The Associate in Arts degree in Music in Transfer (AAT) at Los Medanos College offers students the opportunity to acquire the basic skills and music education needed as preparation for careers in music and further study to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree in music. The AAT Arts degree in Music meets lower division standards and requirements for transfer to a CSU and various other colleges, universities and music conservatories that offer the Bachelor of Arts degree in music. This program is designed for students who plan to complete a bachelor’s degree in a similar major at a CSU campus. Students completing this degree are guaranteed admission to the CSU system, but not a particular campus or major. Please refer to the LMC catalog for more details regarding this admission guarantee.  

The Associate in Arts in Music for Transfer at Los Medanos College prepares students to transfer into a curriculum at a 4 year institution to pursue a baccalaureate degree in Music.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Understand and be able to apply the fundamentals of music theory, aural, and have a working knowledge of harmonic progression, musical forms and structures.

2. Have knowledge and understanding of the historical development of music, its historical periods, genres, instrumentation and composers, within their cultural context.

3.Have practical knowledge of performance practice in their particular ensemble performing styles.

4. Have proficiency of solo repertoire and technical studies in their major instrumental or vocal area of study.

5. Be competent with music technology in its various forms for composition, teaching, and professional pursuits.

6. Be able to work independently on varieties of musical problems by combining their capabilities in performance, aural, verbal and visual analysis, composition, repertoire, knowledge, and music history.

7.  Have writing skills with the ability to independently utilize research tools and resources (library, internet, etc.

The Associate in Arts in Journalism for Transfer prepares students to practice and champion freedom of the press on their journey to a four-year degree at a California State University. They will learn to gather, interpret, report, edit and present news and information with skill, responsibility, ethics, courage and social consciousness in an evolving media world. Career options for this field of study include reporter, columnist, copy editor, photojournalist, videographer, news designer, editor for the print, broadcast and online news and information media; public information officer; advertising copywriter; public relations professional.

The Journalism AA-T requires 18 units of lower division work in Journalism and supporting electives, in addition to the California State University General Education transfer package of coursework (CSU GE Breadth or IGETC). Major preparation includes courses in Mass Communication, Writing for the Media, Media Production and Photojournalism. Electives supporting the major may be selected from a list of options that includes courses in anthropology, art, economics, English, math, philosophy, political science, sociology and speech (see accompanying requirements listing).

Students completing an AA-T are guaranteed admission to the CSU system, but not to a particular campus or major. To earn the degree, students must complete a minimum of 60 required semester units of CSU-transferable coursework with a minimum GPA of 2.0. In addition, students must complete each course used to meet a major requirement with a “C” grade or higher; a “P” (Pass) grade is not an acceptable grade for courses in the major. Students transferring to a CSU campus that accepts the degree will be required to complete no more than 60 units after transfer to earn a bachelor’s degree.

This degree may not be the best option for students intending to transfer to a university or college that is not part of the CSU system, or those students who do not intend to transfer.  Students who plan to transfer to a UC, a private college or university, or an out-of-state institution should consult with an academic counselor about the best lower-division preparation for them. Students who plan to look for an entry-level job in journalism or a related field right after earning their degree from LMC should instead complete the regular A.A. in Journalism.

Students interested in a more traditional degree in Communication Studies with an emphasis in journalism should also review the Los Medanos College AA-T in Communication Studies.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Be academically prepared to transfer to a journalism program at a four-year university or to obtain an entry-level job in journalism or a related field.

2. Demonstrate the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary for careers in journalism and related fields.

3. Possess a portfolio of published work suitable for internship/job applications and interviews.

This two-year degree program of study leads to transfer to a four-year college where students can continue their education and pursue an Ethnic Studies major, which includes comparative Ethnic Studies, Latinx Studies, Chicanx Studies, Black/African American Studies, Asian American and Asian Pacific Islander Studies, and Indigenous/Native American Studies. As a discipline, Ethnic Studies provides pedagogical, intellectual, and social benefits through its curriculum and community and student-centered approach to scholarship. Ethnic Studies empowers students as holders and creators of knowledge. When they enter the classroom spaces, they are students, leaders, and educators. Ethnic Studies affirms community cultural wealth, decolonizes racist systemic practices, and provides a space for healing, transformative and anti-racist education, and community building. Ethnic Studies creates bridges across racial differences while celebrating diversity.

An Associate of Arts Degree in Ethnic Studies offers a transdisciplinary approach to the study of racialized communities, which includes Black/African American, Latinx/Chicanx, Asian American and Asian Pacific Islander, and Indigenous/Native American communities. The transdisciplinary approach incorporates theories of race and ethnicity as it challenges dominant normative stories that can be found in identity politics, culture, art, literature, politics, history, and local and global society. The program provides practical training for careers in education, politics, social work, counseling and psychology, nonprofit work, the fine arts, and many related fields that rely on the ability to work with a culturally diverse population. The degree requires a minimum of 18 units lower division work in Ethnic Studies and is combined with the California State General Education Pattern to prepare students to take upper division courses at a California State University.

