Mar 29, 2024  
2019-2020 Academic Catalog 
    
2019-2020 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Graduation Information



Application for Graduation

Candidates for graduation can obtain an application in Student Services, 248 Hardway Hall. Visit https://pierpont.edu/graduation for graduation deadlines and information. Commencement is held once a year in the spring (May). Graduates from the current spring term and previous summer and fall terms are invited to participate.

English Performance

All students who are candidates for degrees must attain a grade of “C” or above in required English courses for graduation. Required courses vary (

 ,  ,  ) depending on the program of study.

GPA

All students must have a GPA of 2.0 or better (institutional and cumulative) to graduate and meet all program course requirements and institutional requirements.

Graduation with Honors

Candidates for graduation with an associate or CAS degree who maintain an overall grade point average 3.4 or better will receive the designation of “With Honors” on their diplomas and “Honors” on the Commencement program. For spring graduates, winter GPAs are evaluated for the Commencement program.

Minimum Residence Requirements

For an associate degree at least one semester’s work (at least 15 credit hours) and at least 8 of the last 15 hours in residence are required. For the certificate degree at least eight semester hours work in residence are required.

Transient Credit

Regularly enrolled students who complete work at another accredited institution on a transient basis must secure the written permission of the Registrar before attempting such course work. Transient credit completed without permission will not be accepted.

Transcripts

Students are entitled to official transcripts of their record. Students who fail to meet their financial obligations to the institutions or to any of their departments will not be given transcripts. A request for a transcript of credit should be made in writing and should include name, both maiden and married, the date of last attendance at Pierpont Community and Technical College and student identification number. All requests for transcripts should be sent directly to the Registrar. Students may access the transcript request form online at www.pierpont.edu. It takes 3-5 days to process requests. While there is no charge for transcripts, there is a limit of three requests per day. Rush service is available (limit 3 per day) for a charge per transcript. Rush service transcripts are mailed or available for pick up either the same day or next business day.

Credit Hour Definition

Consistent with the U.S. Department of Education and the Carnegie Unit definition, a credit hour is minimally defined as “an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks (or the equivalent amount of work)”.

For lecture courses, 1-credit hour is no less than 1 contact hour and a minimum of 2 hours of out of class work per week for 15 weeks (or equivalent). For laboratory courses, 1 credit hour is no less than 2 contact hours and a minimum of one hour of out of class work each week for 15 weeks (or equivalent). Practicums and Internships are generally 40 to 80 contact hours/credit hour depending on the field of study.

For on the job training, no less than 160 - 200 hours is equivalent to 1 credit hour depending on the degree of study.
A contact hour is 50 minutes in class being equal to one (1) hour of credit. Distance education courses contain an equivalent amount of work that would be provided in a face-to-face course and are expected to meet the standards listed above.

Program Designations & Requirements

Pierpont is approved to offer Associate of Arts, Associate of Applied Science, or Associate of Fine Arts, and Associate of Science degree programs. Associate degrees may be granted upon successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of credit. A Certificate of Applied Science degree may be granted upon successful completion of at least 30 semester hours of credit.