NJ PLACE AAS Degree Programs

NJ PLACE and New Jersey’s community colleges have created an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Technical Studies degree program designed to work with the college credit recommendations for many of our participating apprenticeship partners. Some of these colleges also offer degree options or concentrations in business management and/or construction management. Click here to view a list of which colleges offer these options.

Some apprenticeship program partners find their coursework fits better with a degree program other than Technical Studies. When this is the case, apprenticeship credits will count toward this related degree. NJ PLACE staff can tell you which degree program to pursue based on your apprenticeship program. Each degree program consists of general education requirements, a technical core, and career electives.

General Education: The required general education curriculum consists of courses in: Communication (i.e., English), Mathematics, Science, and Technology; and Social Science and Humanities. Since each NJ community college determines its general education requirements for an AAS degree, some colleges have additional general education requirements, like Physical Education. General Education requirements comprise 20-25 credits toward the degree depending on the college. A college may choose to count some of your apprenticeship’s recommended credits toward your general education requirements as appropriate.

Technical Core: More commonly referred to as your "major", the technical core is comprised of the courses in your specific area of study. Accordingly, each participating apprenticeship program has a different recommended technical core which corresponds with its apprenticeship instruction. All nineteen community colleges have agreed to accept a minimum of 25 credits from the apprenticeship program toward the technical core. Some colleges may accept more.

Career Electives: The remainder of your degree is comprised of elective courses which are generally related to your major area of study, the concentration you’ve chosen. or your degree option. A college may choose to count some of your apprenticeship’s recommended credits toward your career electives requirement.

Please click on the links below to view the technical studies degrees description and requirements at our nineteen community colleges: