Liberal Arts

A Path to Multiple Degree and Career Options

Explore a wide range of subjects and courses while developing critical thinking and communication skills. The Liberal Arts program offers a flexible, balanced academic course of study that fully prepares you for transfer to a four-year college. This program allows you to choose within several required course categories and focus your studies through general education courses. You can explore a personal interest or meet requirements of a transfer institution’s major. Liberal Arts is also ideal for students currently undecided about career goals who wish to sample different areas of study and select those which fit them best.

Career Options

Careers

Find your path.

Interpreters and Translators – est. salary $50,106
Librarians – est. salary $64,515
Technical Writers – est. salary $79,027
Travel Guides – est. salary $26,973
Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary – est. salary $89,248
Program Directors  – est. salary $61,539* 

**EMSI Data, 2019; Philadelphia County, PA; a percentage of people in these jobs may have a bachelor's degree or higher.
map animation where the the Community College of Philadelphia is centered, the map zooms out to show the surrounding counties highlighted representing the areas of job and career growth.
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Transfer Opportunities

Courses and Completion Sequence

The following courses and sequence of courses is designed for the optimal success and completion of the Liberal Arts degree/certificate. Any alterations should be discussed with your academic advisor.

Semester 1

Course Number and Name Credits Advisory Notes Course Type
FYE 101 - First Year Experience 3 credits In the first 12 credits, students must complete FYE 101  
ENGL 101 - English Composition I 3 credits ENGL 101 must be completed with a grade "C" or better Writing, Research, and Info Lit 1
CIS 103 - Computer Applications & Concepts * 3 credits Students with computer skills may apply for credit by exam through the Computer Technologies Department. Technological Competency
FNMT 101 - Quantitative Reasoning or
FNMT 118 - Intermediate Algebra or 
MATH 161 - Precalculus I or higher **		 3 credits Some colleges and universities require a mathematics course above FNMT 118.

Students who are FNMT 118 ready may take MATH 137 or MATH 150 instead of FNMT 101 or FNMT 118.

Students who are FNMT 118 ready who intend to transfer to Temple University should take FNMT 118, which is the prerequisite for MATH 161.

Students with a math placement score above FNMT 118 or students pursuing STEM fields should take MATH 161 or a higher-level math course.

Please visit the transfer agreements web page for more information and consult with an advisor when selecting a quantitative reasoning course.		 Quantitative Reasoning
HIST 101 - United States History: Colonial America through the Revolutionary Period or
PSYC 101 - Introduction to Psychology or
SOC 101- Introduction to Sociology or
ANTH 101- Introduction to Anthropology ***		 3 credits Social Science Pair 1 and Pair 2 subjects must match. 
Other Social Science Pair options are available with coordinator approval		 Cultural Analysis & Interpretation

In the first 24 credits, students must complete: ENGL 101, ENGL 102, CIS 103, one Mathematics, one Social Science, one Humanities, one Communication course.

Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 or higher (“C” average)

  • This program is designed for students who plan to transfer to a bachelor’s degree program after earning their associate degree
  • Follow this course schedule each semester and you’ll earn your associate degree in two years
  • Make sure you discuss your first semester schedule and your educational plan with an advisor or counselor when you register.

Semester 2

Course Number and Name Credits Advisory Notes Course Type
ENGL 102 - The Research Paper 3 credits   ENGL 102, Info Lit
BLAS 101 - Introduction to Black Studies or
HIST 121 - World History: The Distant Past or
HIST 122 - World History: The Recent Past or
HUM 101 - Cultural Traditions or
HUM 102 - Cultural Traditions II or
World Language 101: Arabic, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, or Spanish or
ENGL 190 - Introduction to Literature or any 200-level English course (with the exception of ENGL 214) or ***		 3 credits Humanities Pair 1 and Pair 2 subjects must match
Other Humanities Pair options are available with Coordinator approval
Students in the Creative Writing Academic Certificate should take two literature courses as their Humanities pair.		 Major Course
Humanities Pair 1
ENGL 115 - Public Speaking or
ENGL 116 - Interpersonal Communication or
ENGL 117- Group/Team Communication or
ENGL 118 - Intercultural Communication		 3 credits Students in the Religious Studies Proficiency Certificate should not take ENGL 117. Oral Communication/Creative Expression
Major Course
BIOL 106 - General Biology I or
CHEM 105 - Inquiry into Chemistry		 4 credits   Scientific Reasoning
General Elective** 3 credits Transfer institutions’ requirements vary. Please consult an advisor or program coordinator to select a general elective that transfers. Many institutions require a second Mathematics course above the FNMT 118 level.
Students in the Religious Studies, Acting, or Technical Theater proficiency certificates or the Creative Writing Academic Certificate should consult those requirements before selecting general electives.		 General Elective

