This proposal culminates a 5-year study of the possibility of awarding associate degrees at Gallaudet College, a private, liberal arts college for hearing impaired adults. The proposal outlines an Associate of Applied Science degree (AAS) in Office Systems at the School of Preparatory Studies. First, introductory material provides a brief history of associate degree development at Gallaudet, a rationale for the associate degree program, and a rationale for the AAS in Office Systems, which stresses the fast growth of the field and the fact that deaf students can successfully compete with hearing students for jobs. The next sections consider the curriculum development process, credits, admission and graduation requirements, target population, and program staffing. The section following describes the AAS competency-based curriculum in detail, presenting program competencies, a chart showing the suggested sequence of courses, and information on proposals for new courses. Next, course descriptions are provided for: (1) "Introduction to Computers and Office Systems"; (2) "Business Math I"; (3) "Career Orientation"; (4) "Word Processing I"; (5) "Records Management and Office Machines"; (5) "Environmental Science"; (6) "Bookkeeping"; (7) "Word Processing II"; (8) "Database Management Systems"; (9) "Spreadsheets and Graphics"; (10) "Introduction to the Modern World"; (11) "Introduction to the Humanities"; (12) "Business Math II"; (13) "Office Procedures"; and (14) "Computer Applications." For each course, the following information is presented: course title, prerequisites, credit hours, course description, rationale for course, function of course in the curriculum, performance objectives, performance evaluation, administrative considerations, syllabus, text name, and bibliography. (EJV)