Associate Degree Requirements

To earn an Associate Degree from River Valley Community College, a student must:

successfully complete at least sixty (60) credits in college-level coursework (excluding remedial or developmental coursework/credits – i.e., those identified as being “for institutional credit only”);
earn at least fifteen (15) credits in coursework offered by and under the direct control of the college awarding the degree with at least eight (8) of those credits earned in advanced-level courses in the student’s major field;
achieve a Cumulative Grade Point Average (cGPA) of 2.0 or higher in all courses taken at the college awarding the degree (including remedial or developmental coursework/credits);
meet all course distribution requirements for the specific type of Associate Degree as described in sections below; and
meet any additional criteria as required by a student's specific program.

COURSE DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS

Associate in Science Degree

In addition to meeting the requirements set forth in the associate degree from RVCC requirements above, a student must meet the following course distribution requirements to earn an Associate in Science Degree:

earn at least 30 credits in program-specific courses in a defined major field;
earn at least 20 credits in general education courses, including one course of three (3) credits or more in:
- English Composition (required);
- Humanities/Fine Arts/Foreign Language (required);
- Quantitative Reasoning/Mathematics (required);
- Science (required);
- Social Sciences (required),
the remaining general education credits to reach the required total of 20 general education credits may be taken in English, Humanities/Fine Arts/Foreign Language, Quantitative Reasoning, Science, or Social Sciences; and
The remaining 10 credits to reach the required minimum total of 60 credits may be assigned in any subject area, as deemed by the faculty to be appropriate to the curriculum.

Associate in Arts

Students may earn an Associate in Arts degree in Liberal Arts or in a specified major field. In addition to meeting the requirements set forth in the associate degree from RVCC requirements above, a student must meet the following course distribution requirements to earn an Associate in Arts degree. Each category below must include at least one course worth at least three (3) credits:

English Composition 3-4 credits
English Literature, Composition (requiring English Composition as a prerequisite), or Communications 3 credits
Quantitative Reasoning/Mathematics 6-8 credits
Natural or Physical Sciences 7-8 credits (including at least one lab science)
Social Sciences 9 credits
Humanities/Fine Arts/World Language 9 credits

AND EITHER

Electives in Specialized Major Field 20-24 credits
Minimum 60 credits

OR (for generic AA in Liberal Arts)

Liberal Arts Electives (from above list) AND 12-15 credits
Open Electives 9 credits
Minimum 60 credits

Associate in Science in General Studies

RVCC also offers an Associate in Science in General Studies degree for students seeking experiential credit, seeking to create a self-designed major to meet personal occupational or career goals, requiring remediation/ developmental coursework to meeting admission requirements for a desired program, or wishing to matriculate while awaiting admission to competitive degree programs. Students wishing to earn an Associate in Science in General Studies degree must meet all of the requirements set forth in the associate degree from RVCC requirements above, as well as the general education distribution requirements set forth in Associate in Science Degree requirements above. The 30 credits of major field coursework may be taken in any subject area.