Ethnic Studies operates from the understanding that race and racism continue to have profound powerful social and cultural forces in American society. It resists all forms of colonialism and resists the systemic manifestations through its very existence in academia. Students who earn an Associate in Arts Degree in Ethnic Studies will be educated politically, socially, and economically and will use this knowledge to enact social justice, encourage social responsibility, and create social change in any area of work that they enter. The degree requires a minimum of 18 units lower division work in Ethnic Studies and related disciplines combined with the California State General Education Pattern to prepare students to take upper division courses at a California State University.

Courses in the Ethnic Studies degree will center the epistemic knowledge and pedagogies of Black/African Americans, Asian Americans and Asian Pacific Islander, Chicanx and Latinx, and Indigenous/Native American peoples of the United States. The methodological framing emphasizes structural dimensions of race and racism and associated cultural dimensions.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Analyze and articulate racial topics, such as racism, racialization, ethnicity, equity, ethno-centrism, eurocentrism, white supremacy, self-determination, liberation, decolonialization, etc.

2. Apply theory and knowledge produced by Native Americans/Indigenous, African Americans, Asian Americans and Asian Pacific Islanders, and Chicanx/Latinx communities to describe critical events, histories, cultures, intellectual traditions, contributions, lived experiences, and social struggles of those groups with a particular emphasis on agency and group affirmation.

3. Critically analyze intersections of race and racism as they relate to class, gender, sexuality, religion, spirituality, national origin, immigration status, ability, tribal citizenship, sovereignty language, age, and ability.

4. Critically review how struggle, resistance, racial and social justice, solidarity, and liberation as experienced and enacted by Native Americans/Indigenous, African Americans, Asian Americans and Asian Pacific Islanders, and Chicanx/Latinx communities are relevant to current and structural issues such as communal, national, international, and transnational politics, that could include topics such as immigration, reparations, language politics, etc.

5. Describe and actively engage with anti-racist and anti-colonial issues and the practices and movements in Native Americans/Indigenous, African Americans, Asian Americans and Asian Pacific Islanders, and Chicanx/Latinx communities as they work toward a just and equitable society.

LMC is in a unique position to offer an outstanding, up-to-date curriculum that has been designed by industry for industry. No other college in this area provides similar education and training needed to obtain these high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand jobs. The ETEC program enables students to graduate with a certificate of achievement in four semesters (two years). There are two areas of specialization: electrical technician or instrumentation technician. The electrical technician specialization is designed to train electricians to maintain complex electrical automation systems used in the manufacturing and power generation industry. The instrumentation technician specialization is designed to train instrument technicians to maintain the process measurement and control systems used in refineries, chemical plants, biotech plants, pharmaceutical plants, and water and waste treatment plants.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Gain entry-level or mid-level employment in the electrical or instrumentation field.

2. Troubleshoot, analyze, operate, repair, and install electrical systems equipment

3. Communicate the technical status of equipment in writing and verbally; be able to work and communicate with teams.

4. Safely use electrical or instrumentation test equipment.

5. Demonstrate the operational concepts of equipment and technology used in the electrical or instrumentation field.

6. Demonstrate the skills and knowledge necessary to take and pass certification exams for career advancement in electrical or instrumentation fields.
 

LMC is in a unique position to offer an outstanding, up-to-date curriculum that has been designed by industry for industry. No other college in this area provides similar education and training needed to obtain these high-skill, high-wage and high-demand jobs. The ETEC program enables students to graduate with a certificate of achievement in four semesters (two years). There are two areas of specialization: electrical technician or instrumentation technician. The electrical technician specialization is designed to train electricians to maintain complex electrical automation systems used in the manufacturing and power generation industry. The instrumentation technician specialization is designed to train instrument technicians to maintain the process measurement and control systems used in refineries, chemical plants, biotech plants, pharmaceutical plants, water and waste treatment plants.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Gain entry-level or mid-level employment in the electrical or instrumentation field.

