Associate of Fine Arts (General Degree Requirements)

AFA - ASSOCIATE OF FINE ARTS # AFA.00402

The associate of fine arts (AFA) degree is for students who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university. The associate of fine arts degree is appropriate for most transfer programs leading to a baccalaureate degree in the fine arts fields. Schoolcraft students may complete the degree by following the requirements specified by the transfer institution and Schoolcraft College (SC).

Transfer:  Completion of a broad distribution of liberal arts courses in English communication, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences distribution areas that may be used to meet transfer requirements toward a baccalaureate degree with an intended focus toward the arts, literature, music, humanities, and other related fields.

Minimum 3 credit hours.

Completion of a minimum of one English composition course.

• ENG 101 , ENG 102 , or ENG 221  

Minimum 3 credit hours.

Completion of a second English composition course.

• ENG 101 , ENG 102 , or ENG 221       OR

Completion of a communication arts course.

• COMA 103,   COMA 200,   COMA 202,   COMA 212,   or COMA 240   

Minimum 4 credit hours plus an additional 18 hours from the Major Area of Study.

Completion of a minimum of two humanities courses from two different disciplines.
Art, Communication Arts⁺, English (Literature), Foreign Language, History⁺, Humanities, Music, Philosophy or Theatre

Minimum 4 credit hours.

Completion of a minimum of one mathematics course from Schoolcraft’s approved Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) course list.

Minimum 7 credit hours.

Completion of a minimum of two natural science courses from two different disciplines.
One must be a lab science course.
Biology, Chemistry, Earth, Geography⁺, Nutrition and Food Science, or Physics

Minimum 6 credit hours.

Completion of a minimum of two social science courses from two different disciplines.
Anthropology, Economics, Geography⁺, History⁺, Political Science, Psychology or Sociology

Minimum 18 credit hours selected from any of the following liberal arts areas: ART, HUM, MUSIC, THEA, and ENG (Creative Writing or Literature only). Schoolcraft College recommends students complete a specific track as specified below while referring to the transfer institution’s requirements:

These courses also may be used to meet the Humanities requirement of this degree as long as the minimum number of credits and disciplines are completed.

Art Track:
ART courses recommended: ART 115 , ART 116 , ART 120 , ART 121 , ART 122 , ART 201 , ART 248 

Additional courses in various art media that satisfy transfer and academic goals and requirements are recommended.

Creative Writing Track:
ENG courses recommended: ENG 120 , ENG 205 , ENG 206 , ENG 243 , ENG 244 , ENG 246 , ENG 248 , ENG 280 

Additional courses in literature that satisfy transfer and academic goals and requirements are recommended.

Humanities Track:
HUM courses recommended: HUM 151 , HUM 152 , HUM 190 , HUM 210 , HUM 212 , HUM 215 

Additional courses in the history, appreciation, and culture of music and art that satisfy transfer and academic goals and requirements are recommended.

Music Tracks:
Music History/Culture Track:
MUSIC courses recommended: MUSIC 105 , MUSIC 149 , MUSIC 153 , MUSIC 154 , MUSIC 155 , MUSIC 160 , MUSIC 164 , MUSIC 165 

Additional courses in music history and culture that satisfy transfer and academic goals and requirements are recommended.

Music Performance Track:
Core MUSIC courses recommended: MUSIC 121 , MUSIC 137 , MUSIC 138 , MUSIC 153 , MUSIC 154 
Select MUSIC courses recommended: Applied performance courses in piano, voice, instrumental, & ensemble

Additional courses in humanities and music performance that satisfy transfer and academic goals and requirements are recommended.

Theater Track:
THEA courses recommended: THEA 101 , THEA 210 , THEA 211 , THEA 231 , THEA 232 , THEA 241 
ENG courses recommended: ENG 200 , ENG 245 , ENG 248 

Additional courses in theater and literature that satisfy transfer and academic goals and requirements are recommended.

Minimum 15 credit hours in liberal arts or occupational courses not previously taken that satisfy transfer and academic goals and requirements.

All courses that apply to this degree must be at the 100- through 400-level with an overall minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 unless a higher cumulative grade-point is stipulated by the specific program.

Minimum 60 credit hours.

