Skip to main content
Close
A-Z
Quick Links

Curriculum and Graduation Standards

 PDF
  1. Policy
    Salt Lake Community College recognizes the central role faculty have, both as individuals and collectively through their departments and representative bodies, in students’ and the college’s success.
    It shall be the policy of SLCC that curricula and graduation standards at the college shall be developed and implemented in compliance with all applicable codes, laws, policies, and accreditation standards with significant and meaningful involvement of the SLCC faculty and college stakeholders.
  2. References
    1. Education, 34 C.F.R.
    2. Approval and Modification of Instructional Programs and Administrative Units within Instructional Role, Mission, and Designated Service Region, Utah Board of Higher Education Policy, R401
    3. Certificate and Degree Award Structures, Utah Board of Higher Education Policy, R402.
    4. General Education, Utah Board of Higher Education Policy, R470.
    5. Lower Division Major Requirements and Transfer of Credits Policy, Utah Board of Higher Education Policy, R471.
    6. Credit for Prior Learning Policy, Utah Board of Higher Education Policy, R472.
    7. Clock-Hour to Credit-Hour Transition Policy, Utah Board of Higher Education Policy, R474.
    8. Common Course Numbering Policy, Utah Board of Higher Education Policy, R475.
    9. Honorary Degrees, Utah Board of Higher Education Policy, R492.
    10. Standards and Policies for Accreditation, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
  3. Definitions
    1. Academic Certificate: A program of study designed with appropriate breadth, depth, sequencing, and synthesis of learning, not simply a grouping of courses. Curriculum content may not substantively duplicate technical program.
    2. Academic Credit Hour: An amount of work represented in defined learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is equivalent to 45 or more hours of student work in a semester.
    3. Academic Year: A period of time that begins at the start of the Fall Semester and concludes at the end of the following Summer Semester.
    4. Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree: A program of study that is primarily intended to prepare students for direct entry into careers.
    5. Associate of Arts (AA) / Associate of Science (AS) Degree: A program of study that is primarily intended to encourage exploration of academic options and prepare students for upper-division work in baccalaureate programs or for employment.
    6. Associate of Pre-Engineering (APE) Degree: A specialized associate degree program of study that includes extensive specialized course work and is intended to prepare students to initiate upper-division work in an engineering baccalaureate program.
    7. Associate of Pre-Science (APS) Degree: A specialized associate degree program of study that includes extensive specialized course work and is intended to prepare students to initiate upper-division work in a science baccalaureate program.
    8. Catalog Year: The course and program requirements, admissions standards, and academic policies in effect during a single academic year.
    9. Curriculum: The instruction, learning outcomes, and academic content taught in a specific course or program.
    10. Curriculum Exception: An adjustment made to a program’s requirements for an individual student.
    11. Graded Course Credit: Credit that carries a grade and has an impact on a student’s grade point average (GPA). Graded course credit fulfills program requirements, total credit requirement for academic and technical degrees, pre- or co-requisites, and/or selective program admission requirements.
    12. Nongraded Course Credit: Credit that carries no grade and has no impact on a student’s GPA. Nongraded course credit can, however, fulfill program requirements, the total credit requirement for academic degrees, pre- or co-requisites if allowed by an individual program.
    13. Non-Repeatable Course: A course that can only be repeated for grade replacement. Only one instance counts toward a student’s total credits and GPA. Most courses are non-repeatable.
    14. Prerequisite: A course that must be successfully completed or a test score that must be earned to qualify for placement into an ensuing course. In some cases, certain prerequisite courses may be taken concurrently.
    15. Program of Study: A coherent series of courses leading to a degree or certificate with defined learning outcomes and requirements for completion.
    16. Repeatable Course: A course that may be retaken multiple times for additional credit. Each instance counts toward a student’s total credits and Grade Point Average (GPA).
    17. Technical Certificate: A structured program of study designed to meet the needs of employers in the Salt Lake County service region by preparing students for related employment in an occupations field. Must meet federal Perkins eligibility requirements in a recognized occupational field as identified by the unique Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code. Curriculum content may not substantively duplicate academic program.
