Graduation

Graduation Procedures

Graduation Requirements

To be awarded an associate degree, certificate or career studies certificate, a student must:

1. Fulfill all course and credit hour requirements specified in the John Tyler Community College Catalog at the time of his or her official placement in the curriculum major. Subsequent program changes may necessitate course substitutions, but these can only be made with the recommendation of the student’s academic advisor and the approval of the appropriate division dean.
2. Earn a minimum of 25 percent of the total semester credits required for the degree, certificate, or career studies certificate at John Tyler Community College. Note: Credits earned via experiential learning are not considered residency credits earned at John Tyler Community College. In addition, experiential learning credits may be used to satisfy no more than 25 percent of the requirements for a degree, certificate, or career studies certificate.
3. Have a grade point average of at least 2.0 in all courses that are applicable toward graduation in the curriculum (major).
4. Resolve any financial obligations to the College, and return all library books and other materials.
5. Participate in the institution’s assessments of its academic programs prior to graduation. Information will be sent to students outlining specific information about the process. Failure to complete required assessment activities may result in transcripts and/or diplomas being withheld until this requirement is fulfilled.

Applying for Graduation

To be considered for graduation, a student must:

1. Apply for graduation online through the myTyler portal or obtain an application for graduation from his/her faculty advisor.
2. If submitting a paper application, obtain his/her faculty advisor’s signature, attach the advising transcript and submit to the Office of Admissions and Records by the appropriate deadline to receive a review report.
3. Submit the completed Application for Graduation to the Admissions and Records office by the appropriate deadline to receive an audit report:

   – For summer semester candidates:	February 15
   – For fall semester candidates:	June 15
   – For spring semester candidates:	September 15

NOTE: Please see the Graduation Deadlines and FAQs page at www.jtcc.edu/students/graduation/

Applications for Graduation for spring semester candidates will be accepted until early February, but no official review reports advising candidates of outstanding course requirements will be forwarded to students who submit graduation applications after September 15.

    4. Ensure that all course waiver and substitution forms are submitted by his/her faculty advisor to the Admissions and Records office by the appropriate deadline:

NOTE: Forms submitted late may be processed for spring semester graduation and students may not be permitted to participate in commencement until the following year.

NOTE: The College reserves the right to graduate students who have completed all requirements for a career studies certificate, certificate, and/or associate degree.

Multiple Awards

• Students seeking to graduate with two degrees and/or certificates must submit graduation applications for both awards.
• Current State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) procedures limit the number of awards (degrees and certificates) that can be officially reported by VCCS institutions for a student within an academic year (summer, fall, spring) to no more than two.
• Students may only graduate with one specialization within a single degree.
• All subsequent awards (degrees, certificates, career studies certificates) must differ from prior awards by at least 25 percent.

Participating in Commencement

• John Tyler Community College’s annual Commencement Ceremony is held each May. Students who graduate in the preceding summer, fall and spring semesters may participate.
• Students who wish to participate in the annual Commencement Ceremony must indicate this on their graduation applications, and submit a R.S.V.P. There are no exceptions to this requirement.
• Information about the Commencement Ceremony and the purchase of caps, gowns and announcements is mailed to all participants during the spring semester.

Diplomas

• The Admissions and Records office will notify graduates when their diplomas are ready for distribution. Candidates should make certain that their mailing addresses are accurate at the institution. Students who require official verification of their graduation should request official transcripts and note on the request that the transcript must show the degree conferred.  This may take 2-3 weeks after commencement.
• All graduation honors reflect all coursework attempted at John Tyler Community College. This includes courses that may not be used in satisfying specific graduation requirements.
• To be eligible for academic honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, cum laude), students must complete at least 50 percent of the courses used to satisfy the requirements of their degrees and/or certificates at John Tyler Community College.

Outcomes

General Education Outcomes

John Tyler Community College is committed to providing its students a broad and integrated educational experience that will enable them to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values associated with a productive and fulfilling life.