Completion of all Schoolcraft College Core Abilities and a minimum of 16 credit hours associate-level Schoolcraft College general education requirements in English Communication, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences.

The Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) may be used to fulfill the Schoolcraft College general education requirements.

PLEASE NOTE: Students may not use the same history (HIST) course to satisfy both the humanities and social sciences distribution areas. Additionally, students may not use the same communication arts (COMA) course to satisfy both the humanities and English Communication Distribution Areas. Only certain geography courses can be used for a natural science or social science course.

There are three (3) types of courses that may be used toward fulfilling associate degrees at Schoolcraft College: liberal arts, applied liberal arts, and occupational. Applied liberal arts or occupational courses may not account for more than 15 credits in an AFA degree. While the applied liberal arts courses provide immediate skill building opportunities, their transferability and value should be discussed with an academic advisor. Most transferable courses may be found in the Schoolcraft College MTA requirements.

There are two primary types of courses that may be used towards fulfilling credentials such as certificate, associate, or bachelor’s degrees at Schoolcraft College (SC).   The nature, goals, and use of each course determines the type of course and how it applies toward each credential at Schoolcraft College or at transfer institutions.  The two types of courses include occupational and liberal arts courses.

1. Occupational Courses - Occupational courses have a direct career relationship and focus on developing necessary knowledge and skills to enter the workforce within the chosen field of study-e.g., ACCT 103 , EMT 115 , MFG 211 , WELD 120 . Occupational courses may or may not transfer to another institution. The course description in the catalog will indicate if the course is an occupational course.  No SC occupational course may be used toward SC General Education (SCGE) or to meet the requirements for Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA).

2. Liberal Arts Courses - Liberal Arts courses provide general knowledge and theory in English communication, humanities, natural sciences, mathematics, and social sciences areas. Liberal Arts courses may fall into three categories:

   • Applied Liberal Arts - Courses that are focused on building particular skills through the practice and application of talents or concepts-e.g., ART 248 , ENG 205 , CAB 102 , THEA 204 , MUSIC 114 , COLLS 105 . Applied Liberal Arts courses typically do not transfer to other institutions.  A subset of these courses may be used toward meeting the requirements for SCGE. The course description in the catalog will indicate if the course is an applied liberal arts course.

   • Liberal Arts used for Schoolcraft College General Education (SCGE) - Courses that are theory-based or application-based which offer a wide distribution of experiences to students across multiple disciplines-e.g., ENG 100 , PSYCH 153 , HIST 138 , MATH 106 . These courses may or may not transfer to another institution. Liberal Arts courses that do not transfer are typically applied in nature, such as MATH 106 . Liberal Arts courses that are intended to transfer are typically theory-based. The course description will indicate if the course fulfills a general education component -e.g., PSYCH 153 .

   • Liberal Arts Courses used for Transfer - Courses which are theory-based and offer a wide distribution of experiences to students across multiple disciplines-e.g., PSYCH 153 , BIOL 101 , ECON 201 , ART 120 , MATH 111 . These courses are a sub-set of the Liberal Arts used for SCGE which meet both SCGE and the requirements for the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA). The MTA identified courses that are intended to meet the general education requirements at transfer institutions are identified in the course description. Information about the MTA requirements may be found at https://www.mitransfer.org/michigan-transfer-agreement.

*Credentials - documentation of satisfactory completion of courses that result in a nationally recognized acknowledgment of learning and skills. Schoolcraft College offers skills certificate, certificate, associate and bachelor degree credentials.

Liberal Arts Courses Fulfilling Schoolcraft College General Education and/or Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) Requirements 

Liberal Arts courses will typically transfer to another institution. They provide general knowledge and theory in the English Communication, humanities, natural sciences, math, and social sciences. Transferability of courses should be discussed with your academic advisor and may be dependent on the receiving institution.

Select the links below to view the list of courses in each distribution area that fulfill general education and/or MTA requirements.

• English Communication
     

• Humanities
    

• Mathematics
    

• Natural Science
    

• Social Science
    

* = Only these courses or a combination of courses may be used to satisfy the final requirement for MTA English Communications.
+ = Students may not use the same History course to satisfy both the humanities and social sciences requirements. Additionally, students may not use the same Communication Arts course to satisfy both the humanities and English communication requirements. Only certain Geography courses can be used for a natural science or social science course.