Liberal Arts: English (AA)
Program Overview:
Read Through the Clutter to Write More Clearly and Think Critically
Help your fifth-grade class decipher the theme of the book they are reading. Write a script for an episodic series on a streaming service. Edit press release announcements at a public relations firm. Work with a team to write a new city policy on parking permits. If you are passionate about reading and writing and want to pursue a career that uses your writing skills, a liberal arts degree will strengthen your abilities so you can use them with confidence.
A liberal arts degree in English will broaden your knowledge and your perspectives. It will help you think critically as you read and write and push you to formulate and organize your views and beliefs. English is a twenty-first-century degree to see through the clutter of manipulated and manufactured information. It’s a degree you will use for the rest of your life.
Careers in English
Employers value strong critical-thinking, writing, and communication skills. Experienced writers are needed to develop marketing campaigns, draft business letters, create engaging social media posts, and write the next acclaimed bestseller.
Strong writing and comprehension skills are also needed to take on careers in advertising, business, communications, editing, insurance, journalism, law, politics, public relations, education, writing, and in your daily life.
Here are some careers and their salaries you could have with an English degree:
Career information below taken from bls.gov February 2020. Go to bls.gov for most current career information.
Develop written content for various types of media. Originate and prepare written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material.
Data for Los Angeles/Long Beach/Anaheim
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | $109,690/year | $52.73/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| None needed | 13% increase (faster than average) | 4,680 |
Create and maintain a favorable public image for the organization they represent.
Data for Los Angeles/Long Beach/Anaheim
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | $146,250/year | $70.31/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| None needed | 4% increase (as fast as average) | 2,700 |
Prepare instruction manuals, how-to guides, journal articles, and other supporting documents to communicate complex and technical information more easily. Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.
Data for Los Angeles/Long Beach/Anaheim
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | $87,720/year | $42.17/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| None needed | 3% increase (slower than average) | 1,630 |
Inform the public about news and events. Collect and analyze facts about newsworthy events by interview, investigation, or observation. Report and write stories for newspaper, news magazine, radio, or television.
Data for Los Angeles/Long Beach/Anaheim
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | $66,430/year | $31.94/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| None needed | 5% increase (as fast as average) | 1,460 |
Plan, direct, or coordinate marketing policies and programs, such as determining the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors, and identify potential customers. Develop pricing strategies with the goal of maximizing the firm's profits or share of the market while ensuring the firm's customers are satisfied. Oversee product development or monitor trends that indicate the need for new products and services.
Data for Los Angeles/Long Beach/Anaheim
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | $152,160/year | $73.15/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| Less than 5 years | 5% increase (as fast as average) | 12,280 |
Plan, coordinate, and revise material for publication in books, newspapers, or periodicals or on websites. Editors review story ideas and decide what material will appeal most to readers. During the review process, editors offer comments to improve the product and suggest titles and headlines. In smaller organizations, a single editor may do all the editorial duties or share them with only a few other people.
Data for Los Angeles/Long Beach/Anaheim
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | $80,650/year | $38.78/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| Less than 5 years | 9% increase (faster than average) | 5,410 |
What You’ll Learn at LASC in English
You can get Associate in Arts in Liberal Arts (AA), Associate in Arts (AA), and an Associate in Arts for Transfer (AAT) degrees through LASC’s English program where you will build your critical thinking, reading, and writing skills, develop your portfolio, and establish real-world connections to launch your career in English:
- Practice creative writing and develop a portfolio by writing poems, plays, stories, or multi-media works. You’ll present your writing in workshops for informal discussion and evaluation to your class and instructor, as well as submit for publication in the LASC online literary journal, The Truth.
- Learn analytical and inferential reasoning skills and expand your strategies for argumentation using the various genres of literature and literacy criticism as subject matter to compose effective prose in essays and other written assignments.
- LASC provides internships so you can build your career connections and create community ties for after you graduate.
- Want to transfer? Check out our Associate in Arts for Transfer (AAT) degree in English and save money on your first two years of college learning from dedicated, innovative faculty. You can graduate with guaranteed admission into a CSU, and some UCs! See your academic counselor for more information.
Degrees & Courses You Will Take
Review the LASC Associate in Arts in English (AA) degree and the Associate in Arts in English for Transfer (AAT) degree below along with our suggested course of study for these programs. Go to LASC’s current Course Catalog for specific course information:
Major Code: 1501.01
Total Units Required: 60
Upon completion of this program, you should be able to:
- Read accurately, critically, broadly and reflectively, demonstrating the ability to consider contrastive or opposing perspectives and non-insular openness to diverse ideas and intellectual traditions.
