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Associate in Arts, Elementary Education

The Associate in Arts, Elementary Education (AAEE) provides the first two years of a four year curriculum for the student who plans to transfer to an Elementary Education or Special Education program at an Arizona public higher education institution. Upon completion of the AAEE, a student may pursue employment as a classroom instructional aide. Upon completion of a bachelor`s degree, a student may pursue a career as an elementary school teacher or as a special education teacher. With further education or certification, students may pursue the employment in the field of education in a number of careers including but not limited to assistant principal, principal, educational administrator, instructional designer, instructional technologist, instructional coordinator, and educational counselor.

Details

Academic Career
Credit
Degree/Certificate Type
Associate Degree / University Transfer
Academic Plan
Associate in Arts - Elementary Education (AAEE)
Academic Plan Code
8101
Total Credits Required
60-68
Catalog Year
2020-2021
What You'll Learn

This pathway map will help you gain the expertise needed to:

This program will help you gain the expertise needed to:

  1. Apply a foundational knowledge of child development, teaching and learning theories, cultural differences, and/or effective educational practices for diverse learners.
  2. Interpret and critique current and historical influences on education at the local, state, federal, and/or global levels, and apply that understanding to effectively engage in the profession and the political process.
  3. Explain how educational theory applies to real world contexts.
  4. Describe and demonstrate key dispositions (e.g. collaboration, professionalism, self-initiative, time management, and effective oral and written communication) of an effective teacher.
  5. Explain basic scientific theories and concepts as they apply to teaching multiple subjects in the general K-8 classroom.
  6. Explain real world applications of the fine arts as they relate to teaching multiple subjects in the general K-8 classroom.
Career Opportunities

Successful completion of this degree may lead to employment in a variety of different occupations and industries. Below are examples of related occupations with associated Arizona-based annual median wages* for this program. Education requirements vary for the occupations listed below, so you may need further education or degrees in order to qualify for some of these jobs and earn the related salaries. Please visit with an academic advisor and/or program director for additional information.

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary

$79,680

Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors

$50,140

Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education

$44,780

Instructional Coordinators

$52,350

Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$44,210

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$48,490

Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School

$45,720

Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary

$24,840

There are additional career opportunities associated with this degree that do not have occupational data available for Arizona at this time. These occupations are listed below:
  • Special Education Teachers, Middle School
  • Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
 * Wage information sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Program. Updated May 2019.
Course Sequence by Term

The following is the suggested course sequence by term. Please keep in mind:

  • Students should meet with an academic advisor to develop an individual education plan that meets their academic and career goals. Use the Pathway Planner tool in your Student Center to manage your plan.
  • The course sequence is laid out by suggested term and may be affected when students enter the program at different times of the year.
  • Initial course placement is determined by current district placement measures and/or completion of 100-200 level course and/or program requirements.
  • Degree and transfer seeking students may be required to successfully complete a MCCCD First Year Experience Course (FYE) within the first two semesters at a MCCCD College. Courses include AAA/CPD150, AAA/CPD150AC, CPD104, and AAA115/CPD115. Course offerings will vary by college. See an academic, program, or faculty advisor for details.

Full-time Sequence

Full-time status is 12 credits to 18 credits per semester.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Awareness Areas
  • In addition to the requirements identified in the sequence below, students must complete the following awareness areas if not otherwise met by other program requirements:
    • Cultural [C] and
    • Global [G] or Historical [H]
  • Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU221 or
EDU230		 Introduction to Education or Cultural Diversity In Education Critical course Gateway course SB or C 3
MAT140 or
MAT141 or
MAT142 or
MAT150 or
MAT151 or
MAT152 or
MAT187		 College Mathematics or College Mathematics or College Mathematics or College Algebra/Functions or College Algebra/Functions or College Algebra/Functions or Precalculus Or any approved general education course in the Mathematical Applications [MA] area for which MAT15+ is a prerequisite.