In the first 24 credits, students must complete: ENGL 101, ENGL 102, CIS 103, one Mathematics, one Social Science, one Humanities, one Communication course.
To seek entrance into select College programs, Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 or higher ("C" average)

Semester 3

Course Number and Name Credits Advisory Notes Course Type
ANTH 112 - Cultural Anthropology or
or
HIST 102 - United States History: The Civil War and the 19th Century or
HIST 103 - United States History: The 20th Century and Beyond or
PSYC 205 - Psychopathology/Abnormal Psychology or
PSYC 215 - Developmental Psychology or
SOC/POLS 230 - Political Activism and Social Movements or
SOC 231- Social Problems or
SOC 233 - Race, Ethnicity and Social Inequalities ***		 3 credits Social Science Pair 1 and Pair 2 subjects must match.
Other course options are available with Coordinator approval

Major Course Social Science Pair 2
General Elective** 3 or 4 credits Transfer institutions’ requirements vary. Please consult an advisor or program coordinator to select a general elective that transfers. Many institutions require a second Mathematics course above the FNMT 118 level.
Students in the Religious Studies, Acting, or Technical Theater proficiency certificates or the Creative Writing Academic Certificate should consult those requirements before selecting general electives.		 General Elective
BLAS 102 - Global Black Theory and Social Change  or
HIST 121 - World History: The Distant Past or
HIST 122 - World History: The Recent Past or
HUM 101 - Cultural Traditions: Ancient to the 13th Century or
HUM 102 - Cultural Traditions: 14th Century to the Present or
World Language 101: Arabic, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, or Spanish or
ENGL 190 - Introduction to Literature or any 200-level English course (with the exception of ENGL 214) or ***		 3 credits Humanities Pair 1 and Pair 2 subjects must match
Other course options are available with Coordinator approval.
Students in the Creative Writing Academic Certificate should take two literature courses as their Humanities pair.		 Major Course Humanities Pair 2
ENGL 250 - Survey of African American Literature: From Colonization to the Harlem Renaissance or
ENGL 251 - Survey of African American Literature: From the Harlem Renaissance to the Present or
ENGL 251- African-American Literature or
HIST 146 - Latino-American History or
HIST 220 - African-American History to 1877 or
HIST 221 - African-American History after 1865 or
MUS 120 - Music of African- Americans or
RS 170 - Religion in American History ****		 3 credits Other Elective options are available with Coordinator approval.
Students in the Religious Studies Proficiency Certificate should take RS 170.		  
ART 103 - History of Art: Ancient to Renaissance or
ART 104 - History of Art II: Renaissance to Modern or
ART 105 - Drawing I or
ART 109 - Ceramics I or
ENGL 131 - Acting I or
ENGL 137 - Introduction to Theater or
ENGL 205 - Creative Writing or
MUS 103 - Introduction to Music or
PHOT 101 - Introduction to 35mm Film Camera and Darkroom Techniques or
PHOT 105 - Introduction to Digital Photography****		 3 or 4 credits Students in the Acting Proficiency Certificate and Technical Theater Proficiency Certificate should take ENGL 131.
Students in the Creative Writing Academic Certificate should take ENGL 205.		 Major Course Arts

Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 or higher (“C” average) Meet with assigned Advisor to finalize last 15 credits based on transfer institution

Semester 4

 