- Produce college-level academic English prose to communicate clear yet nuanced viewpoints on complex subjects and ideas, demonstrating a sound understanding of audience and prose.
| Core Courses (Choose and complete 18 units) | Units |
|---|---|
| ENGLISH 101 College Reading and Composition I | 3 |
| ENGLISH 102 College Reading and Composition II | 3 |
| ENGLISH 103 Composition and Critical Thinking | 3 |
| ENGLISH 127 Creative Writing | 3 |
| ENGLISH 211 Fiction | 3 |
| ENGLISH 212 Poetry | 3 |
| ENGLISH 213 Dramatic Literature | 3 |
| ENGLISH 234 African-American Literature | 3 |
| ENGLISH 239 Women in Literature | 3 |
| TOTAL UNITS | 18 |
Upon successfully completing this program, you should be able to:
- Read accurately, critically, broadly and reflectively, demonstrating the ability to consider contrastive or opposing perspectives and non-insular openness to diverse ideas and intellectual traditions.
- Produce college-level academic English prose to communicate clear yet nuanced viewpoints on complex subjects and ideas, demonstrating a sound understating of audience and prose.
- Utilize research skills to produce essays that meet a range of educational, professional, and personal objectives, and that integrate sources effectively, use appropriate and accurate documentation methods, and incorporate relevant and sufficient support.
Major Code: 1501.00
Total Units Required: 60
| Required Courses: | Units |
|---|---|
| ENGLISH 101 College Reading and Composition I | 3 |
| ENGLISH 102 College Reading and Composition II | 3 |
| ENGLISH 103 Composition and Critical Thinking | 3 |
| Select Three Courses | |
| ENGLISH 127 Creative Writing | 3 |
| ENGLISH 207 American Literature I | 3 |
| ENGLISH 208 American Literature II | 3 |
| ENGLISH 211 Fiction | 3 |
| ENGLISH 212 Poetry | 3 |
| ENGLISH 213 Dramatic Literature | 3 |
| ENGLISH 234 African-American Literature I | 3 |
| ENGLISH 240 Literature and the Motion Picture | 3 |
| TOTAL UNITS | 18 |
If you are planning to transfer to a CSU or UC, then an Associate in Arts in English is for you! You can complete an Associate in Arts in for Transfer Degree (ATT) in English if you are planning to transfer to a CSU English bachelor’s program, and by successfully completing this degree, you are guaranteed admission to a CSU upon completion of this program!
The Transfer Degree is designed to provide you with a Transfer Model Curriculum focusing on improving your abilities to read, think, and write critically. Objectives in these courses range from teaching the fundamentals of the language to an introduction to significant literature in Western culture.
The Associate in Arts in English for Transfer Degree requirements include:
- Completion of 60 CSU transferable units, including the minimum 18 units in the major and the completion of either IGETC or CSU GE;
- A minimum GPA of 2.0.
If you are interested in completing an Associate Degree for Transfer, you must:
Complete 60-semester units of 90-quarter units that are eligible for transfer to the California State University, including both of the following: *
- The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education-Breadth Requirements
- A minimum of 18-semester units or 27 quarter units in a major or area of emphasis, as determined by the community college district. 2. Obtainment of a minimum grade point average of 2.0.
*As required by Senate Bill 1440 & California Education Code section 66746.
ADTs also require that you must earn a C or better in all courses required for the major area of emphasis. A “P” (Pass) grade is not an acceptable grade for courses in the major.
You should meet with a counselor to determine the necessary course work to complete the general education requirements.
Major Code: 1501.00
Total Units Required: 60
| Required Courses: | Units |
|---|---|
| ENGLISH 102 College Reading and Composition | 3 |
| ENGLISH 103 Composition and Critical Thinking | 3 |
| ENGLISH 207 American Literature I | 3 |
| ENGLISH 208 American Literature II | 3 |
| JOURN 105 Mass Communications | 3 |
| Select One Course | |
| ENGLISH 212 Poetry | 3 |
| OR | |
| ENGLISH 127 Creative Writing | 3 |
| ENGLISH 211 Fiction | 3 |
| TOTAL UNITS | 18 |
Get Ready Before You Start
Interested in a career in English? Before your first class starts at LASC, you can begin preparing for your career:
- Make an appointment with your LASC academic counselor to review LASC’s program, start to develop a Student Education Plan (SEP), and make sure to discuss your academic and career goals so they can direct you to all LASC has to offer you!
- Still in high school? Enroll in a creative writing course to build a foundation of writing before college. See if your high school has a school paper or yearbook club to join. Contact your local newspaper to see if they have any summer internships available. You’ll gain writing experience while having your work published to add to your portfolio.
- Once you’re at LASC, make sure to get involved with off- and on-campus clubs and organizations, such as the Toastmasters or the Poetry Collective to learn new ways of writing, become a student ambassador, or run for student body government. These create new relationships and provide new outlets to build writing and communication skills.
Program Learning Outcomes
As a student, once you successfully complete the program, you should be able to:
- Read accurately, critically, broadly and reflectively, demonstrating the ability to consider opposing perspectives and non-insular openness to diverse ideas and intellectual traditions.
- Produce college-level academic English prose to communicate clear yet nuanced viewpoints on complex subjects and ideas, demonstrating a sound understating of audience and prose.
- Utilize research skills to produce essays that meet a range of educational, professional, and personal objectives, and that integrate sources effectively, use appropriate and accurate documentation methods, and incorporate relevant and sufficient support.