GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS





ASSOCIATE DEGREES

Students pursuing a certificate or degree need to declare a degree plan with an academic advisor. The declared degree plan is then posted to the student's file.

In order to obtain the Associate of Arts, Associate of Arts in Elementary Education, Associate of Business, Associate of Science, Associate of General Studies, or Associate of Applied Science degrees from Northland, the candidate must:

  1. Satisfy the degree requirements as published in the applicable NPC Catalog prior to the date of graduation on which the degree is to be awarded;
  2. File an Application for Graduation, including the nonrefundable $20 fee, with the Records and Registration Office during the academic year the student expects to graduate, by March 2, 2007. A student who is late in filing an Application for Graduation may still be allowed to graduate, but will not be allowed to participate in commencement. Late applicants may participate in commencement the following year. Students who anticipate completing their degree requirements during the fall semester may apply for graduation by the first working day in October, and have their degree posted on their transcript at the end of the fall semester. If a student completes requirements for a degree during the summer, s/he must apply for fall graduation;
  3. Be credited with not less than 64 applicable semester credits in the Records and Registration Office. No course numbered below the 100 level can be used to satisfy the requirements for any degree;
  4. Have an approved degree plan on file, prior to March 2, 2007 in the Records and Registration Office. All petitions for degree requirement waivers must be submitted and approved prior to March 2, 2007 for the spring semester, or by the first working day in October for the fall semester;
  5. Have a grade point average of 2.0 or better in all work to be applied toward graduation. Not more than nine (9) units of 'D' credit will be allowed in the AAS or AGS degrees. For AAS and AGS degrees, 'D' credit will be allowed only in unrestricted electives. No 'D' credit will be allowed on the AA, AAEE, ABus, or AS degrees;
  6. Have no more than twelve (12) credits of 'P' grade applied toward graduation credit for the AAS and AGS degree requirements (except in those program areas where 'P' is the grade most commonly employed). No 'P' credit will be allowed on the AA, AAEE, ABus, or AS degrees;
  7. Have a minimum of twelve (12) semester credits in residence at Northland, that apply toward the degree being pursued and meet the requirements for the applicable NPC Catalog (see section APPLICABLE CATALOG for additional details). Credits obtained by assessment may not be used toward the residency requirement; and
  8. Remove, thirty (30) days prior to the date of commencement, any indebtedness to the College.


CERTIFICATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE

A Certificate of Applied Science will be awarded to students who have completed an approved vocational program with all courses successfully completed with a grade of 'C' or better to indicate the achievement of technical skills and competence in a specific area of endeavor.

The candidate for the Certificate of Applied Science must:

  1. Satisfy the certificate requirements as published in the applicable NPC Catalog prior to the date of graduation at which the certificate is to be awarded;
  2. File an Application for Graduation, including the nonrefundable $20 fee, with the Records and Registration Office during the academic year the student expects to graduate, by March 2, 2007 for the spring semester. A student who is late in filing an Application for Graduation may still be allowed to graduate, but will not be allowed to participate in commencement. Late applicants may participate in commencement the following year. Students who anticipate completing their certificate requirements during the fall semester may apply for graduation prior to the first working day in October, and have their certificate posted on their transcript at the end of the fall semester. If a student completes requirements for a certificate during the summer, s/he must apply for fall graduation;
  3. Have an approved degree plan on file, prior to March 2, 2007 for the spring semester, or by the first working day in October for the fall semester, in the Records and Registration office. All petitions for certificate requirement waivers must be submitted and approved prior to March 2, 2007 for the spring semester, or by the first working day in October for the fall semester;
  4. Have a minimum of twelve (12) semester credits in residence at Northland, that apply toward the certificate being pursued and meet the requirements for the applicable NPC Catalog (see section APPLICABLE CATALOG for additional details). Credits obtained by assessment may not be used toward the residency requirement; and
  5. Remove, thirty (30) days prior to the date of commencement, any indebtedness to the College.


CERTIFICATE OF PROFICIENCY

Certificates of Proficiency are approved programs that indicate specific vocational competencies. Any number of certificates may be awarded to a student who completes the requirements. A formal certificate will be sent to the applicant once the completion of requirements is certified. Normally these students do not attend graduation ceremonies. An exception is made for those students who complete a Certificate of Proficiency of 32 credits or more in two semesters.

Certificates of Proficiency will be awarded when the student:

  1. Satisfies the requirements for the Certificate as published in the applicable NPC Catalog;
  2. Files an application, including the nonrefundable $15 fee, with the Records and Registration Office when all courses have been completed;
  3. Completes successfully, with a grade of 'C' or better, all courses to indicate the achievement of technical skills and competence in a specific area of endeavor;
  4. Has a minimum of seventy-five (75) percent of the credits required for the certificate in residence at Northland. Credits obtained by assessment cannot be used toward the residency requirement; and
  5. Removes any indebtedness to the College prior to making application for the Certificate of Proficiency.


