The Associate of Arts degree is awarded for completion of college-level coursework that is transferable toward a baccalaureate degree. The degree plan includes a 35-hour state minimum general education core curriculum approved by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. In order to receive an Associate of Arts from EACC, students must fulfill all General Degree Requirements listed in the catalog. In addition, the Associate of Arts requires completion of at least 15 semester hours of sophomore (2000) level courses, with at least 6 of the 15 hours of sophomore credit earned at EACC. 

General education course(s) listed within the Arkansas Course Transfer System (ACTS) will be accepted for transfer to the receiving institution. ACTS provides information regarding guaranteed transfer of courses between Arkansas public institutions. ACTS is beneficial for students, parents, and academic advisers because it provides accurate, up-to-date comparable course information for educational planning and informed decision-making. 

Transfer credit policy under Arkansas Act 182 from 2009 requires a four-year public institution of higher education in Arkansas to accept all credits earned from students earning an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science or Associate of Arts in Teaching degree from a state-supported public institution in Arkansas.

Major stipulations of Act 182 are outlined below:

• The transfer degree contains the curriculum that is approved by the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
• The four-year public institution of higher education is to admit a transfer student to junior status in a baccalaureate degree program at the four-year public institution of higher education.
• A four-year public institution of higher education receiving a transfer student shall not require additional lower division coursework if the additional course is considered a general education lower division course.
• The receiving four-year public institution of higher education may only require the additional lower division course if the additional lower division course is:
  • A prerequisite for courses in the transfer student’s baccalaureate degree program;
  • A discipline-specific course that is required by the transfer student’s baccalaureate degree program and the student has not completed a course at the two-year public institution of higher education that is comparable to the discipline-specific course at the four-year public institution of higher education in the Arkansas Course Transfer System;
  • A requirement of an independent licensing or accrediting body
• Act 182 does not remove the requirement that a transfer student must meet total baccalaureate degree program credit hour and course requirements in order to be eligible for a baccalaureate degree.
• The receiving four-year public institution of higher education shall determine whether to accept a grade of “D” for academic course credit for a student transferring from a two-year public institution of higher.

Students should be prepared to submit course descriptions and syllabi of transfer work if there is any question concerning acceptance of credit toward a degree program.