    18. Technical Credit Hour: An amount of work represented in defined learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is equivalent to 30 or more hours for lecture/laboratory instruction or 45 or more hours for work-based activites.
  4. Procedures
    1. General
      1. Programs and courses are designed and delivered by appropriately qualified teaching faculty in consultation with other faculty members, academic administrators, staff, business and industry partners, professional associations, and other relevant stakeholders.
      2. Where programs are designed to prepare the student for transfer to another academic institution, program requirements are designed in consultation with the transfer partner, and appropriate articulation agreements are created and enforced.
      3. Program length, credit hour assignments, and other requirements must conform to the policies of the Utah Board of Higher Education (UBHE), the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), and in specific circumstances by program accreditation
      4. The school, college, and general education curriculum committees ensure that faculty and academic departments have made accurate credit hour assignments during the development, approval, and periodic review of programs and courses.
      5. The SLCC Curriculum Handbook and General Education Handbook contain current procedures for developing, approving, and periodically reviewing programs and courses.
    2. Catalog Year
      Any of the following standards may be used to determine a student’s catalog year for graduation purposes:
      1. A student’s catalog year is assigned at the time of admission to a degree or certificate program of study.
      2. If a student must re-apply for admission, the student will be assigned to the catalog in effect at the time of readmission.
      3. A student’s catalog year is updated when a student declares a new program of study.
      4. A student can elect to either use the student’s assigned catalog year or any subsequent catalog year up to the current catalog at the time the student applies for graduation.
      5. A student may not use a catalog year prior to the student’s assigned catalog year when they were not enrolled in courses at SLCC.
      6. No student can graduate under the requirements of a catalog more than 6 years old.
      7. Students must graduate under the requirements of a single catalog.
      8. Exceptions may be granted on an individual basis. Procedures for requesting an exception can be found on the Curriculum webpage.
    3. Graduation Standards
      A student may graduate from SLCC by completing all of the requirements for a degree or certificate as outlined in the applicable catalog year. The following standards also apply:
      1. A student must be a current, matriculated student to be eligible for graduation.
      2. Students may only graduate in an approved program contained in their designated catalog year. Applications for graduation in a discontinued program will not be accepted.
      3. A minimum of 25 percent of the credit defined by the program of study must be earned in residence at SLCC. This can include credit earned through SLCC Concurrent Enrollment.
      4. Credit awarded by SLCC through Credit For Prior Learning (see UBHE policy R472 and SLCC Credit for Prior Learning policy)) does not apply to in-residence credit.
      5. A student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher to graduate.
        1. Students should be aware that when a student transfers to another institution, the student’s cumulative GPA may be recalculated by the receiving institution.
      6. A student must not have any incomplete grades (grade of “I”).
      7. Credits earned in courses numbered 0001-0999 do not satisfy graduation requirements. Salt Lake Technical College (SLTC) courses completed prior to Fall 2024 may be approved to count toward degree requirements through the Curriculum Exception process in alignment with UBHE policy R474.
    4. Degree and Certificate Requirements
      1. Exceptions to the maximum credits may be granted by SLCC curricular approval bodies and UBHE.
      2. Financial aid eligibility for each degree or certificate may be found through the Financial Aid Office.
      3. An Associate of Science (AS) degree requires:
        1. a minimum of 60 credits and a maximum of 63 credits;
        2. a minimum of 27 credits in general education course work defined in UBHE policy R470;
        3. a minimum of 33 credits in additional, degree-oriented course work.
      4. An Associate of Arts (AA) degree requires:
        1. a minimum of 60 credits and a maximum of 63 credits;
        2. a minimum of 27 credits in general education course work defined in UBHE policy R470;
        3. a minimum of 33 credits in additional, lower-division degree-oriented course work; which includes
        4. successful completion of any language course at the 1020 level or higher as part of the 33 credits beyond general education.
      5. Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree requires:
        1. a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 69 credit hours;
        2. a minimum of 14 credits of general education including instruction in the areas of communication, composition, quantitative studies, and human relations.
