Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Law and Policy

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Course Sequence by Term

The following is the suggested course sequence by term. Please keep in mind:

  • Students should meet with an academic advisor to develop an individual education plan that meets their academic and career goals. Use the Pathway Planner tool in your Student Center to manage your plan.
  • The course sequence is laid out by suggested term and may be affected when students enter the program at different times of the year.
  • Initial course placement is determined by current district placement measures and/or completion of 100-200 level course and/or program requirements.
  • Degree and transfer seeking students may be required to successfully complete a MCCCD First Year Experience Course (FYE) within the first two semesters at a MCCCD College. Courses include FYE101 and FYE103. Course offerings will vary by college. See an academic, program, or faculty advisor for details.

Full-time Sequence

Full-time status is 12 credits to 18 credits per semester.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Awareness Areas
  • In addition to the requirements identified in the sequence below, students must complete the following awareness areas if not otherwise met by other program requirements:
    • Cultural [C] and
    • Global [G] or Historical [H]
  • Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Note: Because you are viewing this pathway map on a mobile device, some columns below have been hidden. To view all columns, please rotate your device or view this page on a device with a larger screen.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
POS110 American National Government Critical course Gateway course SB 3
MAT15+ College Algebra/Functions OR Higher course in the Mathematical Applications [MA] area MA 3–6
ENG101 or
ENG107		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL Critical course FYC 3
CS Computer/Statistics/Quantitative Application BPC110 or CIS105 required for students taking certain LAS and PAR course options. CS 3
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 101 Level or elective If proficient at this level, see your program advisor to select an elective. 3–5
FYE101 or
FYE103		 Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success or Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success 1–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
PAD100 or
POS120 or
POS140 or
POS210 or
POS285		 21st Century Public Policy and Service or International Relations or Comparative Government or Political Ideologies or Political Issues and Public Policy Take 2 courses from the following Policy Focus Courses: POS120 or POS140 or POS210 or PAD100 or POS285. Students may select PAD100 or POS285 but not both. G, SB or SB 3
ENG102 or
ENG108		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL Critical course FYC 3
COM100 or
COM110 or
COM225 or
COM230		 Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Public Speaking or Small Group Communication COM225 recommended SB or L 0–3
L Literacy & Critical Inquiry Critical course L 3
CRE101 College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking Critical course OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment L 0–3
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 102 Level If proficient at this level, see your program advisor to select an elective. 3–5

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
PAD100 or
POS120 or
POS140 or
POS210 or
POS285		 21st Century Public Policy and Service or International Relations or Comparative Government or Political Ideologies or Political Issues and Public Policy Take 2 courses from the following Policy Focus Courses: POS120 or POS140 or POS210 or PAD100 or POS285. Students may select PAD100 or POS285 but not both. G, SB or SB 3
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design Recommend AJS123 HU 3
SQ Natural Sciences Quantitative Recommend FOR105 OR FOR106 SQ 4
Law Focus Elective Law Focus Elective 3
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 201 Level If proficient at this level, see your program advisor to select an elective. 3–5

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
RE Restricted Elective 3
RE Restricted Elective 0–3
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design HU 3
SQ or
SG		 Natural Sciences Quantitative or Natural Sciences General Recommend FOR105 OR FOR106 SQ or SG 4
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 202 Level If proficient at this level, see your program advisor to select an elective. 3–5

Law Focus Electives: 

Select one course from the following for a total of 3 credits.
Note: LAS109 is available at Phoenix College as part of their Paralegal Studies program. Students accepted into this program may use this course to satisfy this requirement.

