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POLICY 03:01:01

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS: TRANSFER PROGRAMS

Purpose

This policy delineates the general education requirements and other requirements for associate degrees intended for transfer as specified for institutions within the Tennessee Board of Regents system.

Policy

It is the intent of Pellissippi State Community College that transfer programs will fully comply with the applicable Principles of Accreditation of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC) and with Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) requirements. Accordingly, Pellissippi State will adhere to the following minimum degree requirements for associate degrees designed for transfer. A student will demonstrate academic readiness for college-level courses by meeting or surpassing established scores on specified assessment instrument(s).

Minimum Degree Requirements

  1. The degree requirement for associate degrees designed for transfer (Associate of Arts *, Associate of Science, Associate of Science in Teaching, Associate of Fine Arts) will be composed of a minimum of 60 semester credit hours (excluding learning support hours).
  2. Each community college in the TBR system shares a common lower-division general education core curriculum of 41 semester hours for the A.A., A.S., and A.S.T. degrees. The general education curriculum comprises the following subject categories:
      1. Communication: 9 hours**
      2. Humanities and/or Fine Arts: 9 hours (At least one course must be in literature.)***
      3. Natural Sciences: 8 hours ****
      4. Mathematics: 3 hours*Foreign language courses are an additional requirement for the Associate of Arts (A.A.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees.
        **Six hours of English Composition and three hours in English oral presentational communication are required.
        ***HUM/FA requirements for the Associate of Fine Arts vary depending on the particular concentration; see specific requirements for AFA, Art; AFA, Music; and AFA, Theatre in the College Catalog.
        ****Students who plan to transfer to Tennessee state Locally Governed Institutions (LGI) (formerly Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) Universities) should take six hours of United States History (three hours may be satisfied by a Tennessee History course). Students who plan to transfer to an institution in the University of Tennessee (UT) system or to out-of-state or private universities should check requirements and take the appropriate courses.
  3. Students who transfer to LGIs may be required to take college courses to address high school deficiencies in order to meet minimum admission requirements effective fall 1989. These courses may also be used to meet degree requirements specified above. Students who complete a degree at Pellissippi State or another community college and students who transfer to an institution in the University of Tennessee system with 60 hours will not be required to make up high school deficiencies.
  4. Although the courses designated by Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) institutions to fulfill the requirements of the general education subject categories vary, transfer of the courses is assured through the following means:
    1. Upon completion of an A.A., A.S., or A.S.T. degree, the requirements of the lower-division general education core will be complete and accepted by an LGI university in the transfer process.
    2. If an A.A., A.S.,A.S.T., or A.F.A. is not obtained, transfer of general education courses will be based upon fulfillment of complete subject categories. (Example: If all eight hours in the category of Natural Sciences are complete, this “block” of the general education core is complete.) When a subject category is incomplete, course-by-course evaluation will be conducted. The provision of block fulfillment pertains also to students who transfer among LGI universities.
    3. Institutional/departmental requirements of the grade of “C” will be honored. Even if credit is granted for a course, any specific requirements for the grade of “C” by the receiving institution will be enforced.
    4. In certain majors, specific courses must also be taken in general education. It is important that students and advisors be aware of any major requirements that must be fulfilled under lower-division general education

Courses designated to fulfill general education by Pellissippi State Community College are published in the General Education section of the College Catalog.

Refer to Tennessee Board of Regents Policy 2:01:00:00 General Education Requirements and Degree Requirements

 

Approved: Executive Council, March 4, 1991
Approved: President Allen G. Edwards, September 9, 1997
Approved: President Allen G. Edwards, October 10, 2001
Approved: President Allen G. Edwards, June 21, 2004
Editorial Changes, July 2008
Reviewed/Recommended: President’s Staff, June 22, 2009
Approved: President Allen G. Edwards, June 22, 2009
Reviewed/Recommended: President’s Council, November 24, 2014
Approved: President L. Anthony Wise, Jr., November 24, 2014
Reviewed/Recommended: President’s Council, August 10, 2020
Approved: President L. Anthony Wise Jr., August 10, 2020