1. Area of Emphasis (AOE) Degrees
Njeri Griffin, Chancellor’s Office
Michelle Grimes-Hillman, Long Beach City College
Nili Kirschner, ASCCC Curriculum CommitteE
2019 ASCCC Curriculum Institute

2. BREAKOUT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Difference between major and area of emphasis (AOE)
Difference between ADT AOE and local AOE degrees
Title 5 reg and guidelines for developing AOE degrees
Submission and documentation of local AOE degrees
Possible benefits of AOE degrees for students
2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE

3. HOW IS AN AOE DEGREE DIFFERENT THAN A MAJOR?
Defined in title 5 §55063:
A major must consist of a minimum of 18 semester units of required courses or restricted electives and must serve to prepare a student for employment or transfer in a specific area of study
Examples:
Associate of Arts in Psychology
Associate of Science in Landscape Architecture
An area of emphasis is courses that are considered to be in “related disciplines” that share commonalities under a broader scope of related subjects or topics
Example:
Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts - Emphasis in Social and Behavioral Sciences (might include sociology, psychology, Mexican-American studies, and history courses)
2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE

4. 2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE
ADT vs LOCAL AOE DEGREE
Both are based on an area of emphasis; however, Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADTs) are based on Transfer Model Curriculum (TMC) that are vetted by Faculty Discipline Review Group (FDRG).
Unlike local area of emphasis degrees, there is no further need to justify the inclusion of courses as related disciplines; the TMC template includes its own documentation requirements.
2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE

5. 2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE
FORTHCOMING FAQs?
The following slides draw heavily from the recommendations developed by the California Community College Curriculum Committee (5C) in April 2018.
However, these FAQs have not been approved and distributed by the Chancellor’s Office, so they are not official guidelines (yet).
2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE

6. WHAT ARE “RELATED DISCIPLINES”?
Courses can be included together in an area of emphasis if they are either:
courses in the same GE area*, or
courses defined by a local process to be related
Curriculum committee may define criteria for “related disciplines” and document in its local process and in narrative/supporting docs sent to the Chancellor’s Office.
*Note: Courses in the same GE area does not necessarily guarantee that courses are related in content! Courses in the same GE area can be considered a starting point for a discussion about patterns of courses and the meaning of area of emphasis for the students.
2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE

7. WHO DECIDES IF COURSES ARE RELATED?
For traditional or “local” associate degrees, local curriculum committees with purview and responsibility for approving programs must review an AOE degree to ensure that courses in the program either:
fall within the same GE areas defined by title 5 §55063, or
meet locally defined and documented criteria
2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE

8. 2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE
CAN AN ENTIRE GE PATTERN (LOCAL AA, IGETC, CSU) BE USED AS AN AOE DEGREE?
No – PCAH p.80 says:
“GE transfer patterns do not satisfy the requirement for a major or an area of emphasis. In other words, an associate degree cannot consist solely of CSU GE-Breadth (CSU GE-Breadth), IGETC, or the local GE pattern with the remaining units (to reach 60 semester or 90 quarter) in other GE courses or electives, selected at the student's discretion.”
2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE

9. HOW ARE GENERAL EDUCATION AREAS DEFINED?
Title 5 §55063 defines general education (GE) areas:
Natural Sciences
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Humanities
Language and Rationality
Courses are placed in the general education pattern for a college’s local associate degree by the curriculum committee.
2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE

10. 2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE
CAN AN AOE DEGREE USE COURSES THAT ARE INCLUDED IN GE AREAS FOR CSU BREADTH OR IGETC?
Yes - As long as the courses are from a single GE area, colleges can create an AOE degree using their local GE pattern, or CSU GEB, or IGETC.
Note that CSU GEB Area E is not defined in title 5 §55063, and would not automatically meet criteria for being an “area of emphasis.” Colleges that create an AOE degree based on this must be able to document that the degree serves to prepare a student for employment or transfer in a specific area of study.
2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE

11. HOW DO YOU SUBMIT AN AOE DEGREE IN COCI?
Local AOE degrees are streamlined and auto approved, but Chancellor’s Office will conduct periodic reviews.
Beginning November/December 2019 colleges may follow simplified rules for submission based on program requirements of the AOE degree:
Restricted electives only (no core requirements), identical to a local or transfer GE area
All other types
These changes will be included in the fall certification memo from the Chancellor’s Office.
2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE

12. 2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE
AOE STREAMLINING
Restricted Electives from a GE Area
Submit Program Narrative Items 1-3 (No enrollment data or course sequencing!) Include in narrative the rationale for the area of emphasis.
For Item 3 (Program Requirements), colleges do not need to list all courses, but can instead refer to the appropriate GE pattern in catalog
In COCI, attach catalog page instead of CORs
All Other Types of AOE Degrees
Submit Program Narrative Items 1-3 (No enrollment data or course sequencing!) Include in narrative the rationale for the area of emphasis.
For Item 3 (Program Requirements), colleges must list all courses
In COCI, only attach CORs of required courses
2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE

13. WHICH PROGRAM GOAL SHOULD BE SELECTED FOR AOE DEGREES?
For AA/AS – select “Local”
An AOE degree may be intended to prepare students for transfer or employment, but the "Transfer" goal is reserved for ADTs and “CTE” is reserved for programs in CTE TOP codes.
If the local degree is designed to prepare students for transfer and this is mentioned in the narrative, you will need to select the “local” goal and also submit transfer documentation as outlined in PCAH.
If the local degree is designed to prepare students for employment but is not in a CTE TOP code, you are not required to submit LMI data but may choose do so as a form of evidence to support local need.
2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE

14. WHAT SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION IS NEEDED?
When the Chancellor’s Office conducts periodic reviews, they will look to ensure that the college can document and support the rationale they give for creating the AOE degree.
For local degrees, supporting documentation is defined by the goal(s) of the program, as described in the narrative. Include supporting documentation for the goal type(s) as outlined in the PCAH (6th ed), in section 4 entitled Local Degrees: AA and AS. For example:
If a college justifies an AOE degree by saying it prepares students for employment or allows them to earn higher wages, they may provide LMI data. Since the program goal for the AOE degrees is local, providing LMI data is a suggestion; it is not REQUIRED.
If the degree title, description, or narrative mentions or implies transfer (ex: “University Studies”), the college must provide transfer documentation as outlined in PCAH (6th ed p.82)
If the degree meets a unique local need, the college should be able to provide some evidence of that, such as letters of support, survey data, etc.
2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE

15. WHAT VALUE DO AOE DEGREES HAVE FOR STUDENTS?
Local AOE degree goals and uses will, by nature, vary by college. How can curriculum committees ensure that they are helping students?
Ask tough questions: What is the purpose? Is the rationale focused on students (vs SCFF/completion)? Are program goals clear to students?
Require documentation in local review/approval process
Counseling to put students on right path for their goals
Regular SLO assessment and program review - who is in charge for AOE degrees at your college?
2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE

16. AOE DEGREES AND GUIDED PATHWAYS
AOE degrees may be particularly useful as colleges plan out pathways and meta-majors….
Possible to make AOE degrees for pathways/meta majors as long as there is a clear rationale for how courses are related in content
2019 ASCCC CURRICULUM INSTITUTE