The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree is awarded to students in career technical programs who meet the requirements listed below.  Many career technical programs require more than 90 credits for an associate's degree. 

The Associate of Applied Science is awarded to students who meet the following:

1. Associate Degree Comprehensive Requirements

2. Associate of Applied Science Requirements

a. The final 16 credits that apply to the degree must include at least 8 credits at PCC that apply to the specific program requirements, excluding courses used solely for the General Education requirements. Students may apply to the department chair for an exception to this requirement if they can demonstrate currency in the field.
Students must earn 24 credits from PCC that apply to the specific program requirements excluding courses used solely for the General Education requirements. See specific program requirements in the Catalog.

b. General Education Requirements: Students must complete a minimum of four General Education courses taken from the General Education Distribution/Discipline Studies List. These courses must include at least one course with a minimum of 3 credits from each of the following categories:

• Arts and Letters

• Social Sciences

• Science/Math/Computer Science

No more than two courses may come from courses required by specific programs. Because of this restriction, it is possible that a course is acceptable as General Education for some students while it is not acceptable for others. Students should consult an advisor or faculty member in their AAS degree program for advice on General Education courses appropriate to their goals and interests.

General Education requirements will be waived for students who enroll at PCC with an AA, AAS, AGS, AS, BA, BS degree or higher from a regionally-accredited United States institution or foreign equivalent. Program-specific General Education requirements for some AAS degrees will not necessarily be waived. Students should consult their career technical program department for specific courses required for General Education.

c. PCC Basic Competency Requirements for Writing and Math in the AAS Degree:

Writing: Competency in writing must be demonstrated by either:

• Completing WR 121Z with a C or better, or

• Completing with a C or better a lower division collegiate writing course for which WR 121Z is a prerequisite

Students with AA, AAS, AGS, AS, BA, BS degrees or higher from a U.S. regionally-accredited institution or foreign equivalent will have the basic competency in writing (WR 121Z) waived. Other writing requirements specified by the program remain in effect.

Math: Competency in mathematics or computation must be demonstrated by:

• Completing with a grade of C or P or better MTH 58, MTH 63 or MTH 65, or

• Passing the PCC Competency Exam for MTH 65, or

• Completing with a grade of C or P or better a MTH course (minimum 3 credits) for which MTH 58, MTH 63 or MTH 65 or higher level math skills are a prerequisite, or

• Completing with a grade of C or P or better a career-technical computation course of 3 or more credits that aligns with and supports the program goals or intended outcomes, or

• Completing with a grade of C or P or better all courses that comprise 90 hours of embedded related instruction in computation that aligns with and supports the program goals or intended outcomes

d. Program Requirements:

All AAS candidates must complete a program of approved coursework in the major field. The Programs and Disciplines section of the Catalog contains these coursework requirements. No more than 3 credits (100-level courses and above) in Physical Education (PE) may be applied to an AAS degree unless specifically required by the program.

* See the Course Descriptions in PCC Catalog for a complete list.