You must first determine your educational goals before you can address which degree plan you should pursue at ACC. If you intend to transfer to a four-year institution in pursuit of a baccalaureate degree in a business, related field, you need to pursue the Associate of Science Degree in Business Administration at ACC. This degree plan transfers to most four-year schools. If you do not intend to transfer to a four-year school, you may pursue a business related Associate of Applied Science degree, which is NON-TRANSFERABLE, in the following departments: Accounting, Management, Computer Information Technology and Computer Science, Financial Management, Marketing, Office Administration, and Real Estate. Each area has full-time faculty advisors who can answer specific questions you might have.
THE INFORMATION WHICH FOLLOWS IS SPECIFIC FOR THE BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE DEGREE. This information is provided in addition to information you may find in the catalog. Please remember that requirements change and can differ among universities. Students should always consult faculty advisors and/or catalogs of universities to which they plan to transfer.
QUESTION and ANSWER
1. What if I am unsure of my educational goals?
All of the specific two-year AAS degrees are very focused toward one area. The requirements in the AS Business Administration degree are more general. They are excellent foundation courses, which include several business-related courses and electives. Moreover, many of the courses transfer to most Texas universities. Thus, if there is any chance that you will want to work toward a four-year degree, it is better to work toward an AS degree in Business Administration than in any of the more specialized two-year AAS degrees.
2. ACC offers a wide range of business courses. These courses represent my interest. Why are you suggesting that I take Mathematics, Science, English, History, Government, etc, now when my interests lie in the business area?
The answer is transfer-ability and broad-based educational experience. The Business Administration degree plan was designed to include the proper transferable courses.
3. In mathematics, the Business Administration degree plan requires calculus and one other course from a given list. How should I choose the other course?
Students who have completed two Core-Curriculum math courses will meet the minimum Math requirement in the Business Administration degree. However, it is recommended that students who intend to transfer check with their receiving institution to ensure specific transfer requirements are met.
The University of Texas requires MATH 1425, Business Calculus I or MATH 2413, Calculus I. Please consult with an UT Advisor as these courses may change in the near future.
Texas State requires MATH 1324, Math for Business and Economics, and MATH 1325 (or 1425), Business Calculus I.
Most other four-year schools require one of these two sequences. Final decisions about which courses will be accepted lie with the four-year school. If you are undecided about the four-year school to which you will transfer, consult with the ACC Math faculty or visit the Math Advising web site.
All of these courses have prerequisites. If it has been more than one year since you completed the required prerequisites, you will need to review before you begin the math course. Depending on your time constrains, your motivation, and the amount of material that you have retained, you may need to take a review course.
4. What about Natural Science?
The University of Texas at Austin requires that both natural science courses be taken in the same subject (i.e. two courses in biology as opposed to one, biology course and one chemistry course). Texas State requires that one of the two courses be a laboratory science. Check with your receiving institution to ensure specific transfer requirements are met.
5. Some four-year schools accept transfer students with 30 hours and others accept 54 hours. Should I obtain the minimum number of hours from ACC or complete the associate degree requirements?
The answer to this question depends on your situation. Please consider the following: The tuition and class sizes at ACC are generally lower. Financially, it is to your advantage to take as many transferable courses as possible at ACC.
Employers often believe that students who set a goal of completing an entire program and then succeed at that goal are more organized and focused than students who have just taken the same number of hours but not as part of a plan. Graduating with the associate of science degree is a major accomplishment.
There may be a break between the completion of the ACC courses and the completion of your four-year degree. Some schools may not accept “stale” courses individually, but will give credit for having completed an entire degree program. Thus, the associate of science degree is preferred in this case.
Please note that, in general, a maximum of 66 hours may be transferred. Please check with the four-year school for specific guidance.
6. I want a job now, but I also want to be able to transfer to a four-year school. Why should I even consider taking Mathematics, Science, Economics, Government, etc. courses? I want Computer Science, Business, Accounting, Finance, Marketing, etc. courses.
The general education courses included in the business administration degree are excellent foundation courses. These courses provide both the background and skills needed in the business courses and in the business workplace. Employers value the completion of these basic courses as much, if not more, than technical courses. The Business Administration degree includes basic business courses.
7. The Business Administration degree plan requires three semesters of English while the University of Texas and other universities require two. Why?
ACC requires three semesters to provide a good foundation in a crucial area. Please remember that both ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302 are prerequisites for the literature courses. The English Department at ACC strictly enforces these prerequisites. The Literature course also meets one of the two Humanities requirements in this degree plan.
8. Can I test out of any courses?
It is common for students to receive credit through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Please refer to the ACC catalog for information about credit. These are national standardized tests offered in Austin at the University of Texas. Call the Measurement and Evaluation Center at UT for information about taking them. Also each department at ACC may have courses for which you may receive credit by challenging the course. Please check with the department in which you are interested and read the requirements in the ACC catalog. One example of a requirement is that you may not challenge a course in which you were ever enrolled – even if you withdrew from the course.
9. I have credits from other colleges, which may count towards the associate’s degree. What should I do?
Any current or perspective student may request an evaluation of their transcripts from other schools. (An official transcript must be submitted from each college attended.) You can make this request with any advisor or in the Office of Admissions and Records on any campus. A specialist at the District Administrative Office will make the evaluation and send a copy to you as well as to the department of your major. Your advisor will then work with you to determine the appropriate use of these courses. There are occasions when courses may be substituted.
10. May I receive credit for work experience?
ACC does not currently have a provision for granting work experience credit. The Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree (B.A.A.S.) at some four-year universities can incorporate Technical and Vocational training as well as credit for work experience. Again, in most instances, the core curriculum will be required as part of that degree plan. The Business Administration degree will give you a great foundation to transfer towards this degree.
