Professional Studies (AA)
College: College of Social Sciences & Professional Studies
The Associate of Arts (AA) in professional studies degree is a generalist degree aimed at preparing students for careers, citizenship, and possibly further education. An AA in professional studies focuses on analytical skills designed for success in the private and public sector.
Students enrolling in the AA will learn valuable professional skills and applications that they will be able to utilize whether they continue in higher education or choose to enter the professional world. Upon completion of the AA degree, students will have the option to continue on to complete a bachelor’s degree, with the completed Associate of Arts credential in hand.
The AA degree enables students to earn a credential after approximately two years of study in general education, university skill requirements, program requirements, and a capstone course. Upon entering the program, a student will meet with an advisor to discuss educational and professional goals and plan the best selection of courses to meet those goals. Upon completion of the AA degree, students will have the option to continue on to complete a bachelor’s degree, with the completed Associate of Arts credential in hand. Students may pursue any UW‐Parkside bachelor’s degree program, noting however, that this AA has been created to lead best into Bachelor’s degrees in the social and behavioral science disciplines, but does not preclude any student from pursuing the degree.
See the Associate Degree section of the catalog for more programmatic and curricular information.
- Students earning the AA in professional studies degree will be practically and intellectually prepared to enter the job market.
- Students earning the AA in professional studies degree and leaving college will be intellectually prepared to consider returning, when ready and able, to complete a four-year bachelor’s degree.
- Students earning the AA in professional studies degree will demonstrate the intellectual and interpersonal skills that will help them contribute to innovation in the community and in the workplace.
Requirements for the A.A. in Professional Studies
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Skills Requirements | ||
| English/Writing Skills Course | ||
| ENGL 101 | Composition and Reading 1 | 3 |
| Computational and Quantitative Skills Courses | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning 2 | ||
| Elementary Statistics 2,4 | ||
| College Mathematics with Applications 2 | ||
| College Algebra I 2 | ||
| General Education Requirements 3 | ||
| Humanities and the Arts Courses | ||
| Select four courses from three different departments 4,5 | 3-6 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences Courses | ||
| Select four courses from three different departments 4,6 | 9-12 | |
| Natural Sciences Courses | ||
| Select four courses from three different departments 3,7 | 3-12 | |
| Ethnic Diversity Course | ||
| Select one course that carries “DV” credit 4,8 | 0-3 | |
| Program Core Requirements | ||
| Communication | ||
| COMM 105 | Public Speaking for the 21st Century 4,5 | 3 |
| Citizenship | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| American Politics 4,6 | ||
| Introduction to Politics 4,6 | ||
| Contemporary Moral Problems 4,5 | ||
| Cultural Awareness | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Cultural Anthropology 4,6 | ||
| Lowriders, Kicks, and Graffiti 4,5,8 | ||
| Contemporary Human Geography 4,6 | ||
| Astronomy of Native America 4,7,8 | ||
| Multicultural Theatre in America 4,5,8 | ||
| Program Fundamental Skills | ||
| Analytical Skills | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Topics in Data Collection and Analysis: | ||
| Criminal Justice Research Methods | ||
| Sources and Methods in History | ||
| Techniques of Philosophical Research | ||
| Research Methods and Sources | ||
| Business Statistics I | ||
| Statistics for the Social Sciences | ||
| Global Literacy | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Survey of World Art 4,5 | ||
| Introduction to Geography: World Regions 4,6 | ||
| Introduction to International Studies 4,6 | ||
| Introduction to International Relations 4,6 | ||
| Program Advanced Professional Skills | ||
| Required Ethics Course | ||
| PHIL 206 | Introduction to Ethics 4,5 | 3 |
| Private or Public Sector Option | ||
| Select one course from Private or Public Sector Options: | 3 | |
| Private Sector Option | ||
| Introduction to Business 4,6 | ||
| The American Economy 4,6 | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics 4,6 | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics 4,6 | ||
| Public Sector Option | ||
| Introduction to Community Engagement 4,6 | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Studies 4,7 | ||
| Physical Geography and the Environment 4,7 | ||
| Public Policy | ||
| Introduction to Sociology 4,6 | ||
| Race and Ethnic Relations in the U.S. 4,6,8 | ||
| Electives | ||
| In consultation with advisor, select other courses as needed to reach a total of at least 60 credits. | 18 | |
| Total Credits | 60-80 | |
- 1
This course fulfills the university writing skills requirements.
- 2
This course fulfills the university computational skills requirements.
- 3
There are 36 credits required for general education but, after taking required courses for the program, a range of 30 credits will be needed depending on the program elective choices.
- 4
These courses count toward general education requirements for UW-Parkside.
Check the course schedule and work with your advisor to find courses that fulfill your general education and/or ethnic diversity requirements.
- 5
Required courses PHIL 206 Introduction to Ethics and COMM 105 Public Speaking for the 21st Century fulfill part of this requirement.
Program elective courses may also fulfill part of this requirement (ART 124 Lowriders, Kicks, and Graffiti; ART 125 Survey of World Art; PHIL 215 Contemporary Moral Problems, and THEA 208 Multicultural Theatre in America).
- 6
Program elective courses may fulfill part of this requirement (i.e. POLS 100 American Politics, POLS 105 Introduction to Politics; BUS 100 Introduction to Business; SOCA 206 Race and Ethnic Relations in the U.S.; ANTH 200 Cultural Anthropology; GEOG 105 Contemporary Human Geography; INTS 100 Introduction to International Studies; GEOG 110 Introduction to Geography: World Regions; POLS 104 Introduction to International Relations; ECON 101 The American Economy; ECON 120 Principles of Microeconomics; ECON 121 Principles of Macroeconomics; CBL 101 Introduction to Community Engagement; SOCA 101 Introduction to Sociology; SOCA 206 Race and Ethnic Relations in the U.S.).
- 7
Program elective courses may fulfill part of this requirement (i.e. ENVS 101 Introduction to Environmental Studies; GEOG 100 Physical Geography and the Environment; PHYS 120 Astronomy of Native America).
- 8
A program elective course may also be used to satisfy this requirement (ART 124 Lowriders, Kicks, and Graffiti; PHYS 120: Astronomy of Native America; THEA 208 Multicultural Theatre in America; and SOCA 206 Race and Ethnic Relations in the U.S.).
How credits count:
Courses can count for multiple requirements such as a program requirement and a general education requirement but, the credits only count once. Therefore, depending on how many courses are chosen that fulfill both program and general education requirements, students may be required to take additional elective courses (from those not already taken in areas above) to reach the required minimum of 60 credits for an associate degree.
Depth, two-course sequence requirement:
The University of Wisconsin system has a requirement that each associate degree program must contain at least one two-course sequence in which the first course provides the foundation for the second course. While there may be multiples in this program the sequence of PHIL 206 Introduction to Ethics, and a Private or Public Sector course fulfill the requirement.