A list of additional, alternative, or supplemental courses for this pathway map
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
AJS101 Introduction to Criminal Justice SB 3
AJS109 Substantive Criminal Law 3
AJS201 Rules of Evidence 3
AJS210 Constitutional Law 3
AJS212 Juvenile Justice Procedures 3
AJS230 The Police Function 3
AJS260 Procedural Criminal Law 3
LAS109 Civil Procedures I 3
PAR101 Introduction to the Paralegal Profession 3
PAR102 Paralegal Research, Analysis, and Writing I 3
PAR112 Civil Litigation I 3
POS223 Civil Rights and Liberties C, SB 3

Part-time Sequence

Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Awareness Areas
  • In addition to the requirements identified in the sequence below, students must complete the following awareness areas if not otherwise met by other program requirements:
    • Cultural [C] and
    • Global [G] or Historical [H]
  • Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Note: Because you are viewing this pathway map on a mobile device, some columns below have been hidden. To view all columns, please rotate your device or view this page on a device with a larger screen.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
POS110 American National Government Critical course Gateway course SB 3
ENG101 or
ENG107		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL Critical course FYC 3
FYE101 or
FYE103		 Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success or Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success 1–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
PAD100 or
POS120 or
POS140 or
POS210 or
POS285		 21st Century Public Policy and Service or International Relations or Comparative Government or Political Ideologies or Political Issues and Public Policy Take 2 courses from the following Policy Focus Courses: POS120 or POS140 or POS210 or PAD100 or POS285. Students may select PAD100 or POS285 but not both. G, SB or SB 3
ENG102 or
ENG108		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL Critical course FYC 3
CRE101 College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking Critical course OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment L 0–3

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
MAT15+ College Algebra/Functions OR Higher course in the Mathematical Applications [MA] area MA 3–6
PAD100 or
POS120 or
POS140 or
POS210 or
POS285		 21st Century Public Policy and Service or International Relations or Comparative Government or Political Ideologies or Political Issues and Public Policy Take 2 courses from the following Policy Focus Courses: POS120 or POS140 or POS210 or PAD100 or POS285. Students may select PAD100 or POS285 but not both. G, SB or SB 3

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
CS Computer/Statistics/Quantitative Application BPC110 or CIS105 required for students taking certain LAS and PAR course options. CS 3
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 101 Level or elective If proficient at this level, see your program advisor to select an elective. 3–5
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design Recommend AJS123 HU 3

Term 5

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 5
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
COM100 or
COM110 or
COM225 or
COM230		 Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Public Speaking or Small Group Communication COM225 recommended SB or L 0–3
L Literacy & Critical Inquiry Critical course L 3
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 102 Level If proficient at this level, see your program advisor to select an elective. 3–5

Term 6

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 6
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
Law Focus Elective Law Focus Elective 3
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 201 Level If proficient at this level, see your program advisor to select an elective. 3–5

Term 7

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 7
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
RE Restricted Elective 3
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 202 Level If proficient at this level, see your program advisor to select an elective. 3–5

Term 8

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 8
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
SQ Natural Sciences Quantitative Recommend FOR105 OR FOR106 SQ 4
RE Restricted Elective 0–3

Term 9

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 9
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design HU 3
SQ or
SG		 Natural Sciences Quantitative or Natural Sciences General Recommend FOR105 OR FOR106 SQ or SG 4

Law Focus Electives: 

Select one course from the following for a total of 3 credits.
Note: LAS109 is available at Phoenix College as part of their Paralegal Studies program. Students accepted into this program may use this course to satisfy this requirement.

A list of additional, alternative, or supplemental courses for this pathway map
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
AJS101 Introduction to Criminal Justice SB 3
AJS109 Substantive Criminal Law 3
AJS201 Rules of Evidence 3
AJS210 Constitutional Law 3
AJS212 Juvenile Justice Procedures 3
AJS230 The Police Function 3
AJS260 Procedural Criminal Law 3
LAS109 Civil Procedures I 3
PAR101 Introduction to the Paralegal Profession 3
PAR102 Paralegal Research, Analysis, and Writing I 3
PAR112 Civil Litigation I 3
POS223 Civil Rights and Liberties C, SB 3

Course Area Key

Gateway Course = Generally the first major-specific course in a pathway.

Critical Course = A course that is highly predictive of future success in a pathway.

  • C = Cultural Diversity in the US
  • CS = Computer/Statistics/Quantitative Application
  • FYC = First Year Composition
  • G = Global Awareness
  • HU = Humanities, Fine Arts, and Design
  • L = Literacy & Critical Inquiry
  • MA = Mathematics
  • SB = Social-Behavioral Sciences
  • SG = Natural Sciences General
  • SQ = Natural Sciences Quantitative