Section 5.01 Student Program Status & Governing Academic Catalog

Renamed: formerly Governing Academic Catalog.
Policy History: Student Program Status & Governing
Procedures: Student Program Status & Governing Academic Catalog – Procedures.

1. Initial Program Assignment
   Upon admission, each entering student is assigned an academic career, program, plan, home college, and an academic requirement term, consistent with focus area and pathway choices made by the student. Students are required to follow the academic program/plan requirements in the Academic Catalog in effect at the time of their enrollment. See Glossary of Terms for more information about home college.
2. Program/Plan or College Changes
   Students may request to change their academic program/plan and/or home college at any time. The effective date of the change will be the date processed in the student system. The student’s degree audit will immediately reflect the program/plan change. A new academic requirement term will be assigned in the student information system effective:
   • If the program/plan change is made during the term – the student will be assigned the requirement term of the current term.
   • If the program/plan change is made between terms – the student will be assigned the requirement term of the next term.
     
     For financial aid processing and certain reporting purposes, any change made to the student’s academic program/plan or home college after the first day of the term or between terms will take effect on the first day of the next term.
3. Discontinued Students
   Students who have not enrolled in at least one course and earned a final grade in their current academic career for three (3) consecutive terms will be Discontinued and are required to follow the academic plan requirements of the Academic Catalog in effect on their re-enrollment date. See Former Students Returning to the City Colleges of Chicago and Residency Verification – Returning Students.
4. Requirement Term Updates
   • Students enrolled in the same academic program/plan for four (4) calendar years (whether consecutively enrolled or not) will be assigned a new academic requirement term effective the next academic term following the four (4) calendar year period.
   • Every four (4) calendar years thereafter until graduation or completion, the student will be assigned a new academic requirement term effective the next academic term following the previous four (4) calendar year period.
   • Notwithstanding the above, students may at any time choose to follow the academic program/plan requirements in the current Academic Catalog. Once selected, students may not return to a prior Academic Catalog (requirement term).

Section 5.02 Graduation Requirements for Degrees

Procedures: Graduation Requirements for Degrees – Procedures.

To be eligible to graduate from any credit degree program, students must earn a grade of “C” or better in all courses used to satisfy core curriculum and/or general education requirements and hold a minimum GRAD-GPA of 2.0 or higher (see Graduation Grade Point Average). Elective courses with a “D” or “S” final grade may count towards graduation (see Grading Basis for Remedial, Credit and Skills Courses). Effective Summer 2024, a grade of “C” or better is required for all courses in AAS degrees, including electives. Students who graduated prior to August 1, 2013 must hold either a minimum GRAD-GPA or CUM-GPA of 2.0 or higher.

As college Chief Academic Officer of the college, the Vice President may authorize, upon student appeal, a course directive (substitution). For further information, (see Course Directives).

CCC reserves the right to award a student’s academic plan of record, confirmed by the student, when all requirements for that degree have been met, even if the student has not applied for graduation.

1. Residency Requirement for Program Completion
   All students with a requirement term of Summer 2016 or earlier must complete a minimum of fifteen (15) credit hours of residency (credit hours earned in CCC classes).
   
   Effective requirement term Fall 2016, all students must complete a minimum of twenty-five percent (25%) of the credit hours required for a degree in residency (credit hours earned in CCC classes).
   
   There is no limitation on the number of transfer credit hours which may be evaluated and posted to a student’s academic record (see Transfer Credit), but residency requirements must be met.
2. Credit Hour Requirements for Academic Program Completion
   Students are required to fulfill total credit hours and all course requirements needed to satisfy their academic program. Transfer credit hours earned at a quarter system institution are converted to CCC semester hour equivalents (see Transfer Credit). After conversion, students who have earned transfer credit from a quarter system institution may be deficient in overall credit hours required to complete a degree. In such cases, students are not required to retake the same or an equivalent course to satisfy course/discipline credit hour deficiencies, but may need to take additional elective courses to fulfill the total hours required to complete the desired academic program. Students should meet with their College Advisor for further information.
3. Additional CCC Degree
   A student may earn an additional degree from CCC. The additional degree must be different from previous degree(s) earned and the student must enroll in and successfully complete a minimum of fifteen (15) additional credit hours toward the new degree in residency (credit hours earned in CCC classes) after the latest degree has been posted to the student’s academic record.

Effective Fall 2015, a subordinate degree may not be awarded concurrently or after earning a higher level degree. A subordinate degree is defined as a degree whose requirements are inclusive within the requirements of another (higher level) degree. Accordingly, a student who has earned an A.A., A.S., A.E.S., A.F.A., or A.A.T. degree may not be awarded an A.G.S. degree, even if the student complies with the requirements for earning an additional degree. However, an A.A., A.S., A.E.S., A.F.A., A.A.S., or A.A.T. degree may be awarded after earning an A.G.S. degree.

Section 5.03 Certificate Completion Requirements

To be eligible for a Certificate of Completion in any credit certificate program, students must successfully complete all certificate-specific courses which constitute a Basic Certificate or an Advanced Certificate with a final grade of "C" or better (for A-F grading basis courses) or a final grade of “S” (for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading basis courses). (See Grading Basis for Remedial, Credit and Skills Courses).

As college Chief Academic Officer of the college, the Vice President may authorize, upon student appeal, a course directive (substitution). For further information, (see Course Directives).

