academic programs

The Associate in Arts degree is intended to provide students with knowledge and skills necessary for entry-level employment and to prepare students to transfer to a baccalaureate program. Students can choose between a degree in Behavioral Health, Christian Ministry, General Studies or Paraprofessional Education. Each degree requires students complete 31 credits of general education, 15 credits of biblical core, and 15 credits of content in the degree emphasis. Students must also complete two required seminars as well as a Ministry Practicum component.

Behavioral Health (paused Spring 2025)

The emphasis in Behavioral Health prepares graduates to have the educational foundation to serve as “Behavioral Health Aides” as determined by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. The emphasis requirements ensure that students receive clinical instruction in order to obtain the fundamental knowledge, skills, and ethical principles for professional entry-level work in the behavioral health field. The emphasis focuses on Alaskan Native issues presented in rural Alaskan environments and may provide a basis for continued study in human services related programs.

Christian Ministry

The Associate Degree in Christian Ministry prepares graduates to accept entry-level ministry positions. The degree requirements ensure that graduates have the Bible and Theological training along with the general education background necessary to serve in any church, particularly those in rural Alaskan settings.

Paraprofessional Education

The Associate Degree in Paraprofessional Education prepares graduates to serve as “highly qualified Paraprofessional Classroom Aides” as determined by the United States Department of Education. The degree requirements ensure that graduates meet the requirements to be highly qualified to serve as Paraprofessional classroom aides in any K-8 classroom, particularly those in rural Alaskan settings.

General Studies

The Associate in Arts in General Studies degree prepares students with an education that enables proficiency across a multidisciplinary spectrum. The courses taken in this degree program are ones which will prepare the graduate to either pursue further coursework in higher education, or for employment in a variety of different disciplines. These courses selected are considered core curriculum at many different colleges and degree programs, carefully chosen to optimize transferability, or employability, as the student graduates.

Academic Credit

A unit of academic credit is the measure of the total time commitment an average student is expected to devote to learning per week of study. One unit of credit represents a total of three hours per week of of in-class and out-of-class work (Carnegie Unit of Credit). In this context, an hour is defined as 50 minutes. For traditional delivery methodologies, one unit of academic credit equals: 1 hour of lecture or seminar, and two hours of study per week, or 2 hours of laboratory, studio, or similar activities and one hour of study per week.