Introduction
Volunteer State Community College has established procedures to ensure the accuracy of the records of each student who files an application for graduation. All requirements for graduation will be published in the College Catalog.
Graduation Certification
Students will be allowed to graduate using the Catalog in effect for a term in which they were admitted and enrolled provided the Catalog is not more than five years old. If students begin work on a credential and fail to complete the requirements, they must, after five years from the date they enter, reorganize their degree plan to conform to the current Catalog. Extension to the five-year limit may be requested in writing to the College Registrar but may not exceed seven years. Time spent on active military duty is not considered part of the five-year period.
Students will be changed to the current Catalog any time they request a change of major or are readmitted to the College. Students may select to graduate under the current active Catalog. In the event that a program is terminated, students will be given a reasonable time to complete their program which may be less than five years.
If the student in conjunction with an advisor determines that course substitutions are necessary, the advisor will submit a course substitution form for approval. Substitutions must be approved by the dean of the academic division for the program and the academic dean of the specific program requirement being substituted. In general, courses designated by the asterisk will not be substituted for university parallel courses.
Should a student be granted credit through transfer and alternate sources (See III:15:09), he/she must still complete all specific degree or certificate requirements as outlined in the respective Program of Study and meet the residency requirement for the conferral of the credential as published in the College Catalog. At least 25 percent of semester credit hours applied toward a certificate must be completed in residence.
In the event all academic requirements for graduation are not successfully completed in the graduation term, the student must contact the Office of Records & Registration to update the anticipated graduation term.
Faculty develop curricula and set minimum requirements for successful conferral of degrees and certificates which are approved via the Curriculum Committee. Graduation staff review student records and confirm all requirements are met. Once confirmed, the College Registrar will confer the degree and/or certificate for which the student is eligible.
TBR Source: 2:01:00:00: TBR Meetings, June 25, 1976; June 25, 1982; March 20, 1987; June 24, 1988; December 5, 1997; June 29, 2004; September 24, 2004; March 27, 2008; TBR Board Meeting September 25, 2009. TBR Board Meeting, December 2, 2010; September 21, 2012; December 21, 2014 (Removed language in Section I.D. referring to finding the course information on the TBR and/or Policies & Guideline website. This information will now be on the individual institution's website.);(Added a new link for pathways information.) TBR Meeting March 30, 2016; Revised at TBR Meeting June 20, 2019.
VSCC Source: Former II:09:39, July 23, 1997, President; January 8, 2009, President's Cabinet; January 28, 2019, President’s Cabinet; April 10, 2020, President’s Cabinet
