Associate in Arts

Request Information

Why Study Liberal Arts?

This two-year degree in liberal arts opens doors in a variety of career paths, from education to hospitality to business. Create your own path to your future while studying the topics that interest you most, and discover what you can achieve.

What You'll Learn 

An Associate of Arts degree offers a diverse and wide-ranging selection of courses that fuels your drive for knowledge and builds critical skills to accelerate your career. Our humanities-based curriculum includes courses that explore: ethical reasoning, civic engagement, creative thinking and experience, global awareness, environmental stewardship, human experience, communications competence, reasoning in natural science and reasoning in mathematical science.

Program Details

An Associate’s degree gives you a forward-looking education in classical liberal arts and sciences, while introducing you to the creative and critical thinking skills you need to advance professionally and personally. View the core requirements and electives needed to earn an Associate of Arts from Columbia College.

Associate degree programs offer a focused exploration of general education subjects and can typically be completed in two years. Graduates are prepared to either shape their path in the workforce or advance to a bachelor's program.

Bachelor's degree programs provide transformative study in a specific subject area to prepare you for new and leading-edge career opportunities. 

  • Effective communication strategies 
  • Ethical decision making 
  • Environmental stewardship 
  • Mathematical and scientific thinking

Careers & Outcomes 

To earn this two-year degree, students must demonstrate that they have the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in the 21st century. They also demonstrate that they have the self-discipline and organizational skills necessary to achieve their career goals. 

Having a liberal arts degree is beneficial to employment in many industries, from education to hospitality to business. It also prepares you for continued education, such as a bachelor’s degree.

Where You Can Take Classes

At Columbia College, our flexible options make it easy to adapt to changing circumstances and pursue your education wherever life takes you. Many of our degrees are offered 100% online. If you prefer a traditional classroom experience, you can attend selected classes at our nationwide locations or at our main campus in Columbia, Missouri. Students at all locations will engage with multiple learning methods, including online and virtual while completing their degree.

Online Programs

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut D.C. Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Classes Available In Seat

Day Campus - Columbia, MO Denver - CO Evening - Columbia, MO Fort Leonard Wood - MO Lake of the Ozarks - MO Marysville - WA NAS Jacksonville - FL NAS Whidbey Island - WA NASJRB Fort Worth - TX Redstone Arsenal - AL

because a future built by you is a future built for you.

Too many people have been made to feel that higher education isn’t a place for them— that it is someone else’s dream. But we change all that. With individualized attention and ongoing support, we help you write a new story for the future where you play the starring role.