Glossary

Course Schedule

All students need to become familiar with the language of the college catalog and the necessity of planning a sequence that will provide either a certificate or degree. Every course is not offered each year. Some courses are taught only when there is a demand for specific instruction to complete a major curriculum. For a list of courses available each semester, students should consult the current course schedule. A course listing consists of the following elements:

Co-requisites

Some courses require special permission, or another course be taken at the same time as the current course. For example, students cannot enroll in FVM 1005 without enrolling in FVM 1060 because the material covered in the courses complement each other. Co-requisites are listed in the course description.

Course Number

• A four-digit number is assigned to all college courses. Courses listed in the 1000s are designed for freshman level; 2000s are intended for sophomore level. (Ex. COM 1150 = Public Speaking)

            Attention: Course numbers and descriptions are subject to changes.

The Colorado Community Colleges participate in a common course numbering and common competency system to provide students ease of transfer and to ensure curriculum quality across the colleges. This system includes all courses offered for credit at every community college and is available for review at www.cccs.edu.

Course Title

This is the official course title. Class schedules and transcripts will often abbreviate the course title.

Credit Hours

Each course has a specific number of "semester credit hours" that translates into a number of clock hours of interaction with the instructor. Practicums, clinicals, laboratory, and career and technical classes have specific clock hour requirements. Tuition charges are based on credit hours, not clock hours. Some career and technical programs have set costs because of equipment requirements.

GT Pathways Courses

Colorado has identified a set of general education courses that are guaranteed to transfer to any public institution of higher education in Colorado. Courses approved for statewide guaranteed transfer are noted in the course description.

GT Pathways courses, in which the student earns a C- or higher, will always transfer and apply to GT Pathways requirements in AA, AS and most bachelor's degrees at every public Colorado college and university. GT Pathways does not apply to some degrees such as many engineering, computer science, nursing and others degrees. You should always seek advising from the appropriate advisor at the college or university you plan to attend to ensure you are selecting the appropriate coursework for your degree and that it will apply to those degree requirements. Additionally, transfer of courses older than 10 years, including GT Pathway courses, is at the discretion of the receiving school. Check with the school you are transferring to, to verify your courses over 10 years will transfer. More transfer information is available at the Colorado Department of Higher Education website at  https://cdhe.colorado.gov/students/attending-college/credit-transfer.

Prefix

Each course has a three-letter code designating the instructional department or division.

Prerequisites

Some courses require another course or special permission before enrolling. For example, students cannot enroll in ECE 1031 until ENG 0092 is successfully completed or an appropriate assessment score is achieved. Prerequisites are listed in the course description.

The Prerequisite of College Readiness in English can be met in the following ways.

• ACTE 18+
• SAT (S11) 470+
• Accuplacer Next Gen WR 246+
• Successful Completion of ENG 1021 (grade C or higher)
• Successful Completion of ENG 0090 (grade C or higher)
• Successful Completion of ESL 0053 and ESL 0023 (grade C or higher)
• Successful Completion of ESL 0073 (grade C or higher)
• Concurrent enrollment in ENG 0094 and ENG 1021
• Other placement methods available at the time of registration.
  
  

The Prerequisite of College Readiness in College Algebra can be met in the following ways.

• ACTM 23+
• SAT (S12) 560+
• Accuplacer Next Gen AF 245+
• Successful Completion of MAT 0300 (grade C or higher)
• Successful Completion of MAT 1340 (grade C or higher)
• Concurrent enrollment in MAT 0341 and MAT 1340 (grade C or higher)
• Other placement methods available at the time of registration.

The Prerequisite of College Readiness in Quantitative Literacy can be met in the following ways.

• ACTM 19+
• SAT (S12) 500+
• Accuplacer Next Gen QA 240+
• Successful Completion of MAT 0250 OR MAT 0300 (grade C or higher)
• Successful Completion of MAT 1240 (grade C or higher)
• Concurrent enrollment in MAT 0241 and MAT 1240
• Successful Completion of MAT 1260 (grade C or higher)
• Concurrent enrollment in MAT 0261 and MAT 1260
• Successful Completion of MAT 1340 (grade C or higher)
• Other placement methods available at the time of registration.

