POLICY
This policy establishes the graduation requirements for students pursuing certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degrees. It outlines the criteria that must be met for the successful completion and conferral of academic credentials.
SCOPE/POLICY GUIDELINES
First Year Experience (FYEX) Requirement All students must complete a First Year Experience (FYEX) course to graduate with an associate degree. This requirement can be met by passing a designated course or transferring an equivalent course. College Credit Plus (CCP) students must also complete the FYEX course.
One-Year Certificate
Certificates are awarded for the completion of a 30-semester credit hour course of study with the majority of the coursework completed in a prescribed technical area. One-year certificates can serve as building blocks toward an associate degree.
These requirements must be completed for a One-Year Certificate:
- Earn a minimum of 30 credit hours of course work,
- Fulfill all course requirements of a particular certificate,
- Satisfy program accreditation standards that may have additional requirements,
- Earn an overall cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0,
- Resolve all financial and other obligations to the College, and
- Be certified by the Registrar as having met all requirements for the one-year certificate.
Associate of Applied Business and Associate of Applied Science Degrees
The Associate of Applied Business and the Associate of Applied Science degrees prepare students for entry into specific occupations and may be designed to articulate with baccalaureate programs. The Ohio Department of Higher Education’s Guidelines and Procedures for Academic Program Review (last updated April 2015) establishes the following criteria for the Associate of Applied Science and Associate of Applied Business degrees:
- 30 semester credit hours minimum in the technical area
- 30 semester credit hours in non-technical studies to include:
- general education studies (written communication, oral communication)
- social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences, arts and humanities, math
- applied general education (basic education) courses emphasizing the application ofgeneral education to an occupational or technical area
These Zane State College requirements must be completed for an Associate of Applied Business (A.A.B.) or Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) Degree:
- Earn a minimum of 60 credit hours of coursework and meet the specific requirements of the student’s program,
- Complete a minimum of 20 credit hours of technical courses as a student of Zane State College,
- Satisfy program accreditation standards that may have additional requirements,
- Complete the College’s general education course requirements as identified in the catalog,
- Earn an overall cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0,
- Complete the First Year Experience (FYEX) requirement,
- Resolve all financial and other obligations to the College, and
- Be certified by the Registrar as having met all requirements for the degree.
Associate of Arts and Associate of Science Degrees
Also referred to as Transfer Programs, these degrees are designed for students who plan to complete their first two years of college work at Zane State College and then transfer as juniors or seniors to a four-year institution of their choices.
In accordance with the Ohio Department of Higher Education, academic associate degrees (Associate of Arts and Associate of Science) must include a minimum of 36 semester hours of general education coursework. The academic associate degrees serve as the first two years of a bachelor’s degree and are designed to provide for maximum transferability of courses from the associate’s level to the bachelor’s level. As such, the coursework used to fulfill the minimum 36 semester credit hours in general education must be from Zane State College’s approved Ohio Transfer 36 (OT36) courses. The remaining 24 semester credit hours may be chosen from other general education courses or technical and basic courses (developmental courses do not count toward the Associate of Arts or the Associate of Science degrees).
These Zane State College requirements must be completed for an Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) Degree:
Earn a minimum of 60 credit hours of coursework and meet the specific requirements of the student’s program,
- Complete a minimum of 20 credit hours as a student of Zane State College,
- Complete the College’s general education course requirements as identified in the catalog,
- Earn an overall cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0,
- Complete the First Year Experience (FYEX) requirement,
- Resolve all financial and other obligations to the College, and
- Be certified by the Registrar as having met all requirements for the degree.
Associate of Technical Study Degree
The Associate of Technical Study degree is awarded for successful completion of an individually planned program of study designed to respond to the need for specialized technical education not currently available in the formal degree programs at the College.
These Zane State College requirements must be completed for an Associate of Technical Study (A.T.S.) Degree:
- Obtain approval of program of study by the appropriate Academic Dean,
- Earn a minimum of 60 credit hours of course work,
- Complete a minimum of 20 credits at Zane State College and
- Earn at least a “C” in all courses identified as major program requirements,
- Earn the minimum credit requirements in the following distribution:
- 30 credits in the major technical requirements area with at least 16 credits in one discipline
- 30 credits in general education and basic studies
- Complete the College’s general education course requirements as identified in the catalog,
- Earn an overall cumulative grade point average of 2.0,
- Complete the First Year Experience (FYEX) requirement, Resolve all financial and other obligations to the College, and
- Be certified by the Registrar as having met all requirements for the degree.
Bachelor of Applied Science Degree
The Bachelor of Applied Science degree prepares students for entry into specific occupations.
These Zane State College requirements must be completed for a Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S) Degree:
- Earn a minimum of 120 credit hours of coursework and meet the specific requirements of the student’s program,
- Complete a minimum of 40 credit hours of technical courses as a student of Zane State College,
- Satisfy program accreditation standards that may have additional requirements,
- Complete the College’s minimum distribution requirements for general education as identified in the catalog,
- Earn an overall cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0,
- Resolve all financial and other obligations to the College, and
- Be certified by the Registrar as having met all requirements for the degree.
