Academic Calendar. A list of dates found at the beginning of each Catalog and Handbook. Includes dates for registration, drop/withdrawal deadlines, holidays, exams and fee deadlines.
Academic Dishonesty/Classroom Misconduct/Cheating Policy. The college policy that prohibits plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic misconduct. A student guilty of academic misconduct, either directly or indirectly, through participation or assistance, may be assigned an F or a zero for the exercise or examination or an F in the course, at the discretion of the instructor.
Academic Record. A student’s permanent record of academic credit transferred from regionally accredited colleges and universities and credit earned at Pellissippi State. Records are maintained in the computerized student information system. The assistant vice president of Enrollment Services is responsible for the maintenance and security of these records.
Advisor. A faculty member or academic counselor who meets with students each semester to help in making curriculum choices and discuss progress toward achieving educational goals.
Advisory Committees. Groups of business and community representatives who make curriculum recommendations for Career Programs.
Area of Concentration. A combination of courses and curricular requirements that serves as an area of specialization within the major.
Articulation Agreement. A document that outlines the curriculum agreed to by Pellissippi State and a four-year college or university to satisfy the degree requirements at Pellissippi State and at the receiving four-year institution. Information on articulation agreement requirements may be obtained from academic advisors and on the Advising website.
Associate of Applied Science Degree. Degree awarded upon completion of a Career Programs curriculum. This degree is designed for students who seek immediate employment after graduation and is generally not designed for transfer to a four-year institution.
Associate of Applied Science in Nursing Degree. Degree awarded upon completion of the Nursing curriculum. Students who complete this degree and pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) will be registered nurses prepared to function competently at the beginning level of nursing practice.
Associate of Arts and Associate of Science Degrees. Degrees awarded upon completion of Transfer/University Parallel degree programs. These degrees are designed for students who intend to transfer to a four-year institution. Associate of Arts degrees require an intermediate foreign language sequence that is not required for the Associate of Science degree. Students may earn these degrees through the completion of a Tennessee Transfer Pathway, an articulation agreement, or the curriculum requirements for a general A.A. or A.S. degree as specified in this Catalog and Handbook.
Associate of Fine Arts in Music Degree. Degree awarded upon completion of a curriculum developed by Tennessee Board of Regents faculty and intended to prepare students to enter the junior year of a baccalaureate program for music. The A.F.A. degree transfers directly to all TBR universities and some area private colleges.
Associate of Science in Teaching Degree. Degrees awarded upon completion of a curriculum developed by Tennessee Board of Regents faculty and intended to prepare students to enter the junior year of a baccalaureate program for elementary school and pre-kindergarten teachers. The A.S.T. degrees transfer directly to all TBR universities and some area private colleges.
Attendance Policy. The policy that expresses the expectation that Pellissippi State students will attend all scheduled instructional activities. Students in all courses (excluding distance learning courses) must be present for at least 75 percent of their scheduled class and laboratory meetings in order to receive credit for the course.
Audit. The taking of a course for information only, not for credit. Auditing students are expected to pay all fees and attend classes but are not required to complete assignments or take exams outlined in the course syllabus.
Career Program. A curriculum that prepares students to begin a particular type of career immediately after graduating from Pellissippi State with an Associate of Applied Science degree.
Career Programs Guarantee. The Pellissippi State guarantee that states that any Career Programs graduate judged by his or her employer as lacking in the technical job skills expected of an entry-level employee will be provided additional courses (up to 15 semester hours) by Pellissippi State at no charge (also called the Job Competency Guarantee).
Continuing Education. Non-credit courses offered for business, professional or personal development.
Continuing Education Unit. Unit of “credit” available to completers of non-credit courses.
Co-op. A paid position related to a major. The Placement Office can help students in Career Programs find co-op positions in local companies.
Corequisite. A course that must be taken prior to or concurrent with another course.
Corequisite Remediation. The process of combining refresher courses in English, math and reading with college-level courses so that students can make up skill deficiencies at the same time as they are earning college credit. Students are placed in corequisite courses based on their ACT/SAT or entrance test scores. While in corequisite courses, students may be restricted from taking some other college-level courses until they attain necessary college-level competencies.
Course Load. The total number of credit hours that make up the semester schedule.
Course Waiver/Substitution. A waiver of a required course or substitution of another course for a required course in a particular curriculum. Waivers are granted when necessitated by course deletions or other curriculum changes. Since no credit is awarded for a waiver, a course of equal or greater credit must be substituted for the course that has been waived. Exceptions to an articulation agreement may only be approved by the four-year institution; learning support courses may not be waived. Waivers and substitutions are not permitted in Tennessee Transfer Pathways.
Credit Hours. The number of hours awarded for a particular course. A minimum of 60 credit hours is required for graduation.
Curriculum. A particular plan of study.
Degree. Official recognition of completion of a curriculum and other general and program requirements.
Degree Audit. A record of a student’s progress toward a particular degree (chosen by major). The audit shows courses completed toward the degree, courses in progress and courses remaining to fulfill degree requirements.
Directory Information. Information that may be disclosed without consent of the student to any person requesting such information: name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, most recent previous educational institution attended, and email address. A student who does not wish directory information to be released without consent must provide written notification to Enrollment Services. The following items are not designated as directory information: Social Security number/student ID number, race/ethnicity/nationality, gender and grades.
Distance Learning. Courses that are delivered in an alternative format, including two-way audio/video, telecourses, videotape/DVD and online options. These formats are designed for students who need flexibility in scheduling and instructional methods.
Dual Enrollment. The enrollment of a high school student in one or more specified college courses for which the student will be awarded both high school and college credit.
Educational Records. All records that contain information directly related to a student and that are maintained by or on behalf of an educational agency or institution. Exceptions to educational records include the following: sole possession records, employment records (unless contingent on attendance), law enforcement records, medical/health records and alumni records (those that only contain information about a student after he or she is no longer a student).
