Graduation - Palo Alto College (2024)

• Graduation Application
• Degree/Certificate Requirements
• Catalog Requirements
• Deadlines
• Commencement Exercises
• Guarantee for Job Competency for Professional Technical Workplace Students
• Articulation Agreements and Joint Admissions Programs
• Reverse Transfer Degree

The Alamo Colleges confer (post on official transcript) degrees and certificates three (3) times a year, at the end of Fall and Spring semesters and Summer sessions.

The Alamo Colleges offer recognition for satisfactory completion of work in the following forms:

• Associate of Arts Degree
• Associate of Science Degree
• Associate of Arts in Teaching
• Associate of Applied Science Degree
• Certificates

To be awarded a degree or certificate, students should request preparation of a degreeaudit and file an Apply to Graduate Form after the completion offorty-five (45) semester credit hours toward a specific degree or at least fifteen (15) semester credit hours toward a certificate at the Alamo Colleges. All candidates should list the catalog edition under which graduation is requested when completing the Apply to Graduate Form online through the student’s ACES account. One application is required for each degree or certificate requested.

To be awarded an Associate Degree or Certificate students must:

• Complete all required courses and semester credit hours for the specific degree or certificate.
• Achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all coursework completed at the Alamo Colleges (excluding developmental-level coursework) as well as courses successfully completed at all other colleges and universities that apply to the student’s degree or certificate program at the Alamo Colleges.
• Submit official transcripts of all coursework attempted at other colleges and universities.
• Complete all degree requirements for the technical program major in Associate Degree or Certificate programs, with a grade of “C” or better.
• Earn at least 25% of degree hours required for graduation in residency atthe college ofthe Alamo Colleges granting the degree or certificate.
• Fulfill all Texas Success Initiative (TSI) requirements.
• Be in Good Academic Standing at the end of the final semester.

Students may submit an Apply to Graduate Form under the degree requirements of the Alamo Colleges

• current catalog,
• the catalog in effect the date of first (1) enrollment in the Alamo Colleges, or
• as outlined in an Alamo Colleges catalog subsequent to the first (1) enrollment date but dated no more than five (5) years prior to the expected graduation date.

Degree requirements must be completed within five (5) academic years from the date of the Alamo Colleges’ catalog chosen.

Students may file a petition to Enrollment Services/Admissions and Records Office for an extension of the five (5) year rule. Veterans must remain with the catalog of first (1) enrollment unless the change is approved by the Veterans Administration Office.

To be awarded a degree or certificate, students must apply for graduation by submitting an Apply to Graduate Form online through the student’s ACES account. Applications submitted after the deadline are processed with the next graduating class and diplomas/certificates reflect that date.

All candidates for degrees and certificates are encouraged to participate in commencement exercises. Candidates need not be enrolled during the semester that the Apply to Graduate Form is submitted or during the semester in which the degree is conferred. For example, a Fall graduate may elect to participate in the graduation ceremony the following May or a candidate for graduation may participate in the May graduation ceremony preceding Summer completion provided no more than two (2) courses are required to complete program requirements. Participation in the graduation ceremony, however, does not ensure automatic fulfillment of requirements or that a degree will be awarded.

There is no cost for graduation. The diploma, cap, and gown are provided by the Alamo Colleges.

If an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) graduate or Certificate completer, whose coursework began in the Fall 1993 semester or thereafter, is judged by an employer to be lacking in technical job skills identified as exit competencies for the specific degree or certificate program, the graduate will be provided up to nine (9) tuition-free semester credit hours of additional skill training by the college of the Alamo Colleges awarding the degree or certificate under the conditions of this policy. The guarantee does not imply that the graduate will pass any licensing or qualifying examination for a particular career.

Conditions applying to this guarantee policy:

• The graduate/completer must have earned the A.A.S. Degree or Certificate in a technical program published in the catalogs (or their addenda) of the college awarding the degree.
• The graduate/completer must have completed the A.A.S. Degree or Certificate with a majority (75%) of the credits being earned at the college awarding the degree within a four (4) year time span from initial enrollment. The last fifteen (15) semester credit hours MUST be completed at the college awarding the degree and must include the capstone course for the respective degree. For information on the capstone course, contact the respective chairperson or program coordinator.
• The graduate/completer must be employed full-time in an area directly related to the area of program concentration as certified by the Alamo Colleges’ president or designee.
• The graduate/completer must commence employment within six (6) months of graduation/completion.
• The employer must certify in writing that the employee is lacking entry-level skills which were identified by the college awarding the degree or certificate as the program exit competencies as approved by the program advisory committee. The employer must specify the areas of deficiency within ninety (90) days of the graduate’s/completer’s initial employment.
• The employer, graduate/completer, and representatives of the college awarding the degree will develop a written educational plan for retraining.
• Retraining will be limited to nine (9) credit hours related to the identified skill covered by the retraining plan.
• All retraining must be completed within one (1) calendar year from the time agreed upon for the educational plan.
• The graduate/completer and/or employer is responsible for the costs of books, insurance, uniforms, and /or other course-related expenses.
• The student’s sole remedy against the Alamo Colleges and its employees for skill deficiencies shall be limited to nine (9) credit hours of tuition-free education under the conditions described above.
• The program can be initiated through a written contract with the Office of the College President.

The Alamo Colleges and senior colleges and universities work closely to ensure a smooth transition from the Alamo Colleges to senior colleges’ baccalaureate degree programs.

During their enrollment at the Alamo Colleges, students are advised to fulfill the lower-division requirements for college or university programs. Students wishing to transfer into a baccalaureate or professional degree program should obtain an undergraduate catalog of the university to which they plan to transfer and consult with an Alamo Colleges’ counselor/advisor.

The Alamo Colleges have established Articulation Agreements with a number of senior colleges and universities, including many universities in San Antonio. These agreements describe partnerships to facilitate the transfer process and may include:

• Joint Admissions Agreements
• Transfer Plans
• Transfer Guides for Specific Majors
• Core Curriculum Equivalences
• Course Equivalency Tables
• Reverse Transfer Agreements

The agreements allow students to identify which courses may be taken at the Alamo Colleges to complete freshman and sophom*ore requirements for a particular university degree program. Senior institutions generally will accept a maximum of sixty-six (66) transfer credit hours in lower-division general education and specific field of study curriculum courses.

Students are encouraged to visit their college’s transfercenter to find out which universities have these agreements and to gather information concerning institutions to which they intend to transfer, including university admissions requirements, degree program requirements, scholarships, housing, and university contact information. Information about scholarship resources is also available. University admissions representatives and transfer advisors from select institutions are scheduled each semester to advise prospective transfer students at each of the Alamo Colleges.

Students whotransfer fromthe Alamo Collegesandhaveearned a bachelor’s degree from a Texas college or university, as well as Alamo Colleges students who transfer to another Texas college or university, may qualify for an Associate’s Degree. The Reverse Transfer Degree Program is designed for students who have accumulated25% of the Associate degree (usually 15 credit college-level credit hours)at one of the Alamo Colleges and who have received a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited Texas college or university. Earned hours must include the courses required by the Texas Higher Education Act as set forth in Subchapter F, sections 51.301 and 51.302 (six [6] semester hours in U.S./Texas government and six [6] hours in U.S./Texas history).

Students seeking the Reverse Transfer Degree must:

• submit a degree application to the Alamo Colleges
• submit an application for graduation to the Alamo Colleges
• submit an official transcript from a public Texas college or university indicating the award of a baccalaureate degree