Note: MAT182, 206, 256, 257 do note meet the [MA] requirement. Students need to complete MAT14x and MAT12x OR MAT14x and satisfactory placement in MAT15x OR MAT15x or higher in order to meet MAT256 prerequisites (in future term). 		MA 3–6
ENG101 or
ENG107		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL Critical course FYC 3
CFS205 or
ECH176 or
CFS176 or
GCU121 or
GCU122 or
ECN211 or
ECN212 or
HIS104 or
PSY101		 Human Development or Child Development or Child Development or World Geography I: Eastern Hemisphere or World Geography II: Western Hemisphere or Macroeconomic Principles or Microeconomic Principles or United States History 1865 to Present or Introduction to Psychology CFS176 or ECH176 recommended SB or G, SB or G, SB or H, SB 3
EDU291 or
ENH291 or
ENH110 or
ENH241 or
ENH242 or
HUM250 or
HUM251		 Children's Literature or Children's Literature or Introduction to Literature or American Literature Before 1860 or American Literature After 1860 or Ideas and Values in the Humanities or Ideas and Values in the Humanities EDU291 or ENH291 recommended for the HU Value HU or C, HU or H, HU or H, HU, L 3
AAA/CPD115 or
AAA/CPD150 or
AAA/CPD150AC or
CPD104		 Creating College Success or Strategies for College Success or Educational and Career Planning or Career and Personal Development 0–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU221 or
EDU230		 Introduction to Education or Cultural Diversity In Education Critical course Gateway course SB or C 3
SQ Natural Sciences Quantitative At least one Natural Sciences course must be SQ. SQ 4
ARH100 or
ARH101 or
ARH102 or
DAH100 or
DAH201 or
DAH250 or
MHL140 or
MHL145 or
MHL146 or
MHL153 or
THE111 or
THE220		 Introduction to Art or Prehistoric Through Gothic Art or Renaissance Through Contemporary Art or Introduction to Dance or World Dance Studies or Dance in Popular Culture or Survey of Music History or American Jazz and Popular Music or Survey of Broadway Musicals or Rock Music and Culture or Introduction to Theatre or Modern Drama HU or H, HU or H, HU or G, HU or C, HU or C, HU or HU, L 3
ENG102 or
ENG108		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL Critical course FYC 3
CRE101 College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking L 0–3

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU222 Introduction to the Exceptional Learner C, SB 3
COM225 Public Speaking L 3
MAT256 Investigating Quantity: Number, Operations and Numeration Systems 4
CIS105 or
BPC110		 Survey of Computer Information Systems or Computer Usage and Applications CS 3
EDU+++ EDU Elective Select one additional EDU course (other than EDU221, 222, 230 or 250). Recommend EDU110, EDU220, EDU236, EDU/HUM/STO292. 3

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
SQ or
SG		 Natural Sciences Quantitative or Natural Sciences General Select from AGS, ASM, AST, CHM, GPH, GLG, PHS or PHY. At least one Natural Science must be SQ. SQ or SG 4
HIS103 or
POS110 or
GCU113 or
(POS113)		 United States History to 1865 or American National Government or United States and Arizona Social Studies or (United States and Arizona Social Studies) Students transferring to NAU can petition to use in place of POS220. H, HU, SB or SB or H, SB or H, SB 3–4
RE Restricted Elective 5
MAT257 Investigating Geometry, Probability and Statistics 4

Restricted Electives

Select 5 credits from the following:

