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St. Cloud State University

St. Cloud State University

Center for Continuing Studies: We Bring Students to the University by Taking the University to Students

Online and Distance Learning

Pathways for Incarcerated Students

Degree Options

In addition to individual courses, the Pathways for Incarcerated Students program offers two degree options:

  • The Associate in Arts degree is intended to provide a broad liberal arts and sciences background. A.A. programs require completion of the general education program and additional credits to total at least 60 semester hour credits. The A.A. program may be used as the foundation of a baccalaureate degree.
  • The Associate in Elective Studies degree program provides students an opportunity to design their own program of study. It requires the completion of 60 semester hour credits, with no more than 30 credits in any one discipline. The A.E.S. degree is considered a terminal degree and is not designed to lead to a bachelor’s degree. Students wishing to complete an associate’s degree and continue on to a bachelor’s degree should choose the Associate in Arts program.

Credits earned from other accredited colleges and universities may, upon approval, be applied toward the student’s SCSU degree program.

What Can I do with an Associate Degree?

An Associates degree is an academic degree awarded by many community colleges, junior colleges, and some bachelor degree seeking institutions. It is roughly the equivalent of the first two years of a four year program. Specifically an Associates of Arts degree is intended to transfer to a four year college, oftentimes stemming into a major in the social sciences or humanities. Those who decide not to select an area of concentration right away may also receive this degree for completing general electives.

According to study done by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the overall rate of recidivism for inmates is 60%. For those with a college associate degree, that number was reduced to 13.7%. Bachelor degree holders had only a 5.6% rate, and astonishingly those who hold a masters degree were at 0%.

In most circumstances, an associate’s degree is used as a stepping stone to a bachelor’s degree. The degrees we offer through the Pathways Program can be used to obtain further higher education or can be earned as an end in themselves.