Associate in Arts, Emphasis in American Indian Studies
The Associate in Arts (AA), Emphasis in American Indian Studies provides a multi-disciplinary academic approach to studying Indigenous Peoples, their cultures, struggles, and maintaining sovereignty and self-determination. This degree empowers students to effectively work in urban and rural environments, and government agencies, and help Native Nations. Coursework focuses on historic relations with non-Indian societies, the development of federal Indian law, tribal governments, treaty rights, environmental issues, public policy, economic development, cultural preservation, and contemporary social issues. This degree provides students with the foundational coursework needed to transfer to a four-year institution to earn a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in the field.
Details
Field of Interest
Culture and Society
Degree Type
Associate in Arts (AA)
Academic Plan
Associate in Arts, Emphasis in American Indian Studies (DEG)
Academic Plan Code
8126
Total credits required
60-64
Catalog Year
2025-2026
Effective Term
Fall 2025
Notes
Students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses within the program.
Federal Indian policy stipulates tribal preference in hiring, which should be considered in seeking employment with tribal nations and selected federal agencies. Seek advice of the tribal agency for available employment opportunities.
This emphasis is intended to align with the degree requirements for the following transfer partners:
ASU (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences), American Indian Studies, BS
Refer to the MCCCD University Transfer Partner website for more information: ASU .
Students at any Maricopa Community College may need to complete courses at more than one of our colleges.
What You'll Learn
- Analyze tribal, federal, state, and municipal governmental policy and legal interactions related to inherent sovereignty.
- Collaborate effectively to identify and examine issues at the tribal, state, and national levels that affect the holistic well-being of Indigenous Peoples.
- Examine the Indigenous concept of interconnectedness with respect to the Sacred, which is holistically and organically inclusive of culture, homeland, worldview, identity, nature, and sustainability.
- Analyze the various ways in which Indigenous Peoples identify and organize themselves in relation to pre- and post-colonial contact.
- Analyze the impacts of sovereign powers at the tribal, state, and federal levels in relation to the international governmental forum.
- Examine the laws, codes, and statutes at the tribal, federal, and state levels.
- Examine the impact of political diversity and historic, socio-economic, contemporary, and cultural contexts on Indigenous Peoples and their respective cultures.
- Perform academic research and writing in accordance with ethical standards and scholarly practices.
- Effectively communicate orally, visually, digitally, and in writing in a manner that demonstrates cross-cultural empathy, self-awareness, open mindedness, and responsiveness.
- Illustrate the ways in which the influences of past and current social and political institutions promote inequalities, privileges, stereotypes, mistrust, and biases that continue to extrinsically shape the identity of Indigenous Peoples.
- Value Indigenous knowledge as it relates to multi-generational cultural education, including elderhood, oral traditions, and aesthetics.
- Examine the endangerment of Indigenous language extinction and the acceleration of Indigenous culture loss as well as the efforts to revitalize and restore them.
- Apply relevant knowledge, skills, and habits of mind to seek career opportunities in the field.
