A Valuable Pathway to Arizona’s Public Universities
The Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) is a fully transferrable set of foundational general education courses (up to 35 credit hours) offered at all community colleges across Arizona.
Students who successfully complete the AGEC with at least a 2.5 GPA are given guaranteed admission to Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona with 100% completion of their general education requirements.
Completing the AGEC, a foundation of the transfer experience at Maricopa Community Colleges, provides the most valuable and efficient transfer pathway to Arizona’s public universities.
Note: The AGEC is not part of the Certificates of Completion (CCL), Associate in Applied Science (AAS), and Associate in General Studies (AGS)—however, many of the same classes will satisfy the general education requirements found within those awards.
Changes to the AGEC Starting in Catalog Year 2026-27
Arizona’s new General Education Curriculum (AGEC) streamlines general education requirements for an associate or bachelor's degree.
Students beginning in the 2026-27 catalog year and later will be required to take classes under the new Reimagined AGEC, while continuing students may remain in the Classic AGEC or choose to transition to the Reimagined AGEC. Continuing students are encouraged to speak with an academic advisor to help them determine the best path forward.
Classic AGEC (Catalog 2025-26 and previous)
| Classic AGEC Categories | AGEC | Minimum Credits |
|---|---|---|
| First-Year Composition [FYC]* | A, B, S | 6* |
| Literacy and Critical Inquiry [L] | A, B, S | 3 |
| Mathematical Applications [MA] | A, B, S | 3–6 |
| Computer, Statistics/Quantitative Applications [CS] | A, B | 3 |
| Humanities, Arts, and Design [HU] | A, B, S | 6 |
| Social-Behavioral Sciences [SB] | A, B, S | 6 |
| Natural Sciences [SQ] | A, B, S | 8 |
| Subject Options—Math/Science [S] | S | 6–10 |
| Cultural Diversity in the U.S. [C] | A, B, S | 0–3 |
| Global or Historical Awareness [G/H] | A, B, S | 0–3 |
| Total | 35–52 | |
*FYC may be met with fewer than 6 credits if student has transfer credit from ASU, NAU, or UA for a single course that meets FYC in full.
Reimagined AGEC (Catalog 2026-27 and beyond)
| Reimagined AGEC Categories | Minimum Credits |
|---|---|
| Written Communication [WCM] — two courses in First-Year Composition | 6* |
| Oral Communication [OCM] — one course in Communication Studies or World Languages | 3 |
| Quantitative Reasoning [QNR] | 3 |
| Arts and Humanities [AHM] | 6 |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences [SCB] | 6 |
| Institutions in the Americas [IAM] | 3 |
| Natural Sciences [NSI] — two courses with associated labs | 8 |
| Total | 35 |
*WCM may be met with fewer than 6 credits if student has transfer credit from ASU, NAU, or UA for a single course that meets WCM in full.
Courses with higher credit may be applied to fulfill the requirements.
General Education Curriculum: New Categories
General education requirements and designations are categories and codes assigned to college courses that meet specific criteria and focus on developing foundational, interdisciplinary, and critical thinking skills. General education requirements make up anywhere from 25%-50% of degree requirements. Each category will have many courses to pick from.
Written and Oral Communication [WCM / OCM]
These courses focus on effective communication skills—the ability to express ideas clearly, persuasively, and professionally—including writing, public speaking, and interpersonal communication.
Arts and Humanities [AHM]
These courses focus on the human experience—helping students develop critical thinking, communication, and analytical skills while exploring creativity, culture, history, and philosophy.
Quantitative Reasoning [QNR]
These courses focus on logical reasoning, numerical literacy, and real-world application—helping students develop mathematical and analytical skills to interpret data, solve problems, and make informed decisions.
Natural Sciences [NSI]
These courses focuses on understanding the physical world through observation, experimentation, and analysis, often integrating mathematics and laboratory work.
Social and Behavioral Sciences [SCB]
This broad range of courses is focused on human behavior, social structures, and cultural dynamics that seek to analyze how individuals and societies function.
Institutions of the Americas [IAM]
This broad range of courses explores the government systems, legal frameworks, historical developments, and cultural structures that shape countries in the Americas.
Frequently Asked Questions
About the AGEC and the Transition
The AGEC is not a certificate like a certificate of completion (CCL) or certificate of competency (CCT). The AGEC is a lower-division general education curriculum set or block that fulfills the lower-division general education requirements at Arizona public colleges and universities. It is posted on the students transcript as the AGEC.
No. Each Arizona public university has their own general education system. Fulfilling the requirements of the AGEC prior to transfer serves as a way to ensure that courses taken at an Arizona public community college or tribal college will satisfy the general education requirements at the university.
No. As a private college, Grand Canyon University does not participate in the statewide AGEC agreement.
While the AGEC has been a valuable tool for supporting Arizona transfer students and limiting college credit loss, the curriculum requirements have not significantly changed in nearly 30 years.
This redesign offers the opportunity to modernize the curriculum and improve the experience for students by transitioning from three distinct curriculum sets (A - Arts, B - Business, S - Science) down to just one—making it simpler for students to follow and complete.
The new Reimagined AGEC will launch for the Fall 2026 semester. Students will see this change in “Find a Class” when selecting their general education courses, which will be categorized as AGEC-R (Reimagined) or AGEC-C (Classic).
No. Neither the AAS or AGS require the completion of the AGEC.
Frequently Asked Questions (cont.)
Benefits of Completing the AGEC
Without completing the AGEC, Arizona’s public universities will review each course for individual applicability to their own general education requirements, which could result in a loss of credit.
By completing the AGEC, students are able to fulfill their lower division general education requirements with no credit loss upon transfer.
No, students can either earn the Classic AGEC (A, B, or S) or the Reimagined AGEC. Regardless of which AGEC you earn, the benefits are the same. There is no advantage or reason to earn both and only one, either the Classic or the Reimagined, will be posted on your transcript once completed.
Frequently Asked Questions (cont.)
Deciding on Which AGEC Works for You
This depends on where you are in the completion of the AGEC. We encourage you to meet with your academic advisor to explore your options in determining the best path forward. Regardless of which AGEC you earn, the benefits are the same.
If you are a continuing student, some of the reasons to switch to the new AGEC include:
- You only recently started completing classes toward the Classic AGEC in Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Spring 2026
- You successfully completed more of the courses that are transitioning to the Reimagined AGEC designations including Written Communication [WCM], Arts and Humanities [AHM], Social and Behavioral Sciences [SCB], Natural Science [NSI]
- You have an equal to or higher number of Reimagined AGEC courses complete
If you are a continuing student, some of the reasons to stick with the Classic AGEC include:
- You have plans to complete the requirements of the Classic AGEC by May 2027
- You successfully completed one or more courses that are going away and will not be included in the Reimagined AGEC, such as Awareness Areas [C], [G], or [H], Literacy [L], and/or Computer Science [CS]
- You have a higher number of overall Classic AGEC courses complete than Reimagined AGEC courses
If a course transitions to a Reimagined AGEC category, the new category value will be in place effective Fall 2026. The Classic AGEC designations will be honored for students who took the course prior to Fall 2026, even after we transition to the Reimagined AGEC categories. Both the Classic and Reimagined values will be assigned to courses through Summer 2027. However, not all courses in the Classic AGEC have a place in the Reimagined AGEC.
Frequently Asked Questions (cont.)
Navigating the AGEC Requirements
New students enrolled in catalog year 2026-27 and later, including those who begin courses in the Summer 2026 will complete general education requirements through the Reimagined AGEC.
Continuing students enrolled in catalog year 2025-26 and earlier may complete their general education requirements using either the Classic AGEC or Reimagined AGEC.
You’ll be able to tell what courses you need by checking the course schedule and catalog, which clearly indicate whether a class carries a Classic AGEC designation, a Reimagined AGEC designation, both, or neither.
Some courses meet requirements under both frameworks, some meet requirements under only one, and some courses do not fulfill general education requirements. An academic advisor can also help you confirm that the courses you choose align with your catalog year and degree plan.
In some cases you are able to take any AGEC course to fulfill the category, however, many times it is specified based on your major. You and your academic advisor should refer to ASU, NAU, and UA for specific and recommended courses.
Yes, to support the transition from the Classic and Reimagined AGEC, courses will be displayed with both their Classic and Reimagined values. However, not all courses in the Classic AGEC have a place in the Reimagined AGEC. In these cases only the Classic AGEC value will apply if the course was taken prior to Fall 2026.
Courses are assigned only one AGEC designation. A single course can simultaneously count (double-dip) between the AGEC requirement and the plan prerequisites, plan requirements, Maricopa Community Colleges requirements, plan electives, and across degree plans. While multiple requirements can be met with a single course, the credits are only counted one time toward the required minimum for the degree.
No. If a course does not carry a Classic AGEC designation at the time it is taken, it cannot be used to fulfill the Classic AGEC category.
The Course Equivalency Guide can be navigated by catalog year, so previous AGEC designations based on when the course was taken can be identified by students.
Students graduate according to the plan requirements and regulations in place at the time of their initial enrollment, semester in which they started, as long as they maintain continuous enrollment.
Conditions of maintaining continuous enrollment are outlined in Administrative Regulation 2.2.5 Catalog Under Which a Student Graduates, which applies to all students.
If students elect to transition to the 2026-2027 catalog, they will need to follow the Reimagined AGEC requirements; however, Classic AGEC designations will be allowed to meet Reimagined requirements in many cases.
Refer to curriculum.maricopa.edu/course to determine what designations apply to a given course.
Frequently Asked Questions (cont.)
Completing the AGEC
As long as a student has a posted AGEC, Classic or Reimagined, it will be honored.
All courses applied to the AGEC must be completed with a grade of “C” or better. ASU, NAU, and UA will admit all undergraduate applicants from an Arizona public community college or tribal college who complete the Arizona General Education Curriculum (the Classic AGEC-A, AGEC-B, AGEC-S or the Reimagined AGEC) and have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.00 = A scale.
A minimum of 35 credits–for the Classic or Reimagined–is required. Courses with higher credit may be applied to fulfill the requirements (e.g., Mathematics and Oral Communication). Written Communication [WCM] may be met with fewer than 6 credits if the student has transfer credit from ASU, NAU or UA for a single course that meets Written Communication in full. In this limited case, students may receive the AGEC with fewer than 35 credits.
We strongly encourage you to apply for graduation to request your AGEC be posted on your transcript as soon as you complete it. Having your AGEC is a great milestone toward your associate degree completion and guarantees your transfer. Contact the Admissions & Records Office at your college for the steps to request your AGEC be posted.