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.

Careers

Find your path.

Interpreters and Translators – est. salary $51,914
Librarians – est. salary $63,100
Technical Writers – est. salary $81,777
Travel Guides – est. salary $29,878
Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary – est. salary $80,833
Program Directors  – est. salary $59,929* 

**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.
Explore Career Options

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 Major Course
ENGL 101 - English Composition I 3 credits ENGL 101 must be completed with a grade "C" or higher ENGL 101
CIS 103 - Applied Computer Technology 3 credits   Tech Competency
FNMT 118 - Intermediate Algebra or
MATH 137 - Geometry for Design or
MATH 150 - Introductory Data Analysis or
MATH 161 -Pre-Calculus I or higher		 3 credits Students with a Math Placement score above 118, should not take FNMT 118
MATH 161 or higher should be taken by students pursuing STEM careers		 Mathematics
HIST 101 - United States History:  Colonial - Revolutionary or       
PSYC 101 - Introduction to Psychology or
SOC 101 - Introduction to Sociology or
ANTH 101 - Introduction to Anthropology		 3 credits Other Social Science Pair options are available with coordinator approval Major Course Social Science Pair 1

In the first 24 credits, students must complete: ENGL 101, ENGL 102, CIS 103, one Mathematics, one Social Science, one Humanities, one Communications 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 Literacy
BLAS 101 - Introduction to Black Studies or
HIST 121 - Global History I or 
HIST 122 - Global History II or HUM 101 - Cultural Traditions or 
HUM 102 - Cultural Traditions II or
Foreign 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
ENGL 106 - Grammar or
ENGL 137 - Introduction to Theater		 3 credits Other Humanities Pair options are available with coordinator approval
Humanities Pair 1 and Pair 2 subjects must match		 Major Course Humanities 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   Major Course Communication
BIOL 106 - General Biology I or
CHEM 105 - Inquiry into Chemistry 		 4 credits   Natural Science
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. General Elective

In the first 24 credits, students must complete: ENGL 101, ENGL 102, CIS 103, one Mathematics, one Social Science, one Humanities, one Communications 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
HIST 102 - United States History:The 19th Century or
HIST 103 - United States History:The 19th Century or
PSYC 205 - Psychopathology/Abnormal Psychology  or
PSYC 215 - Developmental Psychology 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. 
Humanities Pair 1 and Pair 2 subjects must match.
Other Writing Intensive options are available with coordinator approval.		 Major Course, Social Science Pair 2, Writing Intensive
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. General Elective
BLAS 101 - Introduction to Black Studies or 
HIST 121 - Global History I or
HIST 122 - Global History II or
HUM 101 - Cultural Traditions or
HUM 102 - Cultural Traditions II or
Foreign Language 102: 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
ENGL 106 - Grammar or
ENGL 137 - Introduction to Theater		 3 credits   Major Course, Humanities, Pair 2
ENGL 221 - Survey of American Literature: From the Beginnings to the Civil War or
ENGL 222 - Survey of American Literature: From the Civil War to the Present or 
ENGL 250 - African-American Literature 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 Social Science or Humanities options for the Directed Elective are available with coordinator approval.
Other Arts options are available with coordinator approval.		 American Diversity, Interpretive Studies 
ART 103 - History of Art: Ancient to Renaissance or
ART 104 - History of Art II: Renaissance to Modern or 
ART 105 - Drawing I or
ENGL 131 - Acting I or
ENGL 205 - Creative Writing or 
MUS 103 - Introduction to Music or 
PHOT 113 - Digital Technology, Art, & Culture		 3 credits   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 Geographyor
LEAD 104 - Introduction to Leadershipor
HIST 176 - Philadelphia History: Architecture and Planningor
JUS 101- Survey of Criminal Justice or
PHIL 101 - Introduction to Philosophy or
POLS 117 - City and State Government and Politics, with Cases from Philadelphia and Pennsylvania or
PSYC 221 - Social Psychology or
SOC 212 - Sociology of Families or
SOC 215 - Criminology		 3 credits Other General Elective options are available with coordinator approval Social Analysis Elective
ANTH 202- Gender Roles in Cross-Cultural Perspectiveor
ENGL 260 -Women in Literatureor
HIST 180 -Women and Historyor
GS 101- Intro to Gender Studies or
GS 110 - Global Perspectives in Gender Studies or
PHIL 202 - Philosophy of Love & Sexuality or
PSYC 202 - Human Sexuality or
PHIL 151/RS 151 - World Religions or
SOC 115 - Gender and Society		 3 credits   Gender Diversity Elective
ANTH 124 - Fundamentals of Archaeology or
ANTH 211 - African Peoples and Cultures or
ANTH 215 - Peoples and Cultures of Asia or
ENGL 245 - World Literature: From Antiquity to 1500 or
ENGL 246 - World Literature: From 1500 to the Present 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 		 3 credits Other Elective optionsare available with coordinator approval Global 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. General Elective
CHEM 103 - General Chemistry I 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 Natural Science
(without lab)

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.

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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
$59,929
Number of Jobs
640
in the region
10 Year Job Outlook
+6.3%
--

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 $59,929. Normal pay is $59,929 per year. Highly experienced workers can earn up to $131,185.

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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

Program Information

Liberal Arts

Degree Type:

Associate in Arts (A.A.)

Credits Needed to Graduate:

61

Online Learning Availability:

100% Online

Related Programs: