The Italian program offers lower-division preparation for students who plan on transferring to pursue a bachelor's degree in Italian. Students planning to transfer and/or earn this associate degree may also need to complete additional requirements or electives required by the transfer institution, as many CSUs and UCs have unique admissions and preparation-for-the-major requirements. Students should meet with a MiraCosta College counselor to identify required courses and to develop a written plan for their targeted university. Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to engage in meaningful conversations about social issues, cultural productions, and cultural aspects covered in the first two years of Italian courses, demonstrating command of the first two years' vocabularies, structure, and pronunciation in the target language and comprehending native speaker speech, read and comprehend a passage about social issues, cultural productions or cultural aspects covered in the first two years of Italian courses from a real Italian contemporary source, and write a cohesive, analytical/critical essay about social issues, cultural productions or cultural aspects covered in class, comparing and contrasting them to other cultures and demonstrating command of the first two years vocabulary and structures in the target language.