The North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) and the North Carolina University System (UNC) have a Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) that provides a number of options and opportunities for students interested in completing coursework at Tri-County Community College to transfer to a public university. The CAA is founded on four principles:
• Universities have agreed to a list of Universal General Education Transfer Courses that are guaranteed to transfer for general education equivalency credit to each of the 16 constituent institutions.
• Universities will publish four-year degree plans and crosswalk lower division courses with the NC Community College System Combined Course Library to provide pathways leading to completion of the associate’s degree, admission to the major, and completion of the baccalaureate degree.
• NC Community College System college transfer students will select a transfer major and preferred transfer university before completing 30 semester hours of credit. Additional general education, pre-major and elective courses will be selected based on a student’s intended major and transfer institution.
• Completion of the A.A. or A.S. college transfer degree guarantees completion of undergraduate general education and pre-major courses and transfer of 60 semester hours of college credit, if the student is admitted into the transfer institution and major.
COLLEGE TRANSFER DEGREE OPTIONS
The degree options for transfer are listed below, along with their associated articulation agreements.
Associate in Arts/Science Degree
Students who elect to pursue the A.A. or A.S. degree must complete all course requirements as outlined in the General Catalog and Student Handbook. Upon completion of the A.A. or A.S. degree, students are guaranteed acceptance at a senior UNC institution under the following conditions:
• Admission is not assured to a specific campus or specific program or major.
• Students must have graduated from a North Carolina community college with an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree.
• Students must meet all requirements of the CAA.
• Students must have an overall GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, as calculated by the college from which they graduated, and a grade of “C” or better in all CAA courses.
• Students must be academically eligible for re-admission to the last institution attended.
• Students must meet judicial requirements of the institution to which they apply.
• Students must meet all application requirements at the receiving institution, including the submission of all required documentation by stated deadlines.
If these conditions are met, students are not required to take more general education classes after transfer unless these courses are necessary to pursue their chosen major or those courses are considered specific graduation requirements at the university.
Associate in Engineering Degree
The A.E. to B.S.E. Uniform Articulation Agreement establishes the procedures governing the transfer of credits for students who graduate from North Carolina Community College A.E. programs and apply to B.S.E. programs at constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina. Please note that the completion of the A.E. degree does not guarantee admission into a NC university engineering program.
To be eligible for transfer of credits under the A.E. to B.S.E. Uniform Articulation Agreement, students must meet these criteria:
• Students must have earned an A.E. degree from an approved community college.
• Students must have a GPA of at least 2.5 and a grade of C or better in all A.E. courses.
• Students should follow the prescribed A.E. course list.
The A.E. to B.S.E. Uniform Articulation Agreement includes these benefits for students who successfully complete the A.E. under the above criteria:
• Students will complete a common list of courses that meet the entrance requirements at all B.S.E. programs at the constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina. (However, because engineering program admissions are competitive, no student is guaranteed admission to an engineering program.)
• All courses in the Universal General Education Transfer Component will transfer with course equivalency to fulfill General Education requirements for the B.S.E.
• Students will receive at least 60 semester hours of academic credit upon admission to a UNC institution.
Associate in Fine Arts
Students pursuing the A.F.A. in Visual Arts must complete all course requirements as outlined in the General Catalog and Student Handbook. Upon completion of the A.F.A., students may apply to B.F.A. (visual arts) programs at constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina under the procedure outlined in the Uniform Articulation Agreement between UNC Baccalaureate Programs of UNC and the NC Community College System. The following conditions apply:
COLLEGE TRANSFER NON-DEGREE OPTIONS
Universal Course-by-Course Transfer
The transcripts of students who transfer before completing the A.A./A.S./ A.E./A.F.A. degree will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis by the receiving universities. The courses that provide the core of Tri-County Community College’s College Transfer programs are considered Universal General Education Transfer Courses (UGETC) courses and are designated as such in the programs of study below. Provided a student earns a “C” or better in these courses, these UGETC courses will transfer as specific general education requirements at the university. Other CAA courses transfer as either general education, pre-major, or elective courses, depending on the senior institution.
