Career Programs—Associate of Applied Science Degree
Pellissippi State offers several programs that prepare students for business and technical careers. These programs are designed for the student whose primary educational goal is entry-level employment or career advancement. The placement rate for graduates of Career Programs is consistently above 90%. The College’s Career Programs are continually revised to reflect changes in the skills and knowledge graduates need to be successful in business and industry. These degree programs are not designed for transfer to baccalaureate institutions. However, the General Education courses typically transfer to most four-year colleges and universities, and several of the programs are fully transferable.
The degree earned is the Associate of Applied Science. All Associate of Applied Science degree programs offered at Pellissippi State require a minimum of 60 credit hours.
Career Programs
Career Programs Guarantee
Job Competency Guarantee Program. The faculty of Pellissippi State guarantee that any graduate with an Associate of Applied Science degree has demonstrated the knowledge and skillset identified in the program goals and can perform each competency. Any program graduate who is identified as lacking such knowledge and skillset shall be retrained at no cost to the employer or the graduate.
Eligibility. This guarantee applies to students who began a career degree program in fall 2018 or later and remains in effect for one year immediately following the date of an individual’s graduation. Affective behaviors, such as attitude, judgment and interpersonal relations, will be considered job competencies for purposes of the guarantee, provided that formal instruction in designated behaviors is included within the specialty area.
Employment. The employment must be directly related to the graduate’s program of study.
Process. The College provides each AAS degree graduate with a warranty letter and a warranty card with a link to TBR information about the warranty program. The employer who has recognized a deficiency in the graduate’s knowledge or skill set must submit a Warranty Claim Request form to the TBR Office of Economic and Community Development. Once eligibility is verified, a retraining plan is developed with the student, the employer, and the College. The student will only be required to receive training on the skill[s] he or she is lacking, not to complete a full-semester course. The retraining may be done within a credit course or in a non-credit setting.
Career Programs Core Curriculum*
| Courses |
Credit Hours |
| English Composition I |
3 |
| Humanities/Fine Arts |
3 |
| Mathematics/Natural Sciences |
3-5 |
| Social/Behavioral Sciences |
3 |
| General Education Elective |
3-5 |
| Total Core |
15 |
| Major |
45 |
| TOTAL |
60 |
* Courses designated to fulfill General Education requirements at Pellissippi State are published in the General Education section of this Catalog. Courses from the list of History electives will not meet the General Education Elective requirement for Career Programs.
Cooperative Education
Cooperative Education (Co-op) enhances Career Programs by offering students the opportunity to integrate classroom theory with practical work experience. Paid work experiences are arranged in career-related areas to benefit both the student and the employer. This hands-on work experience enables the student to attain increased self-confidence, increased marketability upon graduation and academic credit and income while in school. For the employer, Co-op provides highly motivated students for entry-level positions and a source for potential employees. For a complete list of Co-op courses, visit Cooperative Education courses .
Eligibility. To qualify for Cooperative Education, the student must be enrolled in a career program at Pellissippi State, must be in good standing academically and must have completed 15 or more credit hours of college-level courses in the major. A student who is appropriately placed on the job in her/his career major upon entering Pellissippi State may be eligible for immediate enrollment in Co-op.
Credit. Academic credits are awarded for the cooperative work experience on a variable scale based upon the number of hours on the job. To earn one academic credit, the student must work 45 hours on the job. Tuition will be calculated according to the projected credit hours to be earned in cooperative work experience during the semester. Once placed in a position by the Co-op office, the student is required to register for Cooperative Education course credit each semester worked. Since co-op courses will be add-on credit, a student may earn credits as long as she/he is eligible to remain in Co-op.
Grades. The grading for the cooperative education work experience will be PASS/NO PASS. A grade designation is given where cooperative work experience is used for course substitution.
Cooperative Education is housed under Student Services in Career Development.
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