Associate of Arts

Associate of Arts Degree Overview

The Associate of Arts (AA) degree is designed for students who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university. This degree gives you a strong foundation in general education and helps prepare you for continued study in many different majors.

Riverland’s AA degree includes the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum, which supports transfer to Minnesota State universities and many other colleges.

AA Degree Requirements

• Complete 60 semester credits to earn the Associate of Arts degree.
• At least 40 of those credits must come from the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC).
• The remaining credits may be taken as electives from courses numbered 1000 or higher.
• One elective credit must be completed in PHED, HLTH, EMER, HCNA1200, or THTR1111 to meet the college’s health and wellness requirement.
• Students transferring in fewer than 12 credits with a GPA below 2.0 must complete CCLS1000 or CCLS1010.
• A minimum of 20 semester credits must be completed at Riverland. This is reduced to 12 credits for students transferring from another Minnesota State college or university.
• Students must earn a minimum 2.0 GPA both overall and in MnTC coursework.

Minnesota Transfer Curriculum Requirements

Students must complete coursework in both discipline areas and thematic areas as part of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.

• Discipline Areas: Courses must meet credit requirements in Communications (CM), Humanities and Fine Arts (HU), Social Sciences (SS), Natural Sciences (NS), and Mathematics/Logical Reasoning (MA).
• Thematic Areas: Students must complete at least one course in Critical Thinking (CT), Ethical and Civic Responsibility (EC), Human Diversity (HD), Global Perspective (GP), and People and the Environment (PE).
• MnTC Completion: A total of 40 semester credits must be completed within the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.

Start Your Academic Journey

The Associate of Arts degree gives you a flexible academic foundation and helps prepare you to transfer into a bachelor’s degree program. Riverland can help you build a plan that matches your transfer goals and future career path.