2002-2004 Catalog - St. Charles Community College

Academic Programs – Degrees and CertificatesWE ARE USER FRIENDLYIn general, four-semester (two-year) programsleading to an Associate of Applied Science degreeare designed for persons with little or no trainingor experience or for those who are changingcareers. Shorter programs – one or two semestersin length that terminate in certificates – are bettersuited to the employed professional who seeks toupgrade or enhance current job skills for careeradvancement. The number of semester hoursrequired in a program of study determineswhether a student receives the degree or one ofthe certificates.The program you ultimately select will, ofcourse, depend on your present skills, personalobligations, and career goals. Course workcompleted in most of the short-term certificateprograms as well as classes taken one at a timemay be applied to the two-year degree in the samesequence should you wish to continue study.JOB PREPARATIONEmployers know that SCC is a good labor poolresource in the area and that our graduates willcome well-prepared for entry-level employment.The Career Services Center helps students prepareto work for area employers.UPDATING SKILLSPeople who need to update their skills to meettechnological changes in their jobs will find thatcourses at SCC are well suited. Persons who havelost their jobs can return to SCC to learn new jobskills and return to the job market ... quickly,inexpensively, and close to home.At SCC, we know that not everyone taking careercourses needs or wants a degree or certificate.Many people take courses on an as-needed basis toupdate their present skills and learn new ones tomake a career change. Others attend SCC under acompany-sponsored tuition reimbursement planfor courses that will not only help them but alsohelp their employers.ADVISORY COMMITTEESEach career-technical program of St. CharlesCommunity College has an advisory committeecomprising a cross section of representatives frombusiness, industry, government, and education.Advisory committees give valuable advice not easilyobtained elsewhere and lend assistance for programimprovement, advising the college on currentjob needs, the relevance of programs being offeredin meeting those job needs, and applications forvocational funding.GRADUATION REQUIREMENTSStudents must apply for a degree one semesterbefore the completion of that degree. The collegedoes not automatically award degrees. For moreinformation, contact the Registrar's Office.To graduate with the Associate of Applied Sciencedegree, you must take a minimum of 64 hoursincluding 24 hours in general education courses.See the chart on page 64 for specific requirementsfor the Associate of Applied Science degree and theCertificate of Achievement.Unless a course is specifically listed in the generaleducation requirements for your degree, it willnot be counted towards these requirements. Mostcollege-level courses will count as electives towardgraduation. You should check individual coursedescriptions in the back of this catalog. Careertechnicalcourses may not count toward electivesfor the Associate of Arts degree.If you plan to earn a degree at SCC, you willneed to meet the requirements of the catalog ineffect when you first enrolled or of any subsequentcatalog as long as you enroll in at least one fall orspring term each academic year (August-May).ADMISSION TOSPECIFIC PROGRAMSAdmission to SCC does not guaranteeadmission to specific programs. Many of theprograms described here require that you havemastered certain basic competencies before youbegin the course of study. See the program outlinesin this chapter for special admissions requirementspertaining to specific career programs.63