The Career Pathways Certificate of Completion: Administrative Assistant is a one-year certificate to prepare students for immediate employment in a variety of industries, such as health care, finance, construction, and technical services. Graduates will have obtained skills most often requested by employers, including written and oral communication, organization, customer service, problem solving, and computer proficiency, including Microsoft Word and Excel.
Click here to learn how this Career Pathway Certificate can lead to earning an AAS Administrative Office Professional.
Graduation Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 42 credit hours with a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 or better. All courses must be passed with a grade of ‘C’ or better. One course must be completed at Southwestern before the Career Pathway Certificate of Completion: Administrative Assistant is awarded.
Complete the graduation application process one term prior to the term of completion (e.g., spring term graduates must apply during winter term).
Pre-Program Courses
Students are required to take the following courses prior to the program courses, depending on students' college placement information. See advisor for details:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CIS120 | Concepts of Computing | 4 |
| MTH20 | Basic Mathematics | 4 |
| OA121 | Beginning Keyboarding | 3 |
| WR90 | Paragraph Fundamentals | 3-4 |
| or WR90R | Academic Literacy | |
Program Guide
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| BA284 | Job Readiness | 1 |
| CIS125W | Word Processing Applications | 3 |
| MTH98 or MTH82 |
Math Literacy or Business Mathematics |
4 |
| OA124 | Keyboard Skill Building | 3 |
| WR115 or WR121 |
Introduction to Expository Writing or English Composition |
3 |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Winter | ||
| BA285 | Human Relations in Organizations | 3 |
| CIS125DW or CIS125DB |
Computer Applications: Dreamweaver or Database Applications |
3 |
| CIS125S | Spreadsheet Applications | 3 |
| CIS135W | Advanced Word Processing | 3 |
| OA220 | Electronic Calculators | 1 |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Spring | ||
| BA205 | Solving Communication Problems | 4 |
| BA280 | CWE: Business Admin | 2 |
| OA116 | Office Procedures | 3 |
| OA205 | Proofreading and Editing | 3 |
| OA240 | Filing and Records Management | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 42 | |
Program Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program the student will be able to:
- Use computers and office equipment proficiently.
- Organize and protect information resources to meet business needs.
- Perform routine bookkeeping tasks for a small sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation, including payroll.
- Diplomatically, tactfully, and respectfully interact with diverse populations.
- Integrate use of contemporary software tools to organize and complete specialized tasks.
- Research technical issues using library, Internet, and specialized reference works.
- Demonstrate effective time management techniques.
- Model professional and ethical behaviors.