Graduation

A student should contact the campus Advising and Counseling Center with any questions about the degree plan and/or graduation requirements.

One formal commencement exercise is held each year at the end of the spring term. A student completing graduation requirements during the summer or fall term may choose to participate in the formal commencement ceremony conducted at the conclusion of the following spring term.

A completed Commencement Participation Form is required of all students participating in the annual commencement ceremony. However, all graduating students are encouraged to submit the form regardless of intent to participate in the ceremony to ensure the desired name is printed on the diploma and the correct address is on file for mailing the diploma. Students electing to participate in the ceremony should submit the form through Web Advisor during the semester they will complete their final degree or certificate requirements

Tarrant County College reserves the right to post degrees and/or certificates for current or former students who have met completion requirements but have not formally initiated the graduation process.

Requirements for Graduation

Tarrant County College offers four associate degrees and a number of certificates of completion. A student may graduate by completing the catalog degree or certificate requirements in effect at the time of first enrollment at TCC, or those listed in a later Catalog, provided the requirements are met not later than five years from the date of the Catalog selected, the degree or certificate program and requisite courses are still being offered, and mandates of regulating agencies are satisfied.

General Requirements for an Associate Degree:

1. A minimum of 25 percent of the semester credit hours required for the degree must be earned in residence at TCC.
2. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 is required for all TCC courses.
3. A minimum grade point average of 2.0 is required for all courses presented for graduation.
4. All requirements of the degree must be satisfactorily completed.
5. Texas Success Initiative (TSI) requirements must be satisfactorily completed.
6. All financial obligations to the College must be met.
7. Students applying to receive a subsequent two-year degree must complete an additional 15 hours in residence

General Requirements for a Certificate of Completion:

1. A minimum of 25 percent of the semester credit hours required for the certificate must be earned in residence at TCC.
2. A minimum grade point average of 2.0 is required for all courses presented for graduation.
3. All requirements of the certificate must be satisfactorily completed.
4. Texas Success Initiative (TSI) requirements must be satisfactorily completed ONLY for TSI-liable certificates (requiring more than 42 semester hours).
5. All financial obligations to the College must be met.

Graduation Honors

Associate Degrees

Graduation honors are awarded to students completing the Associate of Arts, the Associate of Arts in Teaching, the Associate of Science, or the Associate of Applied Science Degree with a superior cumulative grade point average (GPA). The following classifications of honors will be recognized on the student’s transcript.

The GPA computation to determine honors includes only completed TCC courses, not including developmental coursework, and includes all coursework during the term of completion. AA, AS, AAT and AAS degree recipients must complete at least 30 semester hours in residence at TCC to qualify for honors.

Certificates of Completion

Graduation with Distinction is awarded to students earning a Certificate of Completion with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. This honors designation will appear on the student’s transcript of college record.

The GPA computation to determine Graduation with Distinction includes only completed TCC courses, not including developmental coursework, and includes all coursework during the term of completion. Certificate recipients must complete at least 15 semester hours in residence at TCC to qualify for Graduation with Distinction.

Graduate Guarantee Program

Transfer Guarantee

Tarrant County College guarantees to its Associate of Arts students who have met the requirements for the degree that course credits will transfer to other public-supported Texas colleges or universities provided the following conditions are met:

1. Transferability means acceptance of credit toward a specific major and degree at a specific institution.
2. Limitations on number of credits accepted in transfer, grades required, relevant grade point average, and duration of transferability apply as stated in the general undergraduate catalog of the receiving institution.
3. Transferability refers to courses in a written degree plan filed in a student’s file in the appropriate office at TCC.
4. Only college-level courses with Community College General Academic Course Guide Manual approved numbers are included in this guarantee.

If all the above conditions are met and courses are not accepted by a receiving institution in transfer, the student must notify the District Office of Admissions Services at TCC within 10 days of notice of transfer credit denial so the Transfer Dispute Resolution process can be initiated.

If course denial is not resolved, TCC will allow the student to take tuition-free alternate courses, semester hour for semester hour, which are acceptable to the receiving institution within a one-year period from granting of a degree at TCC. The graduate is responsible for payment of any fees, books or other course-related expenses associated with the alternate course or courses.

Guarantee for Job Competency

If a recipient of an Associate of Applied Science Degree or Certificate of Completion is judged by an employer to be lacking in technical skills identified as exit competencies for a specific degree program, the graduate will be provided up to 12 tuition-free credit hours of additional skills training by TCC under the conditions of the guarantee policy. Special conditions which apply to the guarantee include the following:

1. The graduate must have earned the Associate of Applied Science Degree or Certificate of Completion in a technical, vocational, or occupational program identified in the College Catalog.
2. The graduate must have completed requirements for the Associate of Applied Science Degree or Certificate of Completion with the TCC system, with a minimum 75 percent of credits earned at TCC, and must have completed the degree or certificate within a five-year time span.
3. Graduates must be employed full time in an area directly related to the area of program concentration as certified by the appropriate dean or other administrator.
4. Employment must commence within six months of graduation.
5. The employer must certify in writing that the employee is lacking entry-level skills identified by TCC as program completion requirements and must specify the areas of deficiency within 90 days of the graduate’s initial employment.
6. The employer, graduate, campus Vice President for Academic Affairs, and appropriate faculty member will develop a written educational plan for retraining.
7. Retraining will be limited to 12 credit hours related to the identified skill deficiency and to those classes regularly scheduled during the period covered by the retraining plan.
8. All retraining must be completed within a calendar year from the time the educational plan is agreed upon.
9. The graduate and/or employer is responsible for the cost of books, insurance, uniforms, fees, and other course-related expenses.
10. The guarantee does not imply that the graduate will pass any licensing or qualifying examination for a particular career.

A student’s sole remedy against TCC for skill deficiencies shall be limited to 12 credit hours of tuition-free education under the conditions described above. Activation of the “Graduate Guarantee Program” may be initiated by the graduate by contacting the appropriate dean or other administrator within 90 days of the graduate’s initial employment.