Interdisciplinary Studies: Arts & Humanities (AA)
Program Overview:
Life Doesn't Fit in One Subject, and Neither Should You!
Spend your days at the The Broad in Downtown L.A. talking with visitors about the latest contemporary art exhibit by Yayoi Kusama. Teach your preschool students to use their imagination to create a watercolor masterpiece. Write heart-tugging content for a campaign to help raise money for children needing dental care. A degree in interdisciplinary studies can help you explore different subject areas to find an area of study most interesting to you.
Today, flexibility in the workforce is a necessity. Open the door to careers and occupations in new and emerging fields by learning to collaborate with peers in emphasis areas other than your own. You’ll focus on multiple subjects to blend ideas from different disciplines and gain transferable skills like critical thinking, creative problem solving, time management, and communication. Your possibilities are as open as what you can imagine yourself doing.
Careers in Interdisciplinary Studies
Explore different subject areas within arts and humanities with a degree in interdisciplinary studies. With the flexibility to concentrate in areas you are interested in both personally and professionally, you’ll be able to choose a career path that best fits your goals.
Here are some careers and their salaries you could have with an Interdisciplinary Studies Arts & Humanities degree:
Career information below taken from bls.gov February 2020. Go to bls.gov for most current career information.
Restore, maintain, or prepare objects in museum collections for storage, research, or exhibit. May work with specimens such as fossils, skeletal parts, or botanicals; or artifacts, textiles, or art. May identify and record objects or install and arrange them in exhibits. Includes book or document conservators.
Data for Los Angeles/Long Beach/Anaheim
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
| Some college | $50,550/year | $24.30/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| None needed | 11% increase (much faster than average) |
820 |
Express ideas and portray characters in theater, film, television, and other performing arts media.
National data
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
| High school diploma or equivalent | $36,480/year | $17.54/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| None needed | 1% increase (little or no change) |
64,500 |
Operate machines and equipment to record, synchronize, mix, or reproduce music, voices, or sound effects in sporting arenas, theater productions, recording studios, or movie and video productions.
National data
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
| Some college | $63,500/year | $30.53/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| None needed | 6% increase (as fast as average) |
13,510 |
Work in a fine or commercial art studio, or a private studio in your own home to create art for sale and exhibition using a variety of materials and techniques.
Data for Los Angeles/Long Beach/Anaheim
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
| Associate Degree | $78,010/year | $37.51/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| None needed | 15% increase (much faster than average) |
1,430 |
Design and create websites using your background and knowledge of art.
Data for Los Angeles/Long Beach/Anaheim
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
| Associate Degree | $78,200/year | $37.59/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| None needed | 12% increase (much faster than average) |
7,110 |
What You’ll Learn at LASC with Interdisciplinary Studies in Arts and Humanities
You can get Associate in Arts (AA) and Associate in Arts for Transfer (AAT) degrees through LASC’s Interdisciplinary Studies Arts and Humanities program where you will learn to identify art and music, hone your writing and acting skills to build your portfolio, and establish real-world connections to launch a career in your field of choice:
- Learn effective ways to share your ideas and thoughts with students of different educational backgrounds to improve your communication skills not only with children but adults, too.
- Develop a greater understanding of disciplines within the arts and humanities by learning to interpret how people in various cultures throughout the ages have responded to the world around them through artistic expression. Study works of art through theory, terminology, themes, design principles, media, techniques and visual arts.
- Gain invaluable experience working with LASC’s Theater Program, where you’ll join forces with like-minded people to tackle projects that confront injustice, inequality, and racism. You’ll help write, direct, stage, and produce in a rigorous and creative atmosphere. Or, polish your writing and add your stories, poems, and essays to your portfolio by contributing to LASC’s student literary journal, The Truth, an online publication of creative writing designed to celebrate the literature and poetry of LASC.
- LASC provides internships so you can build your career connections and create community ties for after you graduate.
- Want to transfer? Get an Associate in Arts for Transfer (AAT) degree in Interdisciplinary Studies: Arts & Humanities, and graduate with guaranteed admission into a CSU and some UCs! Save money on your first two years of college learning from innovative, dedicated faculty.
