Pierce College General Catalog

Student Catalog Rights

The following are Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees rules that govern what degrees and certificates a student may earn during their educational career at Los Angeles Pierce College.

Generally, the student's curriculum during their educational career is determined by the General Catalog that corresponds to their enrollment year. For example, if a student enrolls for the Fall 2017 semester, they would use the 2016-17 General Catalog to determine their current curriculum and requirements to graduate and/or transfer.

6201.13 Degree and Certificate Requirements

Students must satisfy the requirements for meeting competency in written expression and mathematics. Through the collegial consultation process, the Chancellor, acting on behalf of the Board of Trustees, shall rely primarily upon the recommendation of the District Academic Senate, to establish procedures for determining competency.

Certificate of Achievement Requirements:

Certificates of Achievement shall be awarded by the college where the majority (greater than 50.0%) of the certificate units were taken. The CSUGE Breadth Certificate of Achievement and IGETC Certificate of Achievement are exempt from this requirement. The college that certifies completion of either of these plans may award the Certificate of Achievement to the student regardless of the number of units completed at the certifying college.

Automatic Awarding of Certificates of Achievement:

Students who have completed the degree requirements for which there is a paired Certificate of Achievement or other State approved and transcripted certificate(s), will be awarded the certificate(s) automatically.

6202. Catalog Rights.

For these purposes, a catalog year is defined as beginning with the fall semester through the subsequent summer. A student remaining in continuous attendance in the Los Angeles Community College District may elect to satisfy the degree, certificate or graduation requirements in effect at the college from which the student will either earn his/her degree, certificate or graduate:

1. at the time the student began such attendance at the college, or
2. allow students to select an intervening catalog in years between the time the student began continuous attendance and time of graduation, or
3. at the time of graduation.

For the sole purpose of satisfying graduation competency requirements, students entering the Los Angeles Community College District prior to Fall 2009 who remain in continuous attendance within the LACCD may graduate from any LACCD College by satisfying graduation competency by either:

1. fulfilling competency requirements in place at the time the student began such attendance within the district, or
2. fulfilling competency requirements in place at the time of graduation.

For the purposes of implementing this policy, the college may develop a policy to:

1. authorize or require substitutions for discontinued courses; or
2. require a student changing his/her major to complete the major requirements in effect at the time of the change.

The college's policy shall be developed in consultation with the college Academic Senate in accordance with the provisions of Chapter XVIII of the Board Rules – ACADEMIC SENATE AND THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES SHARED GOVERNANCE POLICY, and published in all college catalogs under appropriate headings.

This policy does not apply to college programs which are governed or regulated by outside government agencies or wh require licensure or certification through one of these agencies.

6203. Continous Attendance.

"Continuous attendance" means no more than one semester absence within a school year, excluding Summer Sessions and Winter Intersession.

Students granted a "military withdrawal" under the provisions of Board Rule 6701.10, will be considered to be in "continuous attendance" for their required period of military service.