The Comprehensive Articulation Agreement can be found at http://www. nccommunitycolleges.edu/academic-programs/comprehensive-articulationagreement- caa.
Transfer to non-CAA Institutions
Students interested in transferring to a private or out-of-state university should discuss options with one of our College Transfer advisors as well as officials at the university they wish to attend.
Associate in Arts
The Associate in Arts degree program is a college transfer program, paralleling the freshman and sophomore years of a four-year college or university, for students who want to pursue four-year degrees in areas of study such as English, history, education, psychology, the social sciences, or professional programs that require a strong across-the-board academic background. During the first two years of college, students pursue a program of general education coursework in the area of communications, computer information systems, humanities, fine arts, mathematics, natural sciences, and social and behavioral sciences. These general education courses enable students to gain a well-rounded education before going on to four-year institutions where they will take courses in their major disciplines to complete baccalaureate degrees. Courses in this program have approval for transfer for general education purposes to any of the 16 institutions of the University of North Carolina through the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement, as noted above.
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Associate in Arts in Teacher Preparation
The Associate in Arts in Teacher Preparation degree program parallels the freshman and sophomore years of a four-year
college or university for students who want to pursue four-year degrees in education.
The Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) and the Independent Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (ICAA) enables North Carolina community college graduates of two-year associate in arts programs who are admitted to constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina and to Signatory Institutions of North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities to transfer with junior status. Community college graduates must obtain a grade of “C” or better in each course and an overall GPA of at least 2.7 on a 4.0 scale in order to transfer with a junior status. Courses may also transfer through bilateral agreements between institutions.
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Associate in Engineering
The Associate in Engineering degree shall be granted for a planned program of study consisting of a minimum of 60 semester hours of credit (SHC) of courses. Within the degree program, the institution shall include opportunities for the achievement of competence in reading, writing, oral communication, fundamental mathematical skills, and basic computer use.
The degree plan includes required general education and prerequisite courses that are acceptable to all state-funded Bachelor of Engineering programs. Students who follow the degree progression plan will meet the entrance requirements at all of the North Carolina public Bachelor of Science Engineering programs. Associate in Engineering graduates may then apply to any of these programs without taking additional and sometimes duplicative courses. Admission to Engineering programs is highly competitive and admission is not guaranteed.
To be eligible for the transfer of credits under the AE to the Bachelor of Science in Engineering Articulation Agreement, community college graduates must obtain a grade of “C” or better in each course and an overall GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
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Associate in Fine Arts in Visual Arts
The Associate in Fine Arts in Visual Arts degree shall be granted for a planned program of study consisting of a minimum of 60 semester hours of college transfer courses. Within the degree program, the institution shall include opportunities for the achievement of competence in reading, writing, oral communication, fundamental mathematical skills, and basic computer use.
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Associate in Science
(A10400) The Associate in Science degree program is a college transfer program, paralleling the freshman and sophomore years of a four-year college or university, for students who want to pursue four-year degrees in areas of study such as mathematics, engineering, computer science, the sciences, or professional programs that require a strong mathematics and science background. During the first two years of college, students pursue a program of general education coursework in the area of communications, computer information systems, humanities, fine arts, mathematics, natural sciences, and social and behavioral sciences.
These general education courses enable students to gain a well-rounded education before going on to four-year institutions where they will take courses in their major disciplines to complete baccalaureate degrees. Courses in this program have approval for transfer for general education purposes to any of the 16 institutions of the University of North Carolina through the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement, as noted above.
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Associate in Science in Teacher Preparation
The Associate in Science in Teacher Preparation degree program parallels the freshman and sophomore years of a four-year college or university for students who want to pursue four-year degrees in science or math education.
The Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) and the Independent Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (ICAA) enables North Carolina community college graduates of two-year associate in arts programs who are admitted to constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina and to Signatory Institutions of North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities to transfer with junior status. Community college graduates must obtain a grade of “C” or better in each course and an overall GPA of at least 2.7 on a 4.0 scale in order to transfer with a junior status. Courses may also transfer through bilateral agreements between institutions.
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