A list of program electives for this pathway map
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
AAA/CPD115 or
AAA/CPD150 or
AAA/CPD150AC or
CPD104		 Creating College Success or Strategies for College Success or Educational and Career Planning or Career and Personal Development 1–3
ARH+++ Any ARH Art Humanities course(s) 3
ART+++ Any ART Art course(s) 3
CFS176 or
ECH176		 Child Development or Child Development SB 3
CFS205 Human Development SB 3
CIS+++ Any CIS Computer Information Systems course(s) 3
ECN+++ Any ECN Economics course(s) 3
BPC+++ Any BPC Business-Personal Computers course(s) 3
EED215 Early Learning: Health, Safety, Nutrition and Fitness 3
EDU+++ Any EDU Education course(s) (except EDU221, EDU222, EDU230, and EDU250) 3
ENG+++ Any ENG English course(s) 3
ENH+++ Any ENH English Humanities course(s) 3
GCU+++ Any GCU Cultural Geography course(s) 3
GPH+++ Any GPH Physical Geography course(s) 3
HIS+++ Any HIS History course(s) 3
MAT+++ Any MAT Mathematics course(s) higher than MAT142 (except MAT256 and MAT257) 3
MHL+++ Any MHL Music: History/Literature course(s) 3
MTC+++ Any MTC Music: Theory/Composition course(s) 3
POS+++ Any POS Political Science course(s) 3
THE+++ Any THE Theatre course(s) 3
THF+++ Any THF Theatre and Film course(s) 3
THP+++ Any THP Theatre Performance/Production course(s) 3
Foreign Language Any foreign Language course 4–5
Natural Science Any Natural Science course 4

Part-time Sequence

Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Awareness Areas
  • In addition to the requirements identified in the sequence below, students must complete the following awareness areas if not otherwise met by other program requirements:
    • Cultural [C] and
    • Global [G] or Historical [H]
  • Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU221 or
EDU230		 Introduction to Education or Cultural Diversity In Education Critical course Gateway course SB or C 3
ENG101 or
ENG107		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL Critical course FYC 3
AAA/CPD115 or
AAA/CPD150 or
AAA/CPD150AC or
CPD104		 Creating College Success or Strategies for College Success or Educational and Career Planning or Career and Personal Development 0–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU221 or
EDU230		 Introduction to Education or Cultural Diversity In Education Critical course Gateway course SB or C 3
ENG102 or
ENG108		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL Critical course FYC 3
CRE101 College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking L 0–3

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU222 Introduction to the Exceptional Learner C, SB 3
MAT140 or
MAT141 or
MAT142 or
MAT150 or
MAT151 or
MAT152 or
MAT187		 College Mathematics or College Mathematics or College Mathematics or College Algebra/Functions or College Algebra/Functions or College Algebra/Functions or Precalculus Or any approved general education course in the Mathematical Applications [MA] area for which MAT15+ is a prerequisite.

Note: MAT182, 206, 256, 257 do note meet the [MA] requirement. Students need to complete MAT14x and MAT12x OR MAT14x and satisfactory placement in MAT15x OR MAT15x or higher in order to meet MAT256 prerequisites (in future term). 		MA 3–6

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
COM225 Public Speaking L 3
CFS205 or
ECH176 or
CFS176 or
GCU121 or
GCU122 or
ECN211 or
ECN212 or
HIS104 or
PSY101		 Human Development or Child Development or Child Development or World Geography I: Eastern Hemisphere or World Geography II: Western Hemisphere or Macroeconomic Principles or Microeconomic Principles or United States History 1865 to Present or Introduction to Psychology CFS176 or ECH176 recommended SB or G, SB or G, SB or H, SB 3

Term 5

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 5
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
CIS105 or
BPC110		 Survey of Computer Information Systems or Computer Usage and Applications CS 3
EDU291 or
ENH291 or
ENH110 or
ENH241 or
ENH242 or
HUM250 or
HUM251		 Children's Literature or Children's Literature or Introduction to Literature or American Literature Before 1860 or American Literature After 1860 or Ideas and Values in the Humanities or Ideas and Values in the Humanities EDU291 or ENH291 recommended for the HU Value HU or C, HU or H, HU or H, HU, L 3

Term 6

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 6
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
SQ Natural Sciences Quantitative Select from BIO. At least one Natural Sciences course must be SQ. SQ 4
MAT256 Investigating Quantity: Number, Operations and Numeration Systems 4

Term 7

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 7
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
MAT257 Investigating Geometry, Probability and Statistics 4
SQ or
SG		 Natural Sciences Quantitative or Natural Sciences General Select from AGS, ASM, AST, CHM, GPH, GLG, PHS or PHY. At least one Natural Science must be SQ. SQ or SG 4

