Graduation and Transferring
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GRADUATION AND TRANSFERRING 39 2014-2016 Catalog Perhaps your time at Prairie State College has numbered a Graduation few months while you earn a certificate to boost your As outlined in the opening Overview section, Prairie State earnings potential. Or, you might be among the many who College grants certificates and the following six associates have worked for years toward an associates degree while degrees: juggling other responsibilities. • Associate in Arts (A.A.) Whatever you have accomplished, we are pleased and • Associate in Science (A.S.) proud to have been part of your educational journey. We wish • Associate in Fine Arts (A.F.A.) you well with your next step, whether it is on your career • Associate of Arts in Teaching (A.A.T.) path or on the path toward a bachelor’s degree or graduate • Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.; career and technical school. degree) • Associate in General Studies (A.G.S.; not intended for career program or a bachelor’s degree) Specific curriculum requirements for a particular degree or certificate program are found in Degrees, Certificates, Courses. Consult that section of the catalog and the index for detailed information. The next section gives an overview of graduation requirements. Graduation Requirements To earn a degree or certificate, you must complete the academic requirements shown in the catalog for the year in which you entered PSC. If the degree or certificate requirements are changed during your attendance, you may elect to satisfy either the new requirement or the ones in force when you enrolled. If you withdraw from PSC for either a fall or spring semester, you must satisfy requirements in force at the time you re-enroll. When submitting a graduation petition, you will be asked to identify the year of the catalog from which you are graduating. Any petition to modify graduation requirements must be submitted in writing on a Course Substitution Form–avail- able from the dean over the academic program–at least one semester prior to graduation. Graduation petitions must be submitted to Enrollment Services no later than the following dates: Fall graduation: October 1 Spring graduation: March 1 Summer graduation: July 1 Graduation petitions submitted after these deadlines will be subject to an additional charge. December, May, and August candidates may choose to participate in the annual May Commencement ceremony (see following section, “Commencement Ceremony”). Students planning to receive a degree and/or certificate at PSC must request an official evaluation of their credits in Enrollment Services, by completing the “Transcript Evalu- ation Request Form” at least one or two semesters prior to degree and/or certificate completion in order to ensure correct course selections. The form is also available on the college website and may be printed and mailed to Enrollment Services at the main campus address or completed online. 40 Please visit prairiestate.edu for the most current, updated catalog information Commencement Ceremony Here is good advice on transferring–one of many resources A commencement (graduation) ceremony is held once a year, and tips found on the IAI website (www.itransfer.org): at the end of the spring semester in May. Graduates from the 1. Even though the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) agreements previous fall, current spring, and forthcoming summer terms and website are meant to make transfer smoother, you still are invited to participate. need to see an academic advisor or admissions counselor. Note: This is the only ceremony held all year, though you may be 2. To transfer as a junior, you need a minimum of 60 (and certified as a graduate at the end of any semester of the academic usually not more than 64) semester credits. Plan to earn year. The deadline to apply for the ceremony is March 1, no an associates degree before transferring: at PSC, we matter which semester you actually fulfill the requirements for offer Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, Associate in graduation. Fine Arts, and Associate of Arts in Teaching. For each degree application, a fee of $20 will be charged 3. If you already know where you will transfer, see that upon petitioning for graduation (this includes the cost of a school’s catalog and a counselor for specific advice. degree diploma); there is no additional fee to participate in the 4. Every participating school does not offer all majors or all ceremony. Students who earn a certificate will have that information specialties in a major. posted to their college transcript free of charge; however, 5. No two majors are alike; courses in one major are if a certificate recipient wishes to participate in the graduation unlikely to meet requirements for a different major. ceremonies and therefore receive a diploma, a fee of $20 Changing your major will likely increase the time needed will be charged for each diploma. to complete your degree. For more information on academic honors, see Grading and 6. Be sure to check to see if any specific Illinois Transferable Other Academic Policies within the section policies and General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) courses are Guidelines. For information on the ceremony, please call the recommended by your major. A few majors, like music and Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs at (708) 709-3507. engineering, suggest you not finish the IAI GECC before transferring. 7. Most majors require at least a “C” for a course to count Transferring to Other Colleges towards major requirements, and most schools will not accept If you wish to transfer from Prairie State College to another pass/fail. college, you must follow the admissions procedure for the 8. Since admission is often competitive, completing the IAI institution you wish to attend. No matter what transfer hopes Majors’ recommended courses will not by itself guarantee and plans you might have, recognize that each college or university admission. has its own unique policies, selection process, and admissions 9. Some majors require assessment for admission: a Test of requirements. Academic Proficiency (reading, grammar, writing, and math) is It is the responsibility of students to be familiar with transfer required for certification in all teacher education majors. Most policies at other institutions. Visit the website or obtain a music schools require an audition and most art schools require catalog and application packet from the schools you are interested a portfolio. in attending. The PSC Counseling and Academic Advising 10. When selecting courses for your major, always seek advice Center can assist you in the transfer process. Contact the from an academic advisor at your current school and a Transfer Coordinator at (708) 709-3508, or talk with any of counselor at the transfer school. More information on IAI and PSC’s advisors and counselors for more information. transferring is found in Degrees, Certificates, Courses. A transfer student agreement (commonly called the Consult that section and the Index. Compact Agreement) is established with a number of public universities in Illinois. This compact states that a transfer student who has completed an associates degree based on a Transcripts baccalaureate-oriented sequence is considered to have attained Enrollment Services issues official transcripts; a nominal fee is junior standing and to have met lower-division general educational charged for each transcript. For more information on how to requirements. order transcripts, visit prairiestate.edu. Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) PSC is part of the Illinois Articulation Initiative, a statewide agreement allowing transfer of the completed Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) between participating institutions. Completion of the transferable IAI GECC at any participating college or university in Illinois ensures transferring students that lower-division general education requirements for an associates or bachelor’s degree have been satisfied. 41 42 DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES 43 2014-2016 Catalog Academic Degrees and Certificates Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) www.itransfer.org Prairie State College offers associate degrees that prepare students for transfer to four-year institutions, associate degrees Prairie State College participates in the Illinois Articulation and certificates that prepare students for specific careers, and Initiative (IAI), a statewide transfer agreement among more an associate degree that recognizes completion of a broad than 100 participating colleges, universities, or community range of college-level courses. colleges in Illinois. IAI works best for students who know they are going to transfer but are undecided on the college or university that will grant their bachelor’s degree. All colleges Transfer Degrees and universities participating in the IAI agree to accept a The Associate in Arts degree (A.A.) includes the first two years “package” of IAI general education courses in lieu of their own of study for students who plan to pursue a bachelor’s degree in comparable lower-division general education requirements. It is liberal arts. important to keep in mind that the IAI General Education Core The Associate in Science degree (A.S.) covers the first two Curriculum transfers as a package. Course-to-course transfer years of study for students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in is not guaranteed. IAI also includes major recommendations engineering, mathematics, or science. for the first two years of college in several popular majors. The Associate in Fine Arts: Art degree (A.F.A.) is designed to Faculty panels, which have expertise in the major field of study, prepare students to transfer as juniors into a bachelor’s degree created these recommendations. IAI major recommendations program (B.F.A.) in Studio Art. Students are encouraged to work best for students who have chosen their majors, are going complete their core courses in art before enrolling in media to eventually transfer, but are undecided on the college or specific studio courses. A portfolio review is usually required university that will grant their bachelor’s degree.