11. Do Developmental courses count toward the Business Administration degree?
NO. These are developmental courses, which will prepare students for success in college credit courses and do not count toward any degree.
12. I have been working towards an associate of applied science degree (non-transferable). Now I see that the Business Administration degree is better. Is there anyway to salvage the courses?
The Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science is an excellent alternative to the BBA degree. Texas State University offers a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in the Department of Technology in its Occupational Education Division. This degree uses non-transferable courses and work experience. You still must meet general education requirements and take upper level courses at Texas State University, but this may be an alternative for you.
13. I want to be a CPA. What should I do?
All new students interested in the CPA exam must be working on the new Professional Accountant Technical Certificate. To view general information for ACC Students pursuing the CPA Exam Click Here.
To sit for the CPA exam, a candidate must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree with 150 credit hours (a master’s degree is not required). The candidate must have at least 36 total hours of accounting (30 hours above the principles courses) and 21 total hours of business courses. In addition, effective July 1, 2005, candidates must complete three hours of accounting ethics.
ACC offers a 2-year degree for students who are pursuing the hours for the CPA Exam. This is the Professional Accountant degree. You can transfer hours for courses that you have taken at the undergraduate level into this degree plan.
Before taking the accounting and business courses at ACC, you should talk to local colleges and universities about obtaining either another bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree.
The Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (Board) has an excellent web site. Please review the material on this site. You can obtain publications from the web site or you can contact the Board at (512) 305-7870 for copies of the publications or to ask questions.
If you have a degree from a country other than the United States, contact the Board to have this degree evaluated.
If you take your accounting and/or business courses at ACC, please review the rules from the Board that may affect you. Also, visit the Educator’s Page at the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy.
Effective 4/04, the CPA exam is changing. The content will change and it will be administered on demand via a computerized exam.
The Accounting Department at ACC offers the upper-level accounting courses through out the city. Please review the course rotation as you plan your accounting courses.
14. Can you give me more information about the CPA Program?
On March 9, 2005, the Qualifications Committee of the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy approved a group of courses offered in the Business Studies area as qualifying educational credit in satisfaction of the 21 business hour requirement that will go into effect on July 1, 2005.
The Qualifications Committee has also approved a newly developed ethics course (ACNT 1370-Accounting Ethics) as qualifying educational credit in satisfaction of the 3 hour ethics requirement that went into effect July 1, 2005. This course has restricted enrollment. Please contact Katy Gott at 512-223-4800 or email [email protected] You may view approved business courses here.
On July 24, 2003, the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy awarded ACC’s Accounting program its newly created designation of “Qualifying Educational Credit for CPA Examination.” Our department is proud to be the first 2-year school in Texas to receive this designation and to be able to continue to offer our students these courses.
If you have questions you should contact the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (512-305-7800 in Austin) or a designated ACC accounting professor.
Do you have any suggestions for the general elective requirements for the Business Administration degree?
15. Do you have any information about the Field of Study Curriculum?
Field of Study curricula were mandated in Senate Bill 148 of the 75th Texas Legislature (1997) and are intended to facilitate the free transferability of lower-division academic courses among Texas public colleges and universities. Field of study curricula is defined by SB 148 as “a set of courses that will satisfy the lower division requirements for a bachelor’s degree in a specific academic area at a general academic teaching institution”. As with the Core Curriculum, SB 148 gave the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board the responsibility of developing and approving academic courses that will fulfill the lower division requirements for majors that correspond to the field of study.
If a student successfully completes a field of study curriculum, that block of courses may be transferred to a general academic teaching institution and must be substituted for that institution’s lower division requirements of the degree program for the field of study into which the student transfers, and the student shall receive full academic credit toward the degree program of the block of courses transferred. A student who transfers from one institution of higher education to another without completing the field of study curriculum of the sending institution shall receive academic credit from the receiving institution of each of the courses that the student has successfully completed in the field of study curriculum of the sending institution. Following receipt of credit for these courses, the student may be required to satisfy further course requirements in the field of study curriculum of the receiving institution. There are currently seven approved and adopted field of study curriculums: Business, Music, Child Development/Early Childhood Education and Grade 4 – 8 Teacher Certification, Engineering, Engineering Technology, and Associate Degree Nursing. Core curriculum, Field of Study and General Education THECB information, including legislation, background and rules can be found here.
17. I now realize that I declared the wrong major with ACC. What can I do?
The Business Administration degree is the first two years of a four-year degree and is designed to transfer to a four-year institution. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has required that each college offering Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Bachelor or Arts, or Bachelor of Science degrees identify a Core Curriculum that all students must take. You must take your general electives from the core curriculum . Students should consult with their receiving institution, particularly when selecting Science and Math coursework. Consult the degree plan footnotes, and the core curriculum in the college catalog when selecting electives for this degree. Consult a business advisor if you wish to take courses different from those recommended.
Change your major through the “Student Data Change Request” feature in the Online Services linked to the ACC Homepage: www.austincc.edu .
18. How do I find out about jobs and internships?
The Business Studies Division maintains a job posting area for students which can be found here. Each major campus at Austin Community College also has a job posting area for all ACC students to contact for additional job opportunities.
19. Is there anything else I should know?
YES. This information is not intended to answer all questions. Please read the ACC catalog for additional information and for additional questions, talk to any full-time faculty advisors. If you want additional information on Academic Programs, please jump to the Online Transfer Manual. It includes information about how to transfer, course equivalencies, transfer plans, and much more.
GOOD LUCK IN YOUR EDUCATIONAL ENDEAVORS.