      6. Specialized Associate’s Degrees, such as Associate of Pre-Engineering (APE) and Associate of Pre-Science (APS):
        1. a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 85 credit hours;
        2. a minimum of 28 credit hours of preparatory, specialized course work;
        3. may have fewer requirements for general education courses than in typical AA or AS degrees.
        4. Specialized associate’s programs are articulated from two- to four-year degrees, and in some cases, articulation may be system-wide.
      7. Academic Certificate
        1. a minimum of 9 and a maximum of 36 credits;
        2. may include general education courses;
        3. may be entry level or may require prerequisites of related industry experience or previous coursework or degree attainment;
        4. does not substantively duplicate with (but may be included within) another discipline at SLCC.
      8. Technical Certificate
        1. a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 51 credits;
        2. may not include general education courses;
        3. may be entry level or may require prerequisites of related industry experience or previous coursework or degree attainment;
        4. does not substantively duplicate with (but may be included within) another discipline at SLCC.
    5. Curriculum Exceptions:
      1. A curriculum exception may be either:
        1. a substitution where a single course completed by a student takes the place of a single course required for program completion;
        2. a waiver where one or more program requirements are waived for an individual student.
        3. In some cases, exceptions are made to satisfy reasonable accommodation requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Students should work with Accessibility & Disability Services (ADS).
      2. The Graduation Office is the only entity authorized to enter approved curriculum exceptions in the student’s graduation audit.
      3. A student must be matriculated to request an exception.
      4. Exceptions to the requirements of a program require documented approval by the administrator of the relevant academic unit after consultation with appropriately qualified teaching faculty and, where appropriate, program-specific academic advisors.
      5. Exceptions to substitute a course from one discipline for a course in another discipline require documented approval by the administrator of the relative academic unit after consultation with other relevant academic administrators where appropriate.
      6. Exceptions for General Education requirements require documented approval by the academic administrator assigned by the Provost to oversee the General Education program after consultation with other relevant academic administrators where appropriate.
      7. Procedures for requesting an exception are outlined on the Curriculum webpage.
      8. Exceptions may either be approved on a one-time or ongoing basis.
      9. Procedures for appealing the decision on an exception request are outlined on the Curriculum webpage.
    6. Course Numbering
      SLCC follows the UBHE policy R745 regarding common course numbering.
      1. Precollege or Developmental Courses: 0001 – 0999
      2. Lower Division Courses: 1000 – 2999
      3. Special Lower Division Course Number Designations: 1900-1999 and 2900-2999; e.g., directed reading, individual projects, seminars, special topics, workshops, and tutoring.
        1. 1900/2900 has been designated for use as a special studies or topics.
        2. 2000 has been designated for use as a co-op education course.
      4. Exceptions for designated course numbers will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Curriculum Office at the request of the Dean.
    7. Course Repeats
      SLCC follows the Department of Education, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the UBHE policies regarding course repeats.
      1. Non-Repeatable courses
        1. Students may repeat a course to earn a higher grade.
        2. All grades remain on the academic record; however, only the highest grade received in the same course will be used to calculate the student’s cumulative GPA.
        3. Only one instance of the same course will be included in the total credit hours earned toward graduation.
        4. The Department of Education and the Department of Veterans Affairs guidelines restrict the number of times a course repeat can be funded by federal aid.
        5. Only direct repeats are counted; a grade earned in a higher course in a series does not replace a grade earned in a lower course.
      2. Repeatable Courses
        1. Students may take a repeatable course multiple times.
        2. All grades remain on the academic record, and all will be used to calculate the student’s cumulative GPA.
        3. All instances of the course are included in the total credit hours earned toward graduation subject to individual program requirements.
      3. Transfer Courses
        Courses accepted from other institutions under SLCC’s transfer evaluation guidelines may be used to replace an unsatisfactory SLCC course to meet a program requirement if the courses are articulated as equivalent. Transfer courses will not replace SLCC grades nor impact the student’s SLCC cumulative GPA.
    8. Transfer Credit:
      1. Acceptance of Transfer Credits
        1. SLCC accepts credit transferred from other institutions within the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) in line with UBHE policy.