CCC reserves the right to batch-award certificates when a student completes all certificate requirements.

Effective for the Fall 2015 term, all students must complete a minimum of twenty-five percent (25%) of the credit hours required for a certificate in residency (credit hours earned in CCC classes).

Section 5.04 Degree or Certificate Conferral Date

Degrees and certificates are conferred on the last day of the term during which CCC confirms that all academic program requirements have been met. Additionally:

• For degrees: students must confirm before the degree is awarded (see Graduation Requirements for Degrees).
• For certificates: (see Certificate Completion Requirements).

Section 5.05 Previously Conferred Credentials

Students may not enroll in an academic program/plan which has been previously conferred or in a degree program which is subordinate to a previously conferred degree (see Additional CCC Degree). Upon completion, students who wish to continue to take classes must enroll in a different academic program/plan (not previously awarded).

Section 5.06 Graduation College

Policy history: Graduation College.

1. Graduation College for Degrees
   The Graduation College (college that confers the credential) for any degree program is as follows:
   • Students enrolled in a signature (selective enrollment) program: Students enrolled in a signature program will graduate from the college where the student is enrolled.
   • Students enrolled in any other (non-signature) program: Students will graduate from the college that offers the academic program where the majority (or greatest number if no majority) of the student’s Graduation Credit Hours (excludes remedial hours) were earned. In case of a tie between two or more colleges (equal number of Graduation Credit Hours earned from each college and each college offers the degree program), then the student may select his/her Graduation College.
2. Graduation College for Certificates
   The Graduation College (college that confers the credential) for any certificate program is as follows:
   • The college where the majority of the certificate-specific credit hours were earned will confer the certificate. In case of a tie between two or more colleges (equal number of certificate-specific credit hours earned from each college and each college offers the certificate program), then a Graduation College will be selected for the student.
   • If a student completes all certificate requirements at a college that does not offer the certificate program when the award is conferred, then a Graduation College will be selected for the student from among the CCC college(s) that offer the program.
3. Graduation College for Credentials
   The Graduation College (college that confers the credential) for any credential program is as follows:
   • The college where the majority of the creditial-specific credit hours were earned will confer the credential. In case of a tie between two or more colleces (equal number of credential-specific credit hours earned from each college and each college offers the credential program), then a Graduation College will be selected for the student.
4. Graduation College for Additional Degrees
   The Graduation College for an additional degree will be the college that offers the academic program where the majority (or greatest number if no majority) of the student’s incremental Graduation Credit Hours (excludes remedial hours) required for the additional degree were earned. In case of a tie between two or more colleges (equal number of incremental Graduation Credit hours earned from each college and each college offers the academic program), then the student may select his/her Graduation College.

Section 5.07 Revocation of Degrees or Certificates

Procedures: Revocation of Degrees or Certificates – Procedures.

CCC reserves the right to revoke an awarded degree or certificate for the discovery of previously unknown fraud or academic integrity violations in receipt of the degree or certificate (see Academic Integrity and Dishonesty), or for the discovery of previously unknown egregious disciplinary violations committed by a student prior to the conferral of such degree or certificate.

Section 5.08 Posthumous Degree Awards

Policy history: Posthumous Degree Awards.
Procedures: Posthumous Degree Awards – Procedures.

In the case of a student’s death from any cause (see Deceased Student), the student’s academic record will be reviewed. Students who have been approved to graduate will be awarded the certificate or Associate’s Degree for which the student is eligible.

Deceased students who have completed a minimum of 45 graduation hours toward any Associate’s Degree or have completed a minimum of 75% of a certificate program at the time of the student’s death are also eligible for a posthumous degree or certificate award after verification of the requisite number of graduation hours or percentage of program completion.

This policy may be administered retroactively and applies also to students who have died prior to the effective date of this policy.

Section 5.09 Adult Education Graduation Requirements

To participate in the Adult Education Program graduation ceremony, students must earn their high school equivalency degree and pass the Illinois Constitution test. Those who wish to participate should visit the Adult Education Office of their college for information and procedures.

Section 5.10 Course Directives

Procedures: Course Directives – Procedures.

As Chief Academic Officer of the college, the Vice President may authorize, upon student appeal, a course directive (substitution) wherein a successfully completed course outside of the curriculum may be used to satisfy a requirement of the student’s academic program.

Appeals for course directives will be initiated by the student, decided and approved on a per student case-by-case basis, and entered into the student information system. No “blanket” course directives (intended to apply to certain types of students or situations), which in effect change credential requirements, are allowed. A student’s appeal will be submitted to and decided by the projected graduation college (see the Graduation College policy). Approved course directives will be honored at all CCC colleges. Course directives may not be used to reduce or change academic plan requirements. Therefore,

• Course directives may not reduce the residency requirement for program completion.
• Course directives may not reduce GRAD-GPA or core course grade requirements, including general education course requirements.
• Remedial courses may not be substituted for college level course requirements.

Section 5.11 Credential Completion Requirements

To be eligible for a Certificate of Completion in any credit credential program, students must successfully complete all credential-specific courses which constitute a credential with a final grade of “C” or better (for A-F grading basis courses). (See Grading Basis for Remedial, Credit and Skills courses).

As Chief Academic Officer of the college, the Vice President may authorize, upon student appeal, a course directive (substitution). For further information, see Course Directives.

CCC reserves the right to batch-award credentials when a student completes all credential requirements.