Original Date of Issue: 6/24/2045

Policy

Associate Degree

(A.A., A.A.S., A.F.A., A.S.): a two-year degree that generally prepares students for further study or entry into the workplace. The associate degree is generally 60 – 72 Credits; with 60 – 64 considered optimal.

The College will maintain and publish a list of degrees which may not be earned as additional degrees.

  • Students must earn a minimum of 60 credit hours, exclusive of basic, developmental, and continuing education courses. 
  • As a part of those 60 credit hours, students must complete the General Education courses appropriate to the degree. 
  • A minimum of 24 credit hours must be earned at Delaware County Community College. 
  • The student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. 

Certificates 

The College will maintain and publish a list of certificates which may not be earned as additional certificates.

Category of Certificate 

Competency - The College will award a certificate of competency to students who complete an approved credit-bearing certificate program that requires fewer than 30 credits.

  • General education courses may not be required for programs that have less than thirty (30) credits. 
  • The student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. 
  • Six (6) credits or 50% of the total credits required, whichever is greater, must be completed at Delaware County Community College. 

Proficiency - The College will award a certificate of proficiency to students who complete a minimum of 30 credits of an approved certificate program. 

  • Program credits will not normally include developmental, basic and/or continuing education courses.  
  • Program credits will usually consist of twenty-four (24) credits in the career specialty and six (6) credits in general education. Exceptions may be made upon recommendation of the Academic Affairs Committee. 
  • At least fifteen (15) credits must be earned at Delaware County Community College. 
  • The student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. 

Badges  

(micro-credentials) – curricular and/or co-curricular experiences focused on the acquisition of a sub-set of skills or knowledge.  When embedded within course(s), may be stackable to a certificate or associate degree. 

  • Badge Competencies (BCs) will describe what the student will know, value or be able to do by earning a badge. 
  • A badge shall consist of 3 to 5 distinct components. 
  • Components may include: 
    • DCCC Course – to be eligible for a badge the student must be registered for the course, receive minimum required grade, and meet a minimum standard for an embedded assessment aligned to the skill or knowledge acquisition. 
    • Co- or Extra-curricular workshop – participation may be measured in a required participation time, submission of independent project, or evaluation aligned to the skill or knowledge acquisition. 
    • External exam or certification – student may be awarded credit towards a badge by completing and/or passing external award aligned to skill or knowledge acquisition.