Social Sciences, an option of the Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts degree program, is primarily designed to prepare students to transfer into the junior year of a baccalaureate degree program in anthropology, criminology, political science, psychology or sociology. In addition, students seeking admission into pre-law, social work, or public administration programs would receive a solid academic foundation on which to build.
The social sciences faculty is strongly committed to providing students with an introduction to a variety of disciplines within the social sciences. This broader perspective is desirable because it provides students with a better understanding of human behavior and social groups than can be provided by simply focusing on one academic discipline. Students who wish to major in a particular discipline (e.g. psychology) after transferring can still graduate with a total of 12 credits in that discipline; however, transfer institutions which grant the bachelor of arts degree prefer students to take most of the coursework in the major at their institution. Students seeking employment immediately after graduation also benefit from the program, in view of the increasing emphasis many employers place on a liberal arts education.
Students enrolled in associate of arts degree programs who intend to transfer to four-year colleges or universities are strongly advised to discuss the General Education Foundation of Courses with a counselor. Selection of these courses will facilitate full transfer of general education credits completed toward the degree.
Graduates are able to:
Raritan Valley Community College Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) degree programs are designed to comply with the New Jersey Community Colleges General Education Foundation which supports transfer of courses to NJ Public four-year colleges and universities. Students who intend to transfer to a NJ college or university can further improve the transfer of courses by using the Recommended Transfer Program (RTP) feature in NJTransfer.org.
NOTE: Students considering transfer to Rutgers University should choose a Global & Cultural Awareness (GCA) General Education course not replicated elsewhere in their curriculum. Students who have already fulfilled the GCA requirement for their Associates of Arts (AA) degree should select an additional Social Sciences or Humanities General Education course.