Catalog - Graduation Information

Graduation - Associate Degree and Certificate Completers

Students qualified to receive Associate Degrees from DACC are required to file an "Application to Graduate" with the Records Office. The Intent can be filed once the student has successfully earned 45 semester hours towards their degree completion. Associate Degrees are conferred during the Graduation Ceremony which is held upon the conclusion of the Spring Term.

Effective with the 2003 May Graduation Ceremony, students who have completed a program of study which results in a certificate will be eligible to participate in the Graduation Ceremony. Students qualified to receive Certificates from DACC are also required to file an "Application to Graduate" with the Records Office at the beginning of the term in which all requirements will be met.

Graduation Honors Recognition

Only Associate Degree completers will be eligible for Honors Recognition during the Graduation ceremony. The student's cumulative grade point average at the completion of Fall Term prior to the May Graduation Ceremony is used to determine Honors Recognition. Certificate completers are not eligible for Honors Recognition at the Graduation Ceremony.

Degrees with Distinction

Students who have a cumulative grade-point average of 4.000 graduate summa cum laude; those with a cumulative grade-point of 3.750 through 3.999 graduate magna cum laude; and those with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.500 through 3.749 graduate cum laude.

Students' ability to be recognized at the graduation ceremony is based on the cumulative grade-point average calculated at the end of the fall semester prior to the spring ceremony. Transcript notations of cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude are based on the total grade-point average, including the final semester prior to graduation.

Due to the "highest distinction," summa cum laude candidates' cumulative grade point averages are calculated using the grades earned at Danville Area Community College as well as any grades transferred in from another college that are used for degree completion.

Graduation dress for students graduating with honor is as follows: cum laude candidates wear a gold tassel; magna cum laude candidates wear a gold tassel and a gold cord; summa cum laude candidates wear a gold tassel, a gold cord, and a medallion.

In addition to being honored during the graduation ceremony, summa cum laude candidates perform assigned duties. The candidates will be assembled approximately one month before graduation to determine the assigned roles.

Requirements for Completing a Double Major

Several divisions of the College offer majors leading to an AAS Degree which have many of the same required courses. The difference between one major and another is often only a matter of a few courses. A second major can be obtained by completing those different courses as prescribed by the degree requirements with the approval of the appropriate division chairperson.

Double majors may be worked on simultaneously, or the second major may be granted after earning the degree. The course work for the second major must be completed within two (2) years of the issuance of the degree.

Evidence of successful completion of said courses will be recorded on the student's transcript as a second major. There will be NO additional diploma issued upon completion of a second major.

Transcripts

All information in the student's record folder is considered confidential and is released only after proper authorization. Danville Area Community College will issue official transcripts of academic records only upon written authorization from the student.

Official transcripts will be mailed directly to other educational institutions upon written request by the student. Copies are $3.00 for each copy. Transcripts will not be issued until all fiscal obligations due the College are cleared.

Transfer Credit Evaluation

Danville Area Community College accepts 100-level and 200-level coursework from other postsecondary institutions who have been accredited by approved national, regional, and professional accrediting bodies. Accreditation shows that the institutions have been evaluated by recognized accrediters and are determined by their peers, to meet acceptable levels of educational quality.

As part of the DACC application process, students are asked to send "official" transcripts from all institutions previously attended. Once the transcript is received by the DACC Records Office, the transcript is evaluated for general education credit. After the evaluation has been completed, the student will be notified of the results. The evaluation will specify what the transferred course work equated to at Danville Area Community College.

If a student wants career-oriented (vocational) coursework to be evaluated, the student should contact the Records Office in Vermillion Hall to make the request. We will need to know the student's specific major at that time.

Not more than forty-five credit hours will be accepted by transfer. The accepted coursework will also appear on the student's DACC transcript. Only credit hours are noted on the DACC transcript. Grades are not figured into the student's DACC cumulative grade point average. However, if a student is a candidate for Summa Cum Laude honors at commencement, grades will be considered for any coursework that is used for degree completion.

Danville Area Community College will limit the academic residency to twenty-five percent or less of the degree requirement for all degrees for active-duty servicemembers and their adult family members (spouse and college-age children). In addition, there are no “final semester” residency requirements for active duty servicemembers and their family members. Academic residency can be completed at any time while active-duty servicemembers and their family members are enrolled. Reservist and National Guardsmen on active –duty are covered in the same manner.

Students who find themselves in the situations stated above will be referred to the Veterans Representative and/or Registrar for any assistance needed.

Transfer of Credits

Universities and colleges prescribe their own standards of eligibility for admissions with advanced standing. In general, a student may transfer from a community college to a senior college or university after one or more semesters of community college work, provided that their scholastic average is C or above. (Some universities will not accept a course grade of D.)

It is urged that students determine early in their academic career the school to which they plan to transfer. A careful check should be made of admission and transfer requirements.

It is highly recommended that a student complete at least 60 semester hours before transferring to a senior college or university.

Note: Career-oriented courses are not designed primarily for transfer. Transfer of such courses will depend upon the policy of the school to which the student is transferring.

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