APPLICABLE CATALOG

Students maintaining continuous enrollment at any public Arizona community college or university may graduate according to the requirements of the catalog in effect at the time of initial enrollment or according to the requirements of any single catalog in effect during subsequent terms of continuous enrollment. A student may maintain continuous enrollment whether attending a single public community college or university in Arizona or transferring among public institutions in Arizona while pursuing his/her degrees.

Students transferring among Arizona public higher education institutions must meet the admission, residency and all curricular and academic requirements of the degree-granting institution.

  1. A semester in which a student earns course credit is counted toward continuous enrollment. Noncredit courses, audited courses, failed courses or courses from which the student withdraws do not count toward the determination of continuous enrollment for catalog purposes.
  2. Students who do not meet the minimum enrollment standard stipulated in number 1 during three consecutive semesters (fall/spring/fall or spring/fall/spring) and the intervening summer term** at any public Arizona community college or university are no longer considered continuously enrolled. These students must meet requirements of the public Arizona community college or university catalog in effect at the time they are readmitted or of any single catalog in effect during subsequent terms of continuous enrollment after readmission.
    (**Students are not obligated to enroll and earn course credit during summer terms, but summer enrollment may be used to maintain continuous enrollment status.)
  3. Students admitted or readmitted to a public Arizona community college or university during a summer term must follow the requirements of the catalog in effect the following fall semester or of any single catalog in effect during subsequent terms of continuous enrollment.
  4. In areas of study in which the subject matter changes rapidly, material in courses taken long before graduation may become obsolete or irrelevant. Course work that is more than eight (8) years old is applicable to completion of degree requirements at the discretion of the student's major department. Departments may accept such course work, reject it or request that the student revalidate its substance. The eight-year limit on course work applies except when program accreditation agencies limit the life of course work to less than eight years. Departments may also require students to satisfy current major requirements rather than major requirements in earlier catalogs, when completing earlier requirements is no longer possible or educationally sound.
  5. Enrollment by Arizona community college students in nontransferable courses still constitutes enrollment for purposes of determining whether the student has been continuously enrolled. For example, if a student takes two semesters of cooperative education classes, which are not transferrable to the university but constitute continuous enrollment at the community college, the university should consider it continuous enrollment.
  6. Exceptions made by an institution apply only to the institution that made the exception. For example, if the community college departments accepted credit which was more than eight years old, the university department to which the student transfers has the right and the obligation to reevaluate any credit which is more than eight years old.

Inquiries about these guidelines may be directed to the student's Academic Advisor.



DEGREE EXCLUSIONS AND EXCEPTIONS

  1. Students who have completed an Associate of Arts degree, Associate of Business degree or Associate of Science degree, or higher degree (BS, BA, etc.), will not be awarded an Associate of General Studies, or a second degree of the same type. Students completing the aforementioned degrees may complete a different transfer degree providing they complete the appropriate Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) courses, the common courses identified for the major they will be pursuing at the university, and applicable language requirements.
  2. Students who complete an AAS degree offered by NPC may complete an AA, AAEE, AS, ABus, or AGS degree. For each degree students must complete 12 additional credits transferable to all three Arizona state universities. Students must meet all requirements specific to the degree they wish to earn.
  3. A student may earn any number of CAS or AAS degrees; however, students must earn a minimum of 9 additional credits that apply to each new area of specialization.
  4. Students who have completed an AA, AAEE, AS, ABus, or AAS degree or higher degree at Northland or another accredited institution are not required to complete the General Education requirements of a second AAS or CAS to be earned at Northland, unless the Northland degree has specific general educational requirements not previously taken;
  5. Credits over eight (8) years in age are subject to review prior to acceptance toward the prerequisites and/or degree requirements in some Northland programs, except when program accreditation agencies limit the life of course work to less than eight (8) years.


COURSE OFFERING LIMITATIONS

Northland offers courses at a number of locations throughout the district. Through its regular offerings and alternative study programs, Northland attempts to provide as many courses as possible for completion of the degrees and certificates at each learning site. However, many vocational programs are limited to specific locations and are not offered beyond these locations.



PETITIONS FOR EXCEPTIONS

Students seeking exceptions to degree requirements should meet with an academic advisor for assistance in completing the petition forms. These forms accompanied by supporting information such as copies of transcripts, course descriptions, and articulation rules are forwarded to the Dean responsible for the degree program being petitioned. The Dean makes a recommendation and forwards the paperwork to the Vice President for Learning or the Registrar for a final decision and distribution of the copies of the petition form.



NPC Online catalog cover photoCatalog 2006-2007

















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