The Prerequisite of College Readiness in Career and Technical Math can be met in the following ways.

• ACTM 19+
• SAT (S12) 500+
• Accuplacer Next Gen AR 265+ 
• Successful Completion of MAT 0250 OR MAT 0300 (grade C or higher)
• Successful Completion of MAT 1240 (grade C or higher)
• Successful Completion of MAT 1260 (grade C or higher)
• Successful Completion of MAT 1340 (grade C or higher)
• Other placement methods available at the time of registration

  Section Number

A three-digit number or letter combination is assigned to all college courses. The section number is found immediately following the course number. (Ex. COM 1150-111 = Section 111 of Public Speaking). This number is not indicative of the number of sections offered at CCA. 

Degrees

At CCA, students can obtain Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of General Studies, or Associate of Applied Science degrees. Each degree has specific course requirements of major courses and general education courses. 

Degrees with Designation

Associate Degrees with Designations provide transfer pathways to Colorado state four-year colleges and universities in specified liberal arts and science designations.  CCA offers a number of degrees with designation and can be found under Degrees.

Note: Not all courses are available at each of the 13 CCCS colleges but may be transferred from one institution to another and/or the student may elect to earn credit via CO Online.

Many other majors also require that students select specific courses from the GT Pathways courses.  Students should contact an advisor at the earliest opportunity to review appropriate transfer guides.  In addition to indicating which lower division courses are required for articulated programs, these guides will indicate to a student which lower division courses are most appropriate for the student's major.  These guides indicate the appropriate prerequisites for sequenced coursework that should be taken before transferring to a four-year college.

The Transfer Policy of the Colorado Department of Higher Education is available at: https://highered.colorado.gov/students/attending-college/credit-transfer/transfer-degrees

General Education Requirements for an AAS Degree

General education requirements for an AAS degree must contain:
• One course in written communication and an additional course in written communication or oral communication
• One course in critical thinking or quantitative literacy
• One course in inquiry and analysis OR a second course in critical thinking
• One course in general skills to be applied to industry

Guaranteed Transferability

In collaboration with the four-year public institutions and the Department, the Colorado Community College System has designed and implemented associate degrees with designations, thus allowing seamless transfer within the majors identified by the designations to designated Colorado public four-year institutions that offer a comparable baccalaureate degree program in the major field.  

Associate of Arts Degree and Associate of Science Degree to Colorado Public Four-Year Colleges and Universities.

Colorado's agreement between public colleges and universities guarantees that when a student completes an A.A. or A.S. Degree -- at least 60 semester credit hours of coursework completed with a grade of "C" or better in every course -- a student may transfer to a public baccalaureate program with a Liberal Arts and Sciences designation (e.g., Mathematics, psychology, or history) and graduate after earning an additional 60 semester credit hours.  Note: Agreements for selected transfer degrees may require up to an additional 66 credits (for a total of 126 credits).  Courses with an "S/U" grade will not be eligible for Guaranteed Transferability.  After transferring to the four-year institution,  completing a baccalaureate degree within two years depends on the number of credits a student completes each semester at the four-year institution, course sequencing in the student's major (e.g., some upper-division major courses require that a student first complete lower-division major courses), as well as course availability.

Recommended Electives

College curriculums have courses that are not required, but would be helpful to the student’s future. Students should consult their academic advisor before selecting electives. 

Instructional Methods

Classroom Based- Class meetings are on-site and in-person.

Competency Based – Students will have a fixed amount of time to meet specific competencies before receiving credit for the class.

Continuing Education – The instructional method is reserved for non-credit courses, students take these courses through their college continuing education, community education, and/or workforce development office and do not receive academic credit.

Hybrid – Class will have some live in-person components, and some online components. Percentage of online versus in-person can vary by class.