Course Number and Name Credits Advisory Notes Course Type
GEOG 180 - Urban Geography or
JUS 101- Survey of Criminal Justice or
PHIL 101 - Introduction to Philosophy or
POLS 111 - American Government or
POLS 117 - City and State Government and Politics, with Cases from Philadelphia and Pennsylvania or
PSYC 221 - Social Psychology or
SOC 215 - Criminology 		 3 credits Other Elective options are available with Coordinator approval. Social Analysis Elective
ENGL 260 -Women in Literature or
GS 101- Intro to Gender Studies or
GS 110 - Global Perspectives in Gender Studies or
PHIL 202 - Philosophy of Love & Sexuality or
PSYC 202 - Philosophy of Love or
SOC 115 - Gender and Society		 3 credits   Gender Diversity elective
ANTH 211 - African Peoples and Cultures or
ANTH 215 - Peoples and Cultures of Asia or
GLS 101 - Introduction to Global Studies  or
GEOG 103 - Introduction to Human Geography or
GS 110 - Global Perspectives in Gender Studies or
HUM 130 - Introduction to Japanese Culture and Civilization or
HUM 150 - Introduction to Latin American Cultures and Civilizations or
HUM 170 - Middle East Cultures and Civilizations or
HUM 180 - Introduction to African Cultures and Civilization or
HUM 190 - Modern African and Asia or
RS 151/PHIL 151 - World Religions ****		 3 credits  Other Elective options are available with Coordinator approval
Students in the Religious Studies PC should take RS 151.		 Gender Diversity elective
General Elective ** 3 or 4 credits Transfer institutions’ requirements vary. Please consult an advisor or program coordinator to select a general elective that transfers. Many institutions require a second Mathematics course above the FNMT 118 level.
Students in the Religious Studies, Acting, or Technical Theater proficiency certificates or the Creative Writing Academic Certificate should consult those requirements before selecting general electives.		  
CHEM 103 - Fundamentals of Chemistry I (Non-Lab Based) or
EASC 111- Environmental Conservation or
PHYS 108 - Descriptive Astronomy		 3 credits CHEM 103 is a non-lab and online version of CHEM 101 Major Course Non-Lab Science

Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 or higher ("C" average)

  • Congratulations, this is your final semester! Don’t forget to complete your graduation application.
  • Meet with an advisor when registering for your classes
  • Finalize your transfer plans:
  • Take advantage of our scholarship opportunities for transferring students and apply for a scholarship
  • Visit Career Connections to learn about internships and your future career possibilities

General Education Requirements:

All general education requirements necessary for graduation are met through the courses in the program as indicated above. Students who wish to take courses that differ from the general education courses indicated above must complete a course substitution request form. To access the form, login to the MyCCP portal, and in the Student tab, under Electronic Forms, click on the Records and Registration Forms link, then choose Request For Course Substitution Of Graduation Requirement link. A more detailed explanation of the College’s general education requirements is also available.

View the College Catalog for More Information

Featured Career

Program Directors

Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in preparation of radio or television station program schedules and programs, such as sports or news. 

Median Salary
$61,539
Number of Jobs
564
in the region
10 Year Job Outlook
+4.6%
--

Typical Tasks

  • Plan and schedule programming and event coverage, based on broadcast length, time availability, and other factors, such as community needs, ratings data, and viewer demographics.
  • Coordinate activities between departments, such as news and programming.
  • Monitor and review programming to ensure that schedules are met, guidelines are adhered to, and performances are of adequate quality.
  • Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in broadcast news, sports, or programming.
  • Check completed program logs for accuracy and conformance with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations and resolve program log inaccuracies.

How well does it pay?

New workers start around $30,145. Normal pay is $61,539 per year. Highly experienced workers can earn up to $145,957.

View Other Career Options

Program Information

Liberal Arts

Degree Type:

Associate in Arts (A.A.)

Credits Needed to Graduate:

61

Online Learning Availability:

100% Online

Related Programs:

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Liberal Arts graduate in classroom at Community College of Philadelphia.

“A lot of the classes that interested me talked about injustices and discrepancies. I thought about that, my skill set, and I talked with others about it. I wanted to help people.”

Michael Johnson
program graduate 2015