Program Description

The Associate in Applied Science General Technology degree program offers students the opportunity to design a program of study to meet their individual needs. The General Technology degree prepares students for unique positions in the workplace for which specialized degree programs do not currently exist. It is intended to be used to meet customized, industry-specific needs and/or unique academic and career goals identified by the student.

Requirements for Completion

This degree requires advance coordination between the student and a program’s department head to determine a specific plan of study according to the degree outline presented below. The major courses (primary and secondary technical specialties), the general education courses and the additional credit hours must total a minimum of 60 credit hours and may not exceed 84 credit hours.

Major Courses Required                                       33.0
The required core consists of a primary and a secondary technical specialty.

• Primary Technical Specialty - minimum of 21 credit hours in a single content area from an approved degree, diploma or technical education certificate program offered at the college.
• Secondary Technical Specialty - minimum of 12 credit hours in one of two options:

  • 12 credit hours from an approved degree, diploma or technical education certificate program offered at the college,

or

• 12 credit hours from a mix of credits awarded for coursework from any program, military training, experiential learning and/or testing. The mix of credits must complement the primary technical specialty.

General Education Courses Required                   15.0
For the General Technology degree completion, the general education component must include at least one course from each of the following areas:

• Mathematics/Natural Sciences
• Social/Behavioral Science
• Humanities/Fine Arts
• Oral Communications
• Written Communications

Note: If ENG 165 Professional Communications is used to meet the oral and written communication requirements, the degree will require an additional general education course to meet the minimum of 15 semester hours for this category. CPT 170 Microcomputer Applications may not be used as a general education course.

Additional Hours Required                                   12.0 - 36.0

• The student will work with a program advisor to choose electives that meet industry and student needs. The student may use credits in this section to develop a third technical specialty or to enhance the primary and secondary technical specialties. Courses in this section may include credits awarded for military training, experiential learning and testing.

Changes in the Academic Roadmap Agreement:

• Any changes in the academic roadmap agreement for the program of study will require an updated academic roadmap agreement approved by the department head of the primary technical specialty.
• If the change involves changing the primary or secondary technical specialty, the student may lose eligibility for federal financial aid such as the Federal Pell Grant or Federal Direct student loans. Federal financial aid will only pay for courses that are required for graduation. It is the student’s responsibility to meet with a counselor in the Financial Aid office prior to making changes to the General Technology roadmap.
• If the student receives an award such as a certificate from one or both of the technical specialties and elects to revise the academic roadmap agreement for the General Technology degree by adding one or more technical specialties, all previously attempted credits and grades from the academic program in which the certificate was awarded, will continue to be calculated into Standards of Academic Progress. This could cause a student to lose Federal financial aid eligibility.
• Students may graduate from only one General Technology degree program regardless of the primary and secondary technical specialties.