Elective. A course that may be chosen to complete degree requirements.
Fast Track. Courses that are offered in abbreviated time periods, usually five weeks. The sessions do not conform to standard semester schedules and have distinct drop/add dates.
Fees. The amount of money owed to Pellissippi State for courses taken. Fee payment deadlines must be met or semester schedules will be dropped.
Financial Responsibility Statement. An agreement between the College and the student in which the student agrees to the financial terms and conditions required to attend the College and gives the College permission to contact him or her via mobile phone and auto-dialer. Students accept this statement before they register for classes their first semester.
Full-time Student. A student enrolled in 12 or more credit hours during any semester.
General Education Courses. Every TBR institution incorporates a common General Education core curriculum into its degree requirements and accepts all courses designated as meeting these requirements at other TBR institutions. A complete matrix of courses that satisfy the minimum degree requirements at all TBR institutions and an explanation of the common course prefix and numbering system are available at www.tbr.edu/academics/transfer-and-articulation.
Grade Point Average (GPA). An overall average of grades for all courses taken for a semester or during the academic career. The college-level GPA does not include grades earned for corequisite courses for English, reading and math.
Grant. Financial assistance that does not have to be paid back.
Hold. A block that prevents a student from registering, obtaining transcripts, and/or receiving financial aid awards. Holds can be placed on student accounts for various reasons.
Hybrid Course. A course that combines traditional classroom work with online instruction. In a hybrid course, students typically meet in a classroom for one-half the required class time each week and complete the remainder of the class online.
Internship. Usually a nonpaid position that offers experience related to the major. Some Career Programs require an internship for graduation.
Job Competency Guarantee. The Pellissippi State guarantee that any Career Programs graduate judged by his or her employer as lacking in technical job skills expected of an entry-level employee may take additional courses (up to 15 semester hours) at no charge to the student or employer.
Legitimate Educational Interest. A need for information about a student that results from a faculty or staff member’s fulfillment of assigned responsibilities. Disclosure of such information to the faculty or staff member is limited to information necessary to the fulfillment of those responsibilities.
Major. The student’s program of study. Students whose primary goal is to transfer to a four-year college or university enroll in a Transfer/University Parallel program. Students whose primary goal is to seek immediate employment after graduation enroll in a Career Program.
Non-credit Course. A course that does not offer college credit upon completion.
Part-time Student. Student enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours during any semester.
Placement Office. The office whose responsibility it is to help Career Programs graduates find jobs after graduation. This office may also be able to help students find jobs while enrolled.
Prerequisite. A requirement that must be met before enrolling in a certain course.
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA). Evaluation and assessment of learning that an individual has acquired outside a traditional academic environment. PLA may result in granting of college credit for competencies gained through such avenues as work experience, employer training programs, military service, independent study and volunteer or community service. Additional information is available on the PLA website: www.pstcc.edu/pla/index.php.
Registration. The time period when students can sign up for classes for the next term. The Academic Calendar in the Catalog and in the Student Enrollment Guide provides registration dates.
Scholarship. Financial assistance that does not have to be paid back. Most scholarships have specific application criteria.
School Officials. Pellissippi State administrators, faculty and staff. Only those individuals with a genuine need to know based on a legitimate educational interest may have access to a student’s records.
Semester. The 15-week period in fall and spring during which courses meet and final exams occur. There are also summer terms during which a student may complete a semester of coursework.
Site Campuses. The five primary locations at which Pellissippi State offers classes and provides services: Hardin Valley Campus, Division Street Campus, Blount County Campus, Magnolia Avenue Campus and Strawberry Plains Campus.
Special Student. Any non-degree-seeking student. Students in this category may not take English, math or certain other courses in a sequence unless they provide proof of proficiency with ACT scores or college transcripts. Special students are not eligible for financial aid.
Student. Any individual who is or has been in attendance at an institution and regarding whom the institution maintains educational records.
Syllabus. The outline of objectives, contents and requirements for a course.
TBR Common Course Numbering. A common course prefix and numbering system developed for all Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) institutions to eliminate unnecessary repetition of coursework by students transferring within the TBR system.
Tennessee Promise. A financial aid program offering Tennessee high school graduates a last-dollar scholarship at a community or technical college beginning with the class of 2015. As a last-dollar scholarship, Tennessee Promise covers tuition and mandatory fees not covered by the Pell Grant, the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship or the Tennessee Student Assistance Award.
Testing Center. A center on each Pellissippi State campus that provides makeup and standardized testing for students. On the Hardin Valley Campus, the center is located in the Educational Resources Center.
Transcript. An official record of academic history, provided by a high school or college a student has attended.
Transfer Credit. Credit awarded by a receiving college or university for equivalent coursework.
Transfer Policies. The policies and conditions of eligibility at a receiving institution that determine the amount of credit awarded to a student transferring to that institution.
Transfer Program. A curriculum designed for transfer to a four-year college or university after graduation with an Associate of Arts, Associate of Fine Arts, Associate of Science or Associate of Science in Teaching degree (also called University Parallel Program).
University Parallel Guarantee. The Pellissippi State guarantee to Transfer Programs graduates that Pellissippi State will refund tuition for any course passed with at least a C grade if a student is unable to transfer that earned course credit to a four-year college or university with whom Pellissippi State has an articulation agreement. The guarantee is valid for two years after graduation from Pellissippi State. The course must appear on the transfer equivalency table and an articulation agreement with the four-year institution.
University Parallel Program. A curriculum designed for transfer to a four-year college or university after graduation with an Associate of Arts, Associate of Fine Arts, Associate of Science or Associate of Science in Teaching degree (also called Transfer Program).
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