2 Troubleshoot, analyze, operate, repair, and install electrical systems equipment.

3. Communicate the technical status of equipment in writing and verbally; be able to work and communicate with teams.

4. Safely use electrical or instrumentation test equipment.

5. Demonstrate the operational concepts of equipment and technology used in the electrical or instrumentation field.

6. Demonstrate the skills and knowledge necessary to take and pass certification exams for career advancement in electrical or instrumentation fields

The Associate in Science in Agriculture Plant Science for Transfer (A.S.-T in Agriculture Plant Science) is intended for students who plan to transfer and complete a bachelor’s degree in agriculture or a similar major at a CSU campus (similar majors at CSU Monterey Bay, CSU Chico, CSU Cal Poly Pomona, and CSU Stanislaus). The horticulture program prepares students for entry level management jobs and self-employment in diverse horticulture businesses, as well as prepares students to transfer to the CSU to pursue baccalaureate degrees in agriculture, agriculture and environmental plant sciences, agricultural education, and sustainable agriculture. Students will demonstrate knowledge of basic plant science, soil and soil testing, integrated pest management, evaluating the cost of production using different production techniques, and developing crop production plans for various crops. Careers related to this field include ornamental and edible crop production and landscape horticulture. The program also provides a foundation for students in ornamental horticulture and landscape architecture, and affords local horticulturists and working professionals the means to upgrade their skills and knowledge. Opportunities to obtain valuable experience are provided in the greenhouse/farm facility and by working to enhance campus landscapes.

Program Learning Outcomes

✔ Analyze a soil test and pest management plan to produce a common crop in Santa Cruz County.

✔ Evaluate production techniques to achieve a cost-effective crop.

The Associate of Science in Agriculture Business for Transfer (A.S.-T in Agriculture Business) is intended for students who plan to complete a bachelor's degree in a similar major at a CSU campus. The degree provides students with a study of key agribusiness concepts. Students start their business training in computer applications, communications, and economics courses to prepare for careers in agriculture such as farm management, logistics, marketing of agricultural products, sales, and services. Agriculture business majors will be able to apply the concepts, principles, and terminology of business, including management, finance, and marketing, to real-world issues and opportunities in the agricultural and life sciences industries. Students study at Cabrillo College’s state-of-the-art Horticulture and Agriculture Technology Center with coursework that includes hands-on experience in the center, field trips, and internship opportunities. The horticulture program introduces students to agribusiness, agriculture technology, and horticulture companies in the Pajaro, Salinas, and Silicon Valleys that are leading agricultural producers, both locally and globally.

Program Learning Outcomes

✔ Create and analyze reports, presentations, and other financial documents used in making agricultural business management decisions.

✔ Apply the concepts, principles, and terminology of business, including management, finance, and economics, to real-world issues in the agricultural and life sciences industries.

The Associate in Arts in History for Transfer (A.A.-T in History) is intended for students who plan to transfer and complete a bachelor’s degree in history or a similar major at a CSU campus. History classes at Cabrillo investigate change over time, providing deeper knowledge of historical events. The entire history program emphasizes multiculturalism, ethnic diversity, and gender dynamics. History students develop a wide range of skills including: critical reading, analytical writing, global citizenship, personal responsibility, and verbal communication. This provides preparation for careers in teaching, law, business, communications, journalism, librarianship, archival and research work, public administration, web content development, and a wide variety of public service and government careers.

Program Learning Outcomes

✔ Write analytical essays arguing a thesis about causality, context, and the significance of change over time, using appropriate historical evidence, and showing awareness of counter-arguments to the thesis.

✔ Synthesize and address major events, ideas, and transformations in religious, social, cultural, political, economic, and diplomatic history.

✔ Critically analyze primary historical sources and scholarly research to investigate specific events or issues in history.

✔ Evaluate historical myths, cliches, and/or prejudices, including those about race, class, gender, and hegemonic power.

The Associate in Science in Sustainability and Environmental Studies empowers students to be active change-makers to address the challenges of a changing climate, social injustice, and weakened habitats, which are all related. Sustainable responses are necessary to allow continuing health and well-being for all on the planet. Therefore, this degree requires studying a number of different topics and seeing the world from diverse viewpoints including; Earth, environmental, biological and social sciences, social justice, and Indigenous mindsets. Collaborative projects for community equity and sustainability are included in the program. Teamwork and applying knowledge gained from these environmental studies topics lay the foundation for active change agents to widen views and create personal and community resilience.

Program Learning Outcomes

✔ Identify and analyze the complex challenges related to sustainability from various human and non-human perspectives, drawing on diverse ways of knowing.

✔ Envision, design, and implement solutions that attend to interactions of affected systems to create more socially just and sustainable practices, education, laws, and/or policies.

✔ Cultivate appreciative relationships with place and the natural world including people to create personal and community resilience.

Students may obtain the Associate of Science in Pharmacy Technician by successfully completing the courses in the major program and general education requirements. The Pharmacy Technician Program starts in the fall semester each year. The curriculum is designed to prepare students to work under the direct supervision of a pharmacist in hospitals, community-based pharmacies, and other institutional settings.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

🗸 Perform the administrative and clinical skills necessary for entry-level employment as a pharmacy technician in a hospital, retail pharmacy, or other institutional setting.
🗸 Provide professional customer service to patients and clients in a pharmacy setting.
🗸 Prepare for licensing as a Pharmacy Technician to the California State Board of Pharmacy.
🗸 Prepare for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board National examination.