Philosophy

To be eligible for an Associate in  Arts (AA), an Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT), or an Associate in Science (AS) degree from HCC, a student must successfully:

Complete at least 60 semester hours of credit as follows: (a) for the AA degree, 43 hours of required core courses and 17 hours of transferable electives, usually focusing on the student's transfer major (b) for the AAT degree, 44 hours of required core courses plus 16-18 hours of required pre-teaching courses (c) for the AS degree, 43 hours of required core courses plus six additional hours of mathematics, four additional hours of natural science, and 7 hours of transferable electives, usually focusing on the student's transfer major.

• Complete a minimum of 18 semester hours toward the degree in the Houston Community College System. These hours may not be satisfied through credit by exam.
• Have an overall 2.0 HCC grade point average.
• Satisfy TSI requirements.
• Resolve all financial obligations and return all College materials, including library books, to HCC prior to graduation.

A student who has received an associate degree or higher from an accredited institution must meet specific requirements to earn an additional degree from HCC.

• The student must complete a minimum of 18 semester hours at HCC for each additional degree. These hours may not repeat credit applied from a previous HCC degree. These hours may not be satisfied through credit by exam.
• All additional hours must be applicable toward the additional degree. If the student has prior credit in required courses, appropriate substitutions may be arranged.
• All courses required by the specific HCC program of the additional degree must be completed.
• A grade point average of at least 2.0 must be earned on all hours since the previous degree.
• Academic courses from previous degrees may be applied to an additional AAS degree required academic core where equivalent and appropriate, which waives the need for approval, except where program restrictions prevail.
• If the first degree was an Associate in Arts, an Associate of Arts in Teaching, Associate in Science, a bachelor degree, or higher degree from an accredited educational institution in the United States, the student will be considered to be “Core Complete”, thus needing to complete only the requirement of 18 additional semester hours at HCC toward a new associate degree.
• Each additional academic associate degree obtained from HCC must be of a different type. Thus, a student may only obtain one Associate in Arts, one Associate of Arts in Teaching, and/or one Associate in Science from HCC. For example, if one degree from HCC was an AA, then any additional degrees must be an AAT, AS, or AAS.
• Multiple Associate of Applied Science degrees may be earned from HCC if all AAS program requirements are met including earning at least 18 additional semester hours at HCC, 12 of which must be earned in the major program of the additional degree. In most cases, however, there is only one AAS degree allowable per workforce program. See counselor or program chair for clarification.
• Multiple workforce Certificates of Completion may be earned from HCC if all program requirements are met for each certificate including earning at least 9 additional unique semester hours at HCC toward the major program of the additional certificate.
• All other state and institutional graduation requirements, including TSI policies and financial obligations, must be met.

An undergraduate degree in Philosophy prepares graduates for careers which include writing, journalism, policy-making, teaching, law and business.

Some online programs may require up to 15% of their curriculum be taken in-person on one of HCC’s campuses.  Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements.

Language Option Restrictions

Some online programs require students to participate in foreign language courses as part of the program’s required curriculum. Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements and available language options. If you would like to take courses in a language that is not offered online, you would have to do so on campus.

Elective Course Restrictions

Some online programs may have a limited number of elective options available, based on which of the designated electives are currently offered online.  Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements.

Required Course Restrictions

Some online programs may require students to participate in one or more campus-based courses as part of a given program’s required curriculum. Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements.  

Potential Course Restrictions

Some online courses may have face-to-face requirements for exams, laboratory sessions, and other activities. Please review your course syllabus to determine if your online course has an on-campus laboratory or examination requirement.