Associate in Arts, Elementary Education Degree (AAEE)
Maricopa County Community Colleges (MCCCD) 2023-2024
Description
The Maricopa County Community College District Associate in Arts, Elementary Education (AAEE) degree requires a minimum of 60 semester credits for the program of study. A minimum grade point average of 2.0 (4.0 scale) and grades of “C” or better in all courses are required to earn the degree. The AAEE degree is governed by the MCCCD General Academic Policies for Transfer Degrees. Refer to curriculum.maricopa.edu (click on Current Programs) to search for the corresponding 8101 AAEE. A minimum grade point average of 2.0 (4.0 scale) and grades of “C” or better are required in all courses to earn the degree. The AAEE degree is governed by the MCCCD General Academic Policies for Transfer Degrees.
The Associate in Arts, Elementary Education degree includes the following components:
- Required Courses
- Restricted Electives
- Arizona General Education Curriculum for Arts (AGEC-A)
- MCCCD Additional Requirements (Oral Communication and Critical Reading)
Purpose of the Degree
The Associate in Arts, Elementary Education (AAEE) degree is designed for the student who plans to transfer to an Elementary Education, Early Childhood, Multicultural/Multilingual, or Special Education program at an Arizona public higher education institution and/or who plans to become a classroom instructional aide. Generally, the degree transfers as a block without loss of credit to Arizona's public universities, and in most cases, its required courses apply to graduation requirements for these Education majors. The AAEE is also embedded within the Bachelor of Arts, Elementary Education and Special Education (BAEE/SPED) offered by the Maricopa Community Colleges.
Degree Requirements
The requirements for the Associate in Arts in Elementary Education follow. The following websites identify the courses that apply to the different General Education Core and Awareness Areas: AGEC and the AGEC matrix report. Courses available for both Areas during a current or upcoming semester can also be found using the “Find a Class” tool on maricopa.edu and on each MCCCD college’s website. Course sequence is available at maricopa.edu/degrees-certificates.
Degree Requirements
- Required Courses - Credits: 14-20
Course List Code Title Credits EDU221 Introduction to Education 3 EDU222 Introduction to the Exceptional Learner 3 EDU230 Cultural Diversity In Education 3 FYE101 Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success 1-3 or FYE103 Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success MAT256 Investigating Quantity: Number, Operations and Numeration Systems 4 Select one of the following: 0-4 Investigating Geometry, Probability and Statistics - Restricted Electives - Credits: 8
A total of eight (8) semester credits is required to satisfy the Electives for Arizona Professional Teacher Standards: three (3) credits in an additional Education course and five (5) credits in Content Area Electives.
Courses must transfer to all public Arizona universities as elective credit, departmental elective, or equivalent to a university course as indicated in the Arizona Course Equivalency Guide in effect when the course is taken. Courses identified as non-transferable in the Arizona Course Equivalency Guide cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.
Course List Code Title Credits Restricted Electives Select one (1) additional EDU course: 1 3 Education in Film (Recommended) Introduction to Serving English Language Learners (ELL) (Recommended) Classroom Relationships (Recommended) The Art of Storytelling (Recommended) Content Area Electives Choose any combination from the following list of courses and prefixes to total five (5) credits of additional coursework: 2 5 ARH+++Any ARH Art Humanities course(s)ART+++Any ART Art course(s)BPC+++Any BPC Business-Personal Computers course(s)Child Development Human Development CIS+++Any CIS Computer Information Systems course(s)ECN+++Any ECN Economics course(s)EDU+++Any EDU Education course(s) 1Early Learning: Health, Safety, Nutrition and Fitness Health and Nutrition in Early Childhood Settings
and Safety In Early Childhood SettingsENG+++Any ENG English course(s)ENH+++Any ENH English course(s)GCU+++Any GCU Cultural Geography course(s)GPH+++Any GPH Physical Geography course(s)HIS+++Any HIS History course(s)MAT+++Any MAT Mathematics course(s) 140 or higher 2MHL+++Any MHL Music: History/Literature course(s)MTC+++Any MTC Music: Theory/Composition course(s)POS+++Any POS Political Science course(s)THE+++Any THE Theatre course(s)THF+++Any THF Theatre and Film course(s)THP+++Any THP Theatre Performance/Production course(s)Any Foreign Language course(s)Any Natural Science course(s)- 1
Other than EDU221 Introduction to Education, EDU222 Introduction to the Exceptional Learner, EDU230 Cultural Diversity In Education or EDU250 Teaching and Learning in the Community College
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Course(s) selected must be different from those used to fulfill a requirement of the AGEC-A and/or those used to fulfill Required Courses.
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Except EDU221 Introduction to Education, EDU222 Introduction to the Exceptional Learner, EDU230 Cultural Diversity In Education, and EDU250 Teaching and Learning in the Community College
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Except MAT256 Investigating Quantity: Number, Operations and Numeration Systems and MAT257 Investigating Geometry, Probability and Statistics
- Arizona General Education Curriculum—Arts (AGEC-A) - Credits: 35-441
The AGEC-A requires a minimum of 35 credits (32 if FYC is met by single transfer course)1, AGEC designations are subject to change. See AGEC matrix for each course's value(s) in the semester it is taken. Some of the courses have been approved for more than one designation. Notes below will show how such courses may be used to meet multiple degree requirements.- 1
FYC may be met with fewer than 6 credits if student has transfer credit from ASU, NAU or UAZ for a single course that meets FYC in full.
Course List Code Title Credits First-Year Composition (FYC) 1 ENG101 First-Year Composition 1 3 or ENG107 First-Year Composition for ESL ENG102 First-Year Composition 1 3 or ENG108 First-Year Composition for ESL Literacy and Critical Inquiry (L) COM225 Public Speaking 3 Mathematical Applications (MA) Select one of the following: 2 3-6 College MathematicsCollege Mathematics College Mathematics College Mathematics College Mathematics with Review College Mathematics with Review College AlgebraCollege Algebra/Functions College Algebra/Functions College Algebra/Functions College Algebra/Functions with Review College Algebra/Functions with Review PrecalculusPrecalculus Higher Approved General Education CourseMathematics Applications (MA) area for which MAT15+ is a prerequisiteComputer/Statistics/Quantitative Applications (CS) Select one of the following: 3 Computer Usage and Applications Survey of Computer Information Systems Digital Literacy for Teaching and Learning in Education (Recommended) Humanities, Arts and Design (HU) Note that some of these courses also have Awareness Areas designations and can be used to satisfy (G) and/or (H) requirement as well as (HU). 3 Select one of the following ARH, DAH, MHL or THE courses: 3 Introduction to Art Art from Prehistory Through Middle Ages Art from Renaissance to Modernism Introduction to Dance Dance, Culture, and Global Contexts Dance in Popular Culture Survey of Music History American Jazz and Popular Music Survey of Broadway Musicals Rock Music and Culture Introduction to Theatre Modern Drama Select one of the following EDU, ENH or HUM courses: 3 Children's Literature (Recommended) Introduction to Literature American Literature Before 1860 American Literature After 1860 Ideas and Values in the Humanities: Early Civilizations to the Renaissance Ideas and Values in the Humanities: Renaissance to the Contemporary World Social-Behavioral Sciences (SB) Note that some of these courses also have Awareness Areas designations and can be used to satisfy (G) and/or (H) requirement as well as (SB). 3 Select one of the following US History/Government courses: 4 3 These courses satisfy the United States Constitution requirement for state teacher certification.United States and Arizona Social Studies United States History to 1865 American National Government Select one of the following CFS, ECH, GCU, ECN, HIS or PSY courses: 3 Human Development Child Development (Recommended) Macroeconomic Principles Microeconomic Principles World Geography I: Eastern Hemisphere World Geography II: Western Hemisphere United States History 1865 to Present Introduction to Psychology Natural Sciences (SQ/SG) The lecture courses selected for Natural Sciences must include or be accompanied by the corresponding laboratory course for a total of four (4) credits each. At least four (4) credits must be designated as SQ. Eight (8) credits of SG will not satisfy this requirement Life Sciences Select four (4) credits of SQ or SG in Biology (BIO) 4 Physical Sciences or Earth/Space Sciences Select four (4) credits of SQ or SG from one of the following prefixes: 4 AGS, ASM, AST, CHM, GPH, GLG, PHS, or PHYNote: Students are advised to check with the university they plan to attend as specific requirements for lab sciences may vary Awareness Areas Select one of the following: 0-3 Cultural Diversity in the United States (C) 5Global Awareness (G) or Historical Awareness (H) 6- 1
FYC may be met with fewer than 6 credits if student has transfer credit from ASU, NAU or UAZ for a single course that meets FYC in full.
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Note that MAT182 Plane Trigonometry, MAT206 Elements of Statistics, MAT256 Investigating Quantity: Number, Operations and Numeration Systems, MAT257 Investigating Geometry, Probability and Statistics do NOT meet this requirement.
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AGEC designations are subject to change. See AGEC matrix for each course's value(s) in the semester it is taken.
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State certification requirements include courses on the constitutions of U.S. and Arizona. Taking GCU113 United States and Arizona Social Studies/POS113 United States and Arizona Social Studies for (SB) fulfills this requirement completely. Students who instead take HIS103 United States History to 1865 or POS110 American National Government for (SB) should consider taking POS221 Arizona Constitution as a Content Area Elective so they have completed study of both constitutions. POS220 U.S. and Arizona Constitution meets state certification requirements for both constitutions but does not meet (SB).
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Met by EDU222 Introduction to the Exceptional Learner and EDU230 Cultural Diversity In Education in Required Courses
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May be met by [HU] and/or [SB] course depending on specific courses selected. (AGEC designations are subject to change. See AGEC matrix for each course's value(s) in the semester it is taken.)
- MCCCD Additional Requirements - Credits: 0-3
Total: 60-641
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64 semester credits is the maximum accepted toward most degree programs at Arizona’s public universities. Some exceptions apply; consult with an academic advisor for additional transfer pathways.