| AGEC-A | Credits: 41-44 | |
|
A single course with an [L], [HU], [SB], [SG], or [SQ] designation may also be used to satisfy the Oral Communication, Critical Reading, and/or Awareness Area ([C], [G] and/or [H]) requirement(s). See the AGEC matrix on aztransfer.com for course designations. |
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| First-Year Composition [FYC] | Credits: 6 | |
| ENG101 | First-Year Composition (3) OR | |
| ENG107 | First-Year Composition for ESL (3) AND | |
| ENG102 | First-Year Composition (3) OR | |
| ENG108 | First-Year Composition for ESL (3) | 6 |
| Literacy and Critical Inquiry [L] | Credits: 3 | |
| Any approved general education course in the Literacy and Critical Inquiry [L] area. | 3 | |
| Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: | ||
| AIS213/REL203 | American Indian Religions | 3 |
| Mathematics [MA] | Credits: 3-6 | |
| MAT140 | College Mathematics (5) OR | |
| MAT141 | College Mathematics (4) OR | |
| MAT142 | College Mathematics (3) OR | |
| MAT145 | College Mathematics with Review (5) OR | |
| MAT146 | College Mathematics with Review (6) OR | |
| Higher approved general education course in the Mathematical Applications [MA] area (3-6) | 3-6 | |
| Computer/Statistics/Quantitative Applications [CS] | Credits: 3 | |
| BPC110 | Computer Usage and Applications (3) OR | |
| CIS105 | Survey of Computer Information Systems (3) | 3 |
| Humanities, Arts and Design [HU] | Credits: 6 | |
| Any approved general education courses in the Humanities, Arts and Design [HU] area. | 6 | |
| Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: | ||
| AIS213/REL203 | American Indian Religions 3 or ENH259 American Indian Literature | 3 |
| Social-Behavioral Sciences [SB] | Credits: 6 | |
| Any approved general education courses in the Social-Behavioral Sciences [SB] area. | 6 | |
| Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: | ||
| AIS101 | Survey of American Indian Issues 3 or AIS/HIS140 American Indian History 3 or AIS/SOC141 Sovereign Indian Nations | 3 |
| Natural Sciences [SG]/[SQ] | Credits: 8 | |
| Any approved general education course in the Natural Sciences (Quantitative) [SQ] area (4) AND | ||
| Any approved general education course in the Natural Sciences (Quantitative) [SQ] area or the Natural Sciences (General) [SG] area (4) | 8 | |
| Cultural Diversity in the US [C] | Credits: 3 | |
| AIS/SOC105 | Introduction to American Indian Studies | 3 |
| Historical/Global Awareness [H]/[G] | Credits: 3 | |
| AIS/SOC160 | American Indian Law | 3 |
| MCCCD Additional Requirements | ||
| MCCCD Additional Requirements | Credits: 0-6 | |
| Some courses in this area have [SB] and [L] designations and may also be applied to the corresponding AGEC requirements. See the AGEC matrix on aztransfer.com for course designations. | ||
| Oral Communication | Credits: 0-3 | |
| COM100 | Introduction to Human Communication (3) OR | |
| COM110 | Interpersonal Communication (3) OR | |
| COM225 | Public Speaking (3) OR | |
| COM230 | Small Group Communication (3) | 0-3 |
| Critical Reading | Credits: 0-3 | |
| CRE101 | College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking (3) OR | |
| Equivalent as indicated by assessment (0) | 0-3 | |
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Credits: | ||
| Select additional courses 100-level or higher to complete a minimum of 60 semester credits but no more than a total of 64 semester credits. Consult with a faculty advisor, program director, and/or academic advisor to identify coursework that best aligns with academic and professional goals. | ||
| Recommended: | ||
| CPD103BE | Native American Cultural Pride and Awareness | 2 |
| NAV101 | Elementary Navajo I | 4 |
| NAV102 | Elementary Navajo II | 4 |
| PIM115 | Beginning Pima Conversation I | 3 |
| PIM116 | Beginning Pima Conversation II | 3 |
| YAQ100 | Yaqui Indian History and Culture | 3 |
| YAQ110 | Yaqui Language and Culture | 3 |
| For students intending to earn an Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies, selecting a total of three (3) credits from the following list (except those used to satisfy other areas) is recommended: | ||
| AIS+++ Any AIS American Indian Studies course | 1-3 | |
| ARH145 | History of American Indian Art | 3 |
| CCS101 | Chicana and Chicano Studies | 3 |
| ENH259 | American Indian Literature | 3 |
| GCU221 | Arizona Geography | 3 |
| HIS+++ Any HIS History course | 3 | |
| NAV+++ Any NAV Navajo course | 1-3 | |
| SPH245 | Hispanic Heritage in the Southwest | 3 |
At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, we encourage you to meet with an advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.
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