        2. In most cases, SLCC accepts credit transferred from other approved, accredited, postsecondary institutions according to the same guidelines followed for USHE credit. See the Transfer Evaluation Office guidelines.
        3. Credits that are not from approved, accredited, post-secondary institutions are generally not accepted unless approved by the administrator of the relevant academic unit in consultation with appropriately qualified teaching faculty.
      2. Applicability of Transfer Credits

        The Transfer Evaluation Office facilitates the review of all transfer courses in consultation with the appropriate academic units which make a determination of applicability to current requirements of the student’s declared program of study based on the appropriateness of course content, rigor, and standards.

    9. Expiration of Credit:
      1. SLCC Credit
        1. Unless specified by individual academic units, credits successfully completed at SLCC do not expire.
        2. Credit for prior versions of courses may not be equivalent to the current version of the same courses for completion of program requirements or satisfaction of current course prerequisites.
      2. Transfer Credit
        1. Once accepted by SLCC, transfer credit does not expire and can be applied toward a program of study as outlined in section 4.H.2.
        2. If a student must reapply for admission or if a student changes the student’s program of study, transfer credit application may be reevaluated.
    10. Multiple degree awards
      A student who previously earned a degree from SLCC or from another accredited institution is eligible to pursue an additional Associates degree in a different discipline provided that the multiple degree requirements vary by a minimum of 25%. Examples may include:
      1. A student that completes an AA in Humanities may not also receive an AS in Humanities because it is the same discipline.
      2. A student who completes an Accounting AS may not also receive a Finance AS if there is not more than 15 credits (25%) or more of additional discipline specific credits required to complete the second degree. This is example is based on a 60 credit associate degree but may be higher if the required courses for a degree is more than 60.
    11. Academic Renewal
      1. Academic renewal permits returning students to not count previous poor grades and associated credits from grade point calculations and allows a returning student the opportunity to improve academic standing at SLCC.
      2. Students admitted to SLCC may petition the Registrar’s Office to have poor grades and credits discounted from the GPA calculation of previous coursework.
      3. Academic renewal applies only to courses and credits taken at SLCC.
      4. Academic renewal applies only to courses with grades of D+, D, D-, E or UW.
      5. The grades and associated credits to be discounted must be at least five years old.
      6. Academic renewal may not be accepted by transfer institutions and may not satisfy federal financial aid satisfactory academic progress requirements.
      7. Academic renewal may be applied only once during a student’s academic career at Salt Lake Community College, and it is nonreversible.
      8. Repeated courses and credits are not eligible for academic renewal.
      9. Not all graded coursework must be discounted. Students may request specific courses for academic renewal.
      10. To petition for academic renewal, the student must:
        1. have an interruption in their education at SLCC of at least five consecutive years, after the final term of enrollment;
        2. be enrolled at SLCC at the time of application for academic renewal; and
        3. have completed at least 6 credits of graded SLCC coursework with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above.
      11. Grades and credits approved for academic renewal will no longer count toward an SLCC program or graduation requirements.
      12. Courses approved for academic renewal and the course grades will remain on transcripts with an academic renewal notation.
      13. Students will not receive a tuition adjustment or refund for courses granted academic renewal status.
    12. Honorary Degrees
      The Salt Lake Community Board of Trustees has the responsibility for selecting persons to receive honorary degrees granted by the institution.
    13. Posthumous Degrees
      1. All degrees, certificates of completion, and diplomas awarded by SLCC may be issued posthumously under the following conditions:
        1. The deceased student has completed a minimum of 80 percent of program and credit hour requirements for the student’s major field of study.
        2. The deceased student is in good academic standing and has earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 at SLCC.
        3. The deceased student must have been enrolled at the college within the past two years unless requested by the family.
      2. A deceased student not eligible for a posthumous degree, certificate of completion, or diploma, may be awarded a certificate of academic achievement at the discretion of the college.

Date of last executive cabinet review: April 2, 2025

The originator of this policy and procedure is the associate provost, Academic Systems. Questions regarding this policy and procedure may be directed to the originator by calling 801-957-4563.