Judgment of Compliance: The College certifies COMPLIANCE.
Narrative:
Wayne Community College awards degrees only to those students who have earned at least 25 percent of the credit hours required for the degree through instruction offered at WCC. The college's graduation requirements include the following statement in the WCC General Catalog: "A minimum of 25 percent of semester hours in residence with a minimum of 9 semester hours in the major area is required for graduation." The requirements for graduation are published in both print and online versions of the catalog.
To assure that the policy is carried out, various personnel at the college review each student's academic records and transcript to verify that the maximum percentage of credit hours transferred in has not exceeded 75% and that all other graduation requirements are met. With this level of review, the college maintains that safeguards are in place to prevent this standard from being violated.
In preparation for graduation, the student's academic advisor reviews the student's program of study (completed courses, transcripts, GPA, etc.) prior to the student's filing for graduation. Once a student submits an application for graduation to the Admissions and Records office, the Assistant Director of Admissions and Records sends a copy of the student's official transcript and a WCC Certification of Eligibility for Graduation to the student's advisor. The advisor examines the transcript plus any additional classes the student might be registered for and indicates that the student is ready for graduation, ready for graduation if certain requirements are met (completion of that semester's classes), or not eligible for graduation. The advisor then sends the transcripts and eligibility form to the department head, who must also sign off on the form. The department head returns the form to the Assistant Director of Admissions and Records, who makes the final verification that the student has met the established criteria for graduation, including that the maximum percentage of credit hours transferred in has not exceeded 75%. If the student has not met the graduation requirements, the application for graduation is not approved. A copy of the application for graduation is sent to the student and the advisor, and a copy is kept in the student's graduation folder. This procedure is followed for both graduation approvals and disapprovals.
In order to verify that the college is adhering to the 25% policy, the Director of Admissions and Records, in November 2004, assessed the records of all students graduating with an AAS, AA, AFA, or AS degree in Spring 2004 (May 2004). The records review of the 25% rule specifically targeted students transferring in credits. It was determined that each graduating student had met the 25% rule. It is important to note that, while a reviewer will see a large number of credits transferred, in many instances only a relatively small number of the credits are usable for degree completion, depending upon the degree the student is seeking. In almost every instance, the number of credits transferred is not equal to the number of credits used toward the degree.
