Articulation Agreements and College Pathways

What is an AA vs an AS?

According to Southwestern Community College: 

An Associate in Arts student is getting a liberal studies education for many majors. This degree is good for undecided students as well as students looking to major in Business, Education, Nursing, Psychology, Social Work, or many other fields. These students receive a good foundation in English, Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and Mathematics.  There are many elective options.

Associate in Science students are getting the foundation for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. Potential majors are Biology, Chemistry, Applied Math, and Environmental Health. Students should expect to take math through Calculus I, at least, and a science sequence in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics.  Electives are limited to STEM related coursework.  

Career Technologies also include lots of certificates and diplomas from many different areas. This may work for students who are career ready and want to follow a different pathway to employment that may or may not include an associates or bachelor's degree. 

 

According to the North Carolina Community Colleges Comprehensive Articulation Agreement,  

"Using the Universal General Education Transfer Component, also known as UGETC's are a set of 30-semester hours (SH) of courses that will meet some freshman/sophomore lower division general education requirements at all UNC institutions."

See the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement Transfer Course List for UGETC courses.

The following information can be found "in full" on the following Prep Scholar website:

Advanced Placement Classes:

"The AP (Advanced Placement) program was designed by the College Board to give high school students an introduction to college-level material. AP classes are widely considered to be the most advanced types of classes you can take in high school."

"So what are AP courses? They are designed to give you the experience of an intro-level college class while you're still in high school. Plus, you can get college credit for the class if you pass the AP exam."

"To earn AP credit, you have to take an exam at the end of the class that tests your knowledge of the curriculum. The exam is scored on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score. You may be able to get college credit if you score a 3, 4, or 5 on an AP exam, although policies differ between schools. AP classes are offered in 34 different subjects (although some high schools that participate in the program only offer a few of them), and over 2.3 million students take the exams each year."

Community College Classes:

"Community college classes are classes at nearby community colleges that are open to high school students. Many high schools have programs that allow students to enroll in community college classes and continue their high school educations at the same time. You have to actually go to the community college to take these classes, and they may be held either during the regular school day or at night."

"One of the disadvantages of community college classes for high school students is that they are typically expensive," however, at Jackson County Early College, our courses are free! Students are fully enrolled as both a college student and a high school student. They have access to resources, classes, and most textbooks at no cost.

"Although AP classes are intended to be roughly equivalent to introductory college courses, they can only do so much to replicate the experience a college class. Taking community college classes will give you the opportunity to see first-hand how college courses and exams are structured. You'll also see what the dynamic is like in the classroom and be able to hear the viewpoints of older students who might help you see the subject from different perspectives. In AP classes, the group of students tends to be more homogeneous, so points of view may be less diverse."

"Although AP classes are intended to be roughly equivalent to introductory college courses, they can only do so much to replicate the experience a college class. Taking community college classes will give you the opportunity to see first-hand how college courses and exams are structured. You'll also see what the dynamic is like in the classroom and be able to hear the viewpoints of older students who might help you see the subject from different perspectives. In AP classes, the group of students tends to be more homogeneous, so points of view may be less diverse."

"Credits from community college classes usually transfer easily to your state school and other public schools. You may also be able to place out of introductory courses in college. This happens with AP credit as well, but since AP classes don't quite replicate the college experience, sometimes students are unprepared for actual advanced college classes. It's more likely that you'll feel comfortable in a higher level class if you've taken a real college class already and mastered the introductory material in that context."

 

Overall it is a preference of the student and family to understand which is best for them. For more information about how AP courses are transferred, go to the university's website and look for the articulation agreement for AP courses. Some frequently visited ones are below. AP scores (event the top ones) do not guarantee one-to-one course transfer, they may transfer as electives, or as courses that can be counted (when or if) other courses are also completed. It is important to compare the transfer of a standard course at SCC against the articulation earned credit of the AP course (with acceptable passing score.)

AP Articulation UNC-Chapel Hill 

AP Articulation NC State

AP Articulation UNC- Charlotte