Graduates of John Tyler Community College’s associate degree programs should have developed capabilities in the following areas:

1. Communication
   A competent communicator can interact with others using all forms of communication, resulting in understanding and being understood. Degree graduates will demonstrate the ability to:
   • Understand and interpret complex materials
   • Assimilate, organize, develop, and present an idea formally and informally
   • Use standard English
   • Use appropriate verbal and non-verbal responses in interpersonal relations and group discussions
   • Use listening skills
   • Recognize the role of culture in communication
2. Critical Thinking
   A competent critical thinker evaluates evidence carefully and applies reasoning to decide what to believe and how to act. Degree graduates will demonstrate the ability to:
   • Discriminate among degrees of credibility, accuracy, and reliability of inferences drawn from given data
   • Recognize parallels, assumptions, or presuppositions in any given source of information
   • Evaluate the strengths and relevance of arguments on a particular question or issue
   • Weigh evidence and decide if generalizations or conclusions based on the given data are warranted
   • Determine whether certain conclusions or consequences are supported by the information provided
   • Use problem-solving skills
3. Cultural and Social Understanding
   A culturally and socially competent person possesses an awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the interconnectedness of the social and cultural dimensions within and across local, regional, state, national, and global communities. Degree graduates will demonstrate the ability to:
   • Assess the impact that social institutions have on individuals and culture—past, present, and future
   • Describe their own as well as others’ personal ethical systems and values within social institutions
   • Recognize the impact that arts and humanities have upon individuals and cultures
   • Recognize the role of language in social and cultural contexts
   • Recognize the interdependence of distinctive world-wide social, economic, geopolitical, and cultural systems
4. Information Literacy
   A person who is competent in information literacy recognizes when information is needed and has the ability to locate, evaluate, and use it effectively. (Adapted from the American Library Association definition.) Degree graduates will demonstrate the ability to:
   • Determine the nature and extent of the information needed
   • Access needed information effectively and efficiently
   • Evaluate information and its sources critically and incorporate selected information into his or her knowledge base
   • Use information effectively, individually or as a member of a group, to accomplish a specific purpose
   • Understand many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and access and use information ethically and legally
5. Personal Development
   An individual engaged in personal development strives for physical well-being and emotional maturity. Degree graduates will demonstrate the ability to:
   • Develop and/or refine personal wellness goals
   • Develop and/or enhance the knowledge, skills, and understanding to make informed academic, social, personal, career, and interpersonal decisions
6. Quantitative Reasoning
   A person who is competent in quantitative reasoning possesses the skills and knowledge necessary to apply the use of logic, numbers, and mathematics to deal effectively with common problems and issues. A person who is quantitatively literate can use numerical, geometric, and measurement data and concepts, mathematical skills, and principles of mathematical reasoning to draw logical conclusions and to make well-reasoned decisions. Degree graduates will demonstrate the ability to:
   • Use logical and mathematical reasoning within the context of various disciplines
   • Interpret and use mathematical formulas
   • Interpret mathematical models such as graphs, tables and schematics and draw inferences from them
   • Use graphical, symbolic, and numerical methods to analyze, organize, and interpret data
   • Estimate and consider answers to mathematical problems in order to determine reasonableness
   • Represent mathematical information numerically, symbolically, and visually, using graphs and charts
7. Scientific Reasoning
   A person who is competent in scientific reasoning adheres to a self-correcting system of inquiry (the scientific method) and relies on empirical evidence to describe, understand, predict, and control natural phenomena. Degree graduates will demonstrate the ability to:
   • Generate an empirically evidenced and logical argument
   • Distinguish a scientific argument from a non-scientific argument
   • Reason by deduction, induction and analogy
   • Distinguish between causal and correlational relationships
   • Recognize methods of inquiry that lead to scientific knowledge

Program Specific Outcomes

John Tyler Community College also conducts program level assessment which focuses on what and how an academic program is contributing to the learning, growth, and development of students as a group. Assessment plans reflect specific program goals, measurable student learning outcomes, and a well-articulated plan for timely implementation, strategic data collection, and analysis.

Findings are then used to inform, confirm, and support program level change and facilitate continuous program level improvement.

Assessment Activities

John Tyler Community College engages in continuous study of its internal and external environment through a number of assessment activities. Students are required to participate in these activities for the purposes of program evaluation and improvement. All Spring candidates for graduation with an Associates Degree are required to participate in the institution’s assessment of its academic programs prior to graduation. Failure to complete required assessment activities may result in transcripts and/or diplomas being withheld until this requirement is fulfilled.