GUIDE START

As mentioned before, Valencia College does not offer a Computer Science B.S., but it offers many classes that are required for the major in other universities, more importantly, Valencia College has "Guaranteed Admission" to other top Florida Public Universities after obtaining an Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree. For students interested in Computer Science, there are two very good (and popular) universities to transfer to:

- University of Central Florida (UCF): Top option for most students at Valencia College because of its convenient Orlando location, besides, it offers "Priority Access" through DirectConnet to UCF. More info: click here

- University of Florida (UF): Another great option for students, offering a FULLY ONLINE CS degree, which is something that UCF does not offer. More info: click here


Classes at Valencia College are taught in the following methods:

Face-to-Face: Normal in-person classes, usually 2-3 days per week.

Mixed Mode: 1 in-person class per week, with recorded videos / resources posted online. Tests might be done online or in-person depending on the class and the professor.

Online: Fully online class, with recorded videos / resources posted online. Tests are taken online.

Real-Time Virtual: Live classes on Zoom, usually 2-3 days per week. Tests taken online. Not very common type of class.

How to obtain an A.A.? Which classes should I take for CS?

Pursuing an A.A. degree might feel confusing after getting the PDF that the school gives you after you complete your admission, but it can be explained in simpler terms:

The Associate in Arts (A.A.) Degree requires a minimum of 60 college-level credit hours including 36 hours in general education, 24 hours of acceptable electives. Now, explained in even simpler terms:

Complete 4 classes of "Communication" Area. These classes include a lot of essay writing.

Must complete the following 3 classes: (SLS-1122) New Student Experience, (ENC-1101) Freshman Composition I, (ENC-1102) Freshman Composition II.

Choose ONE of the following 2 classes (do not have to take both): (SPC-1608) Fundamentals of Speech OR
(SPC-1017) Interpersonal Communication.

Complete 2 classes of "Humanities Area". These classes will be the easiest you'll take in college, so you should take them at a "hard" semester.

Choose ONE "Core" class. I recommend (HUM-1020) Intro to Humanities.

Choose ONE "Institutional" class. Take any class that you are interested in; I recommend any HUM class.

Complete 2 classes of "Social Sciences" Area. These are the basic government / history classes.

Choose ONE "Core" class. MUST TAKE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TWO: (POS-2041) U.S. Government OR (AMH-2020) U.S. History.

Why specifically one of those two? Because any of those two classes are the prerequisites for the FCLE Exam, which is another requirement for the A.A. Degree. Skipping these classes (and choosing others) is a common mistake that some Valencia College students make, so make sure to choose any of those two. More info about the FCLE Exam is posted on the Extra A.A. Requirements section of the guide.

After completing one of those two, choose ONE "Institutional" class. I recommend (POS-2112) State and Local Government.

Complete 2 classes of "Math" Area. This is a very important topic, so I explained it with details in the math section of the guide.

Complete 2 classes of "Science" Area. This is also a very important topic, so I explained it with details in the science section of the guide.

Complete 24 credit hours of acceptable electives. This will be completed with the Computer Programming classes, as well as most math classes.