Degree Requirements

To be approved for graduation, candidates for an Associate in Arts degree, an Associate in Science degree, an Associate in Fine Arts, or an Associate in Applied Science degree must fulfill the following requirements.

The College Success Course
The College Success Course (COL103) is a required college-level course that all students must take during the first semester they enroll at the college. The course prepares students for college life by offering crucial information and skills necessary for success in college, including time management, note taking, critical thinking, financial literacy and information literacy. Students also explore academic and career goals. In addition, students become familiar with the full range of academic programs offered at the College as well as the institution’s regulations, policies and procedures.

*Part-time students who are taking a single course and have no intention of pursuing a degree at Passaic County Community College are not required to take COL 103.

Students transferring to Passaic County Community College from other colleges who have successfully completed a minimum of twelve (12) credits of college-level work, with a 2.0 grade point average or better, do not have to take COL 103. Students who have successfully completed a minimum of twelve (12) credits of college-level work at Passaic County Community College with a 2.0 grade point average or better, may have the COL 103 requirement waived after advisement.

Writing-Intensive (WI) Course Requirements

All students who enroll at PCCC, intending to obtain an A.A. or A.S. degree, are required to take, and pass with a “C” or better, two Writing-Intensive courses prior to graduation.
All students who enroll at PCCC, intending to obtain an A.A.S. degree, are required to take, and pass with a “C” or better, one Writing-Intensive course prior to graduation.

Definition: A Writing-Intensive [WI] course incorporates discipline-specific writing extensively into the course, and the writing contributes significantly to each student’s grade. The instructor uses writing assignments to promote the learning of the course content, as well as to increase the student’s critical thinking and information literacy skills. Instructors use both formal and informal writing assignments

Criteria: A Writing-Intensive course should:

Incorporate frequent, informal, writing assignments to help students generate ideas and better engage with their learning;
Require students to do formal writing assignments, totaling up to no less than 2,500 words for the semester;
Require students to use tutoring for assistance on particular assignments;
Incorporate research requirements that exercise information literacy competencies in at least one of the writing assignments;
Have a prerequisite of EN 101;
Not be taken concurrently (i.e., only one WI course may be taken by a student in any given semester);
Have enrollment limited to twenty-five (25) students; and
Be approved by the Office for Academic Affairs.

Objectives: Upon completion of a Writing-Intensive course, students should be able to:

Support their ideas in writing with specific details and evidence;
Structure their ideas in an organized format;
Evaluate their sources for credibility and academic appropriateness;
Exhibit the ability to think critically;
Cite sources using an appropriate documentation style.

Transfer students may have waived one of the two PCCC WI courses required for graduation.

Credit Requirements
To be eligible for graduation with an associate degree, students must complete a minimum of sixty (60) credits at the college level towards their academic program. Students who have completed forty (40) credits should contact department chair or designee for advisement. Students should apply for graduation before registering for their final twelve to fifteen (12-15) credits.

Grade Point Average (GPA)
To be eligible for graduation, students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher. Credits transferred from other colleges are calculated in the total number of credits completed. The cumulative grade point average (GPA), however, includes