Term 8

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 8
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU+++ EDU Elective Select one additional EDU course (other than EDU221, 222, 230 or 250). Recommend EDU110, EDU220, EDU236, EDU/HUM/STO292. 3
ARH100 or
ARH101 or
ARH102 or
DAH100 or
DAH201 or
DAH250 or
MHL140 or
MHL145 or
MHL146 or
MHL153 or
THE111 or
THE220		 Introduction to Art or Prehistoric Through Gothic Art or Renaissance Through Contemporary Art or Introduction to Dance or World Dance Studies or Dance in Popular Culture or Survey of Music History or American Jazz and Popular Music or Survey of Broadway Musicals or Rock Music and Culture or Introduction to Theatre or Modern Drama HU or H, HU or H, HU or G, HU or C, HU or C, HU or HU, L 3

Term 9

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 9
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
RE Restricted Elective 5
HIS103 or
POS110 or
GCU113 or
(POS113)		 United States History to 1865 or American National Government or United States and Arizona Social Studies or (United States and Arizona Social Studies) Students transferring to NAU can petition to use in place of POS220. H, HU, SB or SB or H, SB or H, SB 3–4

Restricted Electives

Select 5 credits from the following:

A list of program electives for this pathway map
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
AAA/CPD115 or
AAA/CPD150 or
AAA/CPD150AC or
CPD104		 Creating College Success or Strategies for College Success or Educational and Career Planning or Career and Personal Development 1–3
ARH+++ Any ARH Art Humanities course(s) 3
ART+++ Any ART Art course(s) 3
CFS176 or
ECH176		 Child Development or Child Development SB 3
CFS205 Human Development SB 3
CIS+++ Any CIS Computer Information Systems course(s) 3
ECN+++ Any ECN Economics course(s) 3
BPC+++ Any BPC Business-Personal Computers course(s) 3
EED215 Early Learning: Health, Safety, Nutrition and Fitness 3
EDU+++ Any EDU Education course(s) (except EDU221, EDU222, EDU230, and EDU250) 3
ENG+++ Any ENG English course(s) 3
ENH+++ Any ENH English Humanities course(s) 3
GCU+++ Any GCU Cultural Geography course(s) 3
GPH+++ Any GPH Physical Geography course(s) 3
HIS+++ Any HIS History course(s) 3
MAT+++ Any MAT Mathematics course(s) higher than MAT142 (except MAT256 and MAT257) 3
MHL+++ Any MHL Music: History/Literature course(s) 3
MTC+++ Any MTC Music: Theory/Composition course(s) 3
POS+++ Any POS Political Science course(s) 3
THE+++ Any THE Theatre course(s) 3
THF+++ Any THF Theatre and Film course(s) 3
THP+++ Any THP Theatre Performance/Production course(s) 3
Foreign Language Any foreign Language course 4–5
Natural Science Any Natural Science course 4
Course Area Key

Gateway Course = Generally the first major-specific course in a pathway.

Critical Course = A course that is highly predictive of future success in a pathway.

  • C = Cultural Diversity in the US
  • CS = Computer/Statistics/Quantitative Application
  • FYC = First Year Composition
  • G = Global Awareness
  • H = Historical Awareness
  • HU = Humanities, Fine Arts, and Design
  • L = Literacy & Critical Inquiry
  • MA = Mathematics
  • SB = Social-Behavioral Sciences
  • SG = Natural Sciences General
  • SQ = Natural Sciences Quantitative
Disclaimer

Students must earn a grade of "C" or better for all courses required within the program.

Course Sequence total credits may differ from the program information located on the MCCCD curriculum website due to program and system design.

View MCCCD’s curriculum website for the Associate in Arts - Elementary Education in Associate in Arts, Elementary Education (http://aztransmac2.asu.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MCCCD.woa/wa/freeForm10?id=135308).

At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, we encourage you to meet with an advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.

Other Versions

The pathway map presented above is for the current catalog year and is the intended pathway map for new students. Other versions of this pathway map from different catalog years are available below:

Catalog YearEffective Dates
2019-20205/28/2019 – 5/25/2020