Associate of Arts (Online)

Program Description

The Associate of Arts (AA) degree includes the core learning components and competencies commonly accepted as foundational for a four-year baccalaureate degree by many colleges and universities. The AA degree is designed for students who desire recognition for completing the two-year prescribed curriculum. Because many bachelor degrees require specific prerequisites, students should verify how their AA degree and classes transfer into the intended degree. Graduates with the Associate of Arts degree will be able to:

Demonstrate a basic knowledge of the biblical basis of Christian theology, the history of Christian traditions, and the various expressions of global Christianity.

• Articulate a biblically-based statement of Christian identity as it relates to theology, ethics, habits and practices, and vocation. 
• Apply critical consideration of ethical principles and actions to their lived experiences as Christians.
• Demonstrate intellectual and practical fluency in the stewardship of God’s creation, including their own health & wellness, personal & family finances, civic engagement, and the environment.
• Engage with diverse populations and belief systems.  
• Demonstrate the ability to reason and develop evidence-based decisions using numerical information and to use relevant mathematical and logical methods to analyze and solve problems effectively.
• Demonstrate information literacy and critical thinking by locating and evaluating information that assists them in examining ideas and evidence before formulating an opinion or conclusion.
• Demonstrate effective written and oral communication with and response to varied audiences.
• Participate in the discourse of human cultures and its expression in the humanities (e.g. arts, history, literature).
• Evaluate the relationship between Christian faith and the sciences (natural, behavioral, and social) and their approaches to understanding and resolving unanswered questions.

Structure of the Foundational Core Program

• The Foundational Core Program has two phases, not of equal amounts of coursework.
• In their first-year students take a course titled College and Christian Calling. This is an orientation to being a university student at a Christian university. It will address such areas as faith integration, personal strengths and calling, and being a faithful and effective student. It is vital that students gain a sense of being Spirit-led and biblically based as a foundation for their Southeastern studies and for a life lived in service to Christ. To establish this kind of foundation for study and life, this course addresses university studies as a call from God and develops the principles of faith integration and spiritual practice.
• Also beginning the first semester and continuing primarily through the sophomore year, students will take the bulk of their Foundational Core courses. The various colleges and departments endeavor to reflect and be conscious and intentional regarding the integration of foundational core values and perspectives in these courses.

Associate of Arts (Online) Two-Year Course Plan