42 semester credit hours. The core curriculum can be transferred in block to any state college to be substituted for the core of the receiving institution. Howard College/SWCID will designate core curriculum courses completed by a student on the official Howard College/SWCID transcript. If a student satisfies all component areas, the message “Core Curriculum Completed” will appear on the transcript. A student who transfers without completing the core curriculum of Howard College/SWCID shall receive academic credit within the core curriculum of the receiving institution for each of the courses that the student has successfully completed in the core curriculum of the sending institution. Course options within each foundational component area are listed in the Core Curriculum section of the Catalog.
Field of Study Completion
A Field of Study Curriculum is a set of courses that will satisfy the lower-division requirements for a baccalaureate degree in a specific academic area at a general academic teaching institution. Field of study curriculum, mandated in Senate Bill 148 of the 75th Texas Legislature, facilitates free transferability of lower-division academic courses among Texas public colleges and universities. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is responsible for developing and approving academic courses that fulfill the lower-division requirements for majors that correspond to the field of study. The Coordinating Board has approved fields of study for the following disciplines: business, communication, computer science, criminal justice, engineering, engineering technology, Mexican-American studies, music, and nursing. Howard College/SWCID does not necessarily offer all the courses in each of the fields of study listed by the Coordinating Board. Specific information and course requirements for each field of study can be found in the Academic Associate Degree Programs section of the Catalog.
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