HyFlex – A highly flexible experience where the course is delivered entirely remotely in real-time, entirely in person in real-time, or a combination of the two.

HyFlex with Lab - A highly flexible experience where the course is delivered entirely remotely in real-time, entirely in person in real-time, or a combination of the two. Lab will require in-person attendance.

Online (Internet) Learning – Class is entirely online with no real-time expectations.

Remote Real-time – Class will be taught in real-time, with 100% remote delivery at predetermined times. There is no scheduled in person attendance. Class with be 100% real-time live meetings delivered remotely via technology.

Student Load

Credit hours are awarded on a semester basis. A student can complete a degree program in four semesters by successfully completing 15 credit hours of required coursework each semester. A student may choose, due to personal circumstances, to extend completion time. The following is a guide for all semesters used for tuition and financial aid purposes:

• Full-time student            12+ credit hours
• Three-quarter time        9-11 credit hours
• Half-time                           6-8 credit hours

NOTE: Students receiving benefits through Veterans Affairs should contact Military & Veteran Services for information regarding the VA calculation of their course load.

Student Types

• Guest Students – A guest student at CCA means that you will be taking summer courses that will move you toward degree completion at your home institution.
• High School Students Participating in the Concurrent Enrollment Program - High school students enrolling under the Concurrent Enrollment program need to do the following:

1. Meet with their high school counselor to discuss eligibility and receive required paperwork.
2. Complete the CCA Application and apply for the College Opportunity Fund (COF).
3. Complete the CCA assessment process or provide ACT/SAT scores that meet course prerequisites.
4. Complete the Concurrent Enrollment Agreement and Registration Form with all signatures. Registration dates and times will be scheduled for students who have completed the Concurrent Enrollment Agreement and are approved by the school district to take CCA classes. Check with your school district for information related to tuition and fees. You will be responsible for the cost of textbooks and supplies. For additional information, call the Concurrent Enrollment department at 303-340-7513.

• High School Students not Participating in the Concurrent Enrollment Program - Students need to do the following:
  Students younger than 17 must complete a Request for Waiver of Admission Requirements form, obtained from either the Registration and Records office or Lowry Student Services. This form must be approved by the Director of Advising and the President of the College. An approval will be based on a student’s academic history, determination of ability to benefit from college-level instruction, and overall educational goals. All applications must be submitted and approved 10 working days before the beginning of each semester. Please visit the Academic Calendar for important dates. For more information call Advising at 303-360-4929.
• International Students - The college is authorized under federal law to enroll non-immigrant alien students. An international student is a student who is not a U.S. citizen and is not classified by U.S. Immigration as a resident alien. These students do not qualify for resident tuition, due to their F-1 visa status. These students must see the Registration and Records Office. For information regarding admissions and I-20 Review (including dates and times), go to https://ccaurora.edu/apply/international-students/.   

• New Students – Individuals who have never attended an institution of higher education since graduation from high school must complete the application for admission and attend New Student Orientation (NSO). New students pursuing a degree or certificate are required to take assessment tests and meet with an advisor to register for their first semester.  Students are encouraged to keep in contact with academic advisors throughout their educational programs.
• Re-Admit Students - Former students returning to the Community College of Aurora after an absence of three or more consecutive semesters must complete the application form for readmission.
• Transfer Students – Students who have previously attended any college or university, must complete the application for admission, and indicate prior college attendance. Transfer students pursuing a degree or certificate at the Community College of Aurora (CCA) are required to meet assessment requirements. Transfer students should meet with academic advisors to register for the first semester and are encouraged to keep in contact with academic advisors.

To have courses evaluated for possible transfer credits, students should have official transcripts sent directly to CCA from regionally accredited colleges and universities.  The Credentials Evaluator will transfer in appropriate courses after students have completed all of the following:

• Complete an Admissions Application and declare the desired degree/certificate
• Speak with an academic advisor for a review of your unofficial transcripts