LIBERAL ARTS & SCIENCES:
HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES A.A.
CONCENTRATIONS

Concentrations offer focused electives in Criminal Justice, Early Childhood, Education, History, and Psychology for enhanced career and transfer opportunities.

Enrollment in these concentrations is only available to students matriculated in the Liberal Arts and Sciences: Humanities and Social Sciences AA degree. Concentrations are not majors and are not required to earn the Liberal Arts/ Humanities and Social Sciences degree. Consult with an academic advisor before scheduling courses for a concentration.

EARLY CHILDHOOD

This program is designed for students seeking the flexibility of a Liberal Arts A.A. degree with specific coursework in Early Childhood Education.

To complete the concentration, ECH 101, 102, 105, 106, and 110 are required and will fulfill the 8–11 general electives needed for the Liberal Arts degree. MATH 115 and 116 are recommended.

To graduate with an A.A. degree in Liberal Arts with an Early Childhood concentration, the student must demonstrate competency (a grade of C- or higher) in the core early childhood courses (ECH 101, 102, 105, 106, 110, and BEH 101). This requirement applies to students who have transferred credits to Cayuga from other colleges.

Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.3 or higher to enroll in field experience coursework (ECH 105).

Transfer for Early Childhood or Education course credit will only be granted after transcript review by the Education Coordinator.
Students must be physically able to satisfactorily and safely perform duties associated with caring for and educating children from birth to eight years of age.

Cayuga has an articulation agreement for transfer to Keuka College. In addition, transfer arrangements have been made with SUNY Cortland, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Fredonia, and the College of St. Rose.

Note: A prior felony conviction may hinder a student’s ability to enroll in a course or complete the requirements of certain academic programs and/or meet the criteria for licensure required by certain professions. Students may be required to have police and child abuse clearances and physicals before beginning field experience classes. Individuals with certain criminal histories will not be able to satisfy field experience requirements for the completion of the degree. In addition, students are required to submit to alcohol and/or drug testing upon request by either the College or any of the cooperating field placement sites. Students who test positive are subject to removal from the field placement and will, therefore, not be able to satisfy the requirements for the completion of the degree. Refusal to submit to the test will result in the student being asked to leave the field placement site and may result in dismissal from the course and/or the program. Students must be able to satisfactorily and safely perform the duties associated with the care and education of children. Download the Technical Standards for the degree.

EDUCATION

This program is designed for students who plan to transfer to a bachelor’s degree program at a non-SUNY school to continue their studies in a childhood or adolescence education program.

To complete the Education concentration, the following course is required: EDU 202. In addition, at least 6 credit hours from the following courses are required: EDU 120, PSY 215 or 216, PSY 217 BEH 101, SOC 110
Students must be able to satisfactorily and safely perform the duties associated with the care and education of children. Technical Standards for the degree may be obtained from the Education Coordinator or the Office of Accessibility Resources. For further information, contact the Division Chair.

Transfer for Early Childhood or Education course credit will only be granted after the Division Chair reviews the transcript. Because of varying requirements among bachelor’s degree programs, students should contact Cayuga’s transfer counselor or Education coordinator to maximize the transferability of coursework to the desired institution.

Note: Students may be required to have police and child abuse clearances and physicals before beginning field experience classes. Individuals with certain criminal histories cannot satisfy field experience requirements to complete the degree. In addition, students must submit to alcohol and drug testing upon request by the College or any cooperating field placement sites. Students who test positive are subject to removal from the field placement and will, therefore, be unable to satisfy the requirements for completing the degree. Refusal to submit to the test will result in the student being asked to leave the field placement site. It may result in dismissal from the course and the program. Download the Technical Standards for the degree.

HISTORY

This concentration is designed for students interested in furthering their education in history, museum studies, or social science research. A concentration in history will benefit those working in or members of historical associations. Our courses are designed to transfer to colleges offering bachelor’s level studies. The concentration (depending on the courses chosen) can be oriented to local and regional historical subjects.

A concentration in history requires 12 credit hours of history courses. To qualify for the concentration, students must complete one general education history course and three additional history courses, two of which must be 200-level history courses.

Organize your concentration in the following way:

PSYCHOLOGY

This concentration is designed for students interested in studying psychology, human services, social work, or education upon transfer to a bachelor’s degree program. As a concentration within the Liberal Arts/Humanities and Social Sciences degree, this concentration enables students to choose from various psychology courses offered at Cayuga by selecting courses in the behavioral sciences, liberal arts, or free elective categories.

All students within this concentration must take the prerequisite Psychology 101 (Introductory Psychology), which fulfills a General Education requirement.

Students must take 3 additional psychology courses from the following list.

Note: For all courses except PSY 217, PSY 101 is a prerequisite. Some courses listed may not be offered each semester.

Due to the nature of the liberal arts components of the degree program, students should expect ease of transfer to similar programs elsewhere. Cayuga’s transfer counselor can assist in planning for transfer to four-year colleges and universities.