Administrative Support Technology – Word Information Processing Specialization
Summer 2025 is the last semester for which students can enroll in the AAS for Administrative Support Technologly -Word Information Processing. Students currently enrolled in the AAS for Administrative Support Technologly -Word Information Processing or who enroll in this degree plan in Summer 2025, have until Fall 2026 to complete this degree.
Purpose
The Administrative Support Technology program is designed to equip persons with the knowledge and skills necessary to make decisions and perform successfully in office occupations. It provides opportunities for those persons employed in office occupations as well as those seeking a promotion and/or a degree to upgrade their skills and knowledge of new methods, practices, and innovations in business.
Occupational Objectives: Occupations for which this program prepares students include: Administrative Assistant, Executive Secretary, Machine Transcriptionist, Office Manager, Word/Information Processor, Related Office Occupations.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will be able to:
- Use communication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills for internal and external business/customer support;
- Use proper keyboarding skills to prepare documents quickly and accurately according to employer standards;
- Use basic accounting principles/applications to maintain accounting records for various businesses;
- Use software, including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentation, or calendar tools to input, manage, and interpret information to meet organization needs.
Admission Requirements: In addition to the general admission requirements of the College, entry into the Administrative Support Technology curriculum requires proficiency in basic arithmetic and English. Students who have had keyboarding may be granted advanced placement upon acceptance in the program.
Special Conditions: Students in Administrative Support Technology programs are expected to graduate with knowledge of current practices. Office technology and computer-related courses that are over five years old at the time of graduation will be evaluated on an individual basis by the program head or appropriate designee.
Program Requirements: Candidates must successfully complete all required courses, and must earn a minimum grade of “C” in all AST, ENG, and ITE courses.
| Course | Description | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| First Year – Fall Term | ||
| AST 101 | Keyboarding I | 4 |
| ENG 111 | English Composition I | 3 |
| ITE 152 | Introduction to Digital and Information Literacy and Computer Applications | 3 |
| MTH 111, 154, 155 | Basic Technical Math, Quantitative Reasoning, or Statistical Reasoning | 3 |
| SDV 100/101 | College Success Skills | 1 |
| Social Science | Any Social Science Elective | 3 |
| Total Semester Credits | 17 | |
| First Year – Spring Term | ||
| AST 102 | Keyboarding II1 | 4 |
| AST 141 | Word Processing I | 3 |
| Elective | Any ACC, AST, BUS, ECO, ITE, ITD, MDE, MKT Elective | 3 |
| Social Science | Any Social Science Elective | 3 |
| Speech | Any CST Speech course | 3 |
| HLT/PED | Any Health or PE Elective | 1 |
| Total Semester Credits | 17 | |
| Second Year – Fall Term | ||
| ACC 211 | Principles of Accounting I2 | 3 |
| ACC 215 | Computerized Accounting | 3 |
| AST 234 | Records and Database Management | 3 |
| AST 243 | Office Administration I | 3 |
| Elective | Any AST, BUS, ITE, or MKT Elective | 3 |
| Total Semester Credits | 15 | |
| Second Year – Spring Term | ||
| Humanities | Humanities Elective | 3 |
| BUS 236 | Communication in Management | 3 |
| AST 244 | Office Administration II | 3 |
| ITE 140 | Spreadsheeting for Business | 3 |
| ITE 215 | Adv. Computer Applications and Integration | 3 |
| HLT/PED | Any Health or PE Elective | 1 |
| Total Semester Credits | 16 | |
| Total Program Credits | 65 | |
1. High School Tech Prep graduates should check with Admissions for vocational articulation credits.
2. Students are encouraged to select MTH and ACC courses with the help of their faculty advisor. Students may benefit by taking transfer level MTH and ACC 211/213 based on personal goals.
3. High School Tech Prep graduates may wish to talk with their faculty advisor about receiving credit-by-exam for AST 102.
4. The one-credit AST Electives (3rd Semester) must be selected from any of the AST one-credit courses.
5. The three-credit AST Elective (4th semester) must be selected from ACC, AST, BUS, ECO, ITE, MDA, or MKT.
6. Students must complete all AST, ENG, and ITE courses with a grade of “C” or better.