The state of California has mandated new transfer degrees for the Fall 2013 semester to assist in students in transferring to CSU and UC campuses.

The Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and the Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T) apply to Business Administration, Kinesiology, Mathematics, and Psychology majors. Other majors that are included are Communications and Early Childhood Education. Certain requirements to obtain these degrees include completing 60 CSU transferable units, the CSU General Education Requirements or CSU, and the required major requirements. Students are also required to follow guidelines laid out by the IGETC.

Students who earn either an AA-T or an AS-T degree and meet the CSU minimum eligibility requirements are guaranteed admission to a CSU, but they are not guaranteed admission to one particular campus or major. Other benefits from these degrees include guaranteed admissions with junior standing to the CSU system and priority admissions consideration for students’ local CSU campuses. Jacqueline Escobar, a transfer-degree counselor, feels the degrees make transferring easier.

“The process of transferring to four year colleges is very complicated for students,” said Escobar. “So these degrees were mandated by the state of California to help ease the process.”

One of the interesting aspects about the new degrees is the “guarantee” of admission into a CSU campus. There are several factors that go into admission to a CSU including location of the CSU campus and the particular field of your major. The more competitive majors, for example, may not guarantee admission. While these details may seem to be misleading, Escobar implores students to meet with transfer counselors to learn more about the degrees.

“It is very important for students to meet with their counselors. What has happened in the past is students begin the transfer process without understanding what they need to transfer,” said Escobar. “So meeting with counselors and asking questions about the AA-T and AA-S degrees will help students how these degrees will benefit them in the future.”