Degrees & Courses You Will Take
Review LASC’s Associate in Arts (AA) and Associate in Arts for Transfer (AAT) in Interdisciplinary Studies: Arts & Humanities degrees below, along with our suggested course of study for these programs. Go to LASC’s current Course Catalog for specific course information:
Major Code: 4903.11
Total Units Required: 60
Upon successfully completing this program, you should be able to:
- Identify art, music, and literature from pre-history to the early modern world.
- Compare and contrast various presentation styles in art, music, and theater.
| Required Courses: | Units |
|---|---|
| HUMAN 1 Cultural Patterns of Western Civilization | 3 |
| COMM 101 Oral Communication I | 3 |
| COMM 102 Oral Communication II | 3 |
| ENGLISH 102 College Reading and Composition II | 3 |
| THEATER 100 Introduction to Theater | 3 |
| Recommended Electives | |
| ENGLISH 101 College Reading and Composition | 3 |
| COMM 130 Introduction to Oral Interpretation of Literature | 3 |
| Required Courses | |
| ART 101 Survey of Art History I | 3 |
| OR | |
| ART 103 Art Appreciation I | 3 |
| MUSIC 101 Fundamentals of Music | 3 |
| OR | |
| MUSIC 111 Music Appreciation I | 3 |
| HUMAN 1 Cultural Patterns of Western Civilization | 3 |
| THEATER 110 History of the World Theater | 3 |
| THEATER 270 Beginning Acting | 3 |
| Select 9 additional units | |
| ASL 1 American Sign Language I | 3 |
| ASL 2 American Sign Language II | 3 |
| ASL 3 American Sign Language | 3 |
| ART 101 Survey of Art History I | 3 |
| ART 102 Survey of Art History II | 3 |
| ART 103 Art Appreciation I | 3 |
| ART 104 Art Appreciation II | 3 |
| ART 201 Drawing I | 3 |
| ART 300 Introduction to Painting | 3 |
| ART 501 Beginning Two-Dimensional Design | 3 |
| ENGLISH 127 Creative Writing | 3 |
| ENGLISH 211 Fiction | 3 |
| ENGLISH 212 Poetry | 3 |
| ENGLISH 213 Dramatic Literature | 3 |
| ENGLISH 218 Children’s Literature | 3 |
| ENGLISH 234 African-American Literature I | 3 |
| ENGLISH 239 Women in Literature | 3 |
| FRENCH 1 Elementary French I | 3 |
| FRENCH 2 Elementary French II | 3 |
| HUMAN 1 Cultural Patterns of Western Civilization | 3 |
| HUMAN 2 Studies in Selected Cultures | 3 |
| HUMAN 6 Great People, Great Ages | 3 |
| HUMAN 31 People in Contemporary Society | 3 |
| MUSIC 101 Fundamentals of Music | 3 |
| MUSIC 111 Music Appreciation I | 3 |
| PHILOS 1 Introduction to Philosophy I | 3 |
| SPANISH 1 Elementary Spanish I | 3 |
| SPANISH 2 Elementary Spanish II | 3 |
| SPANISH 3 Intermediate Spanish I | 3 |
| SPANISH 4 Intermediate Spanish II | 3 |
| THEATER 100 Introduction to Theater | 3 |
| THEATER 110 History of the World Theater | 3 |
| THEATER 233 Play Production | 3 |
| THEATER 240 Voice and Articulation for Theater | 3 |
| THEATER 270 Beginning Acting | 3 |
| THEATER 271 Intermediate Acting | 3 |
| THEATER 300 Introduction to Stage Craft | 3 |
| TOTAL UNITS | 18 |
If you are planning to transfer to a CSU or UC, then an Associate in Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies is for you! You can complete an Associate in Arts in for Transfer Degree (ADT) in Interdisciplinary Studies if you are planning to transfer to a CSU Arts or Humanities bachelor’s programs, and by successfully completing this degree, you are guaranteed admission to a CSU upon completion of this program!
The Transfer Degree is designed to provide you with the ability to identify art, music, and literature from pre-history to the early modern world. You’ll also be able to compare and contrast various presentation styles in art, music, and theater.
The Associate in Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies for Transfer Degree requirements include:
- completion of 60 CSU transferable units, including the minimum 18 units in the major and the completion of either IGETC or CSU GE;
- a minimum GPA of 2.0.
If you are interested in completing an Associate Degree for Transfer, you must:
- Complete 60 semester units of 90-quarter units that are eligible for transfer to the California State University, including both of the following: *
- The Intersegmental General Education Transfer curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education-Breadth Requirements
- A minimum of 18 semester units or 27 quarter units in a major or area of emphasis, as determined by the community college district. 2. Obtainment of a minimum grade point average of 2.0.
- *As required by Senate Bill 1440 & California Education Code section 66746.
- ADTs also require that you must earn a C or better in all courses required for the major area of emphasis. A “P” (Pass) grade is not an acceptable grade for courses in the major.
You should meet with a counselor to determine the necessary course work to complete the general education requirements.
| Required Courses: | Units |
|---|---|
| ART 101 Survey of Art History I | 3 |
| OR | |
| ART 103 Art Appreciation I | 3 |
| MUSIC 101 Fundamentals of Music | 3 |
| OR | |
| MUSIC 111 Music Appreciation I | 3 |
| HUMAN 1 Cultural Patterns of Western Civilization | 3 |
| THEATER 110 History of the World Theater | 3 |
| THEATER 270 Beginning Acting | 3 |
| Select 9 additional units | |
| ASL 1 American Sign Language I | 3 |
| ASL 2 American Sign Language II | 3 |
| ASL 3 American Sign Language | 3 |
| ART 101 Survey of Art History I | 3 |
| ART 102 Survey of Art History II | 3 |
| ART 103 Art Appreciation I | 3 |
| ART 104 Art Appreciation II | 3 |
| ART 201 Drawing I | 3 |
| ART 300 Introduction to Painting | 3 |
| ART 501 Beginning Two-Dimensional Design | 3 |
| ENGLISH 127 Creative Writing | 3 |
| ENGLISH 211 Fiction | 3 |
| ENGLISH 212 Poetry | 3 |
| ENGLISH 213 Dramatic Literature | 3 |
| ENGLISH 218 Children’s Literature | 3 |
| ENGLISH 234 African-American Literature I | 3 |
| ENGLISH 239 Women in Literature | 3 |
| FRENCH 1 Elementary French I | 3 |
| FRENCH 2 Elementary French II | 3 |
| HUMAN 1 Cultural Patterns of Western Civilization | 3 |
| HUMAN 2 Studies in Selected Cultures | 3 |
| HUMAN 6 Great People, Great Ages | 3 |
| HUMAN 31 People in Contemporary Society | 3 |
| MUSIC 101 Fundamentals of Music | 3 |
| MUSIC 111 Music Appreciation I | 3 |
| PHILOS 1 Introduction to Philosophy I | 3 |
| SPANISH 1 Elementary Spanish I | 3 |
| SPANISH 2 Elementary Spanish II | 3 |
| SPANISH 3 Intermediate Spanish I | 3 |
| SPANISH 4 Intermediate Spanish II | 3 |
| THEATER 100 Introduction to Theater | 3 |
| THEATER 110 History of the World Theater | 3 |
| THEATER 233 Play Production | 3 |
| THEATER 240 Voice and Articulation for Theater | 3 |
| THEATER 270 Beginning Acting | 3 |
| THEATER 271 Intermediate Acting | 3 |
| THEATER 300 Introduction to Stage Craft | 3 |
| TOTAL UNITS | 18 |
Get Ready Before You Start
Interested in careers in arts and the humanities? Before your first class at LASC, you can start preparing for your career:
- Make an appointment with your LASC academic counselor to review LASC’s program, start to develop a Student Education Plan (SEP), and talk about which opportunities and support services might be a good match for your academic goals. Let your counselor know about your career goals in case attending a four-year college or university would benefit your future career goals.
- Still in high school? Take art and theatre classes, and see if your school has music classes to take. Contact local art museums to volunteer to help with new exhibits. You’ll get invaluable experience and be able to add it to your resume. Enroll in art, music, theatre, graphics design classes during summer at LASC or other institutions to build and develop creative and artistic skills. Create your own art or write your own short stories to begin creating your portfolio and seek feedback from your teachers.
- Once you’re at LASC, make sure to get involved with on-campus clubs and organizations, become a student ambassador, or run for student body government. These create new relationships and show potential employers your commitment to strengthening your writing, communication, and leadership skills.
Program Learning Outcomes
As a student, once you successfully complete the program, you should be able to:
- Identify art, music, and literature from pre-history to the early modern world.
- Compare and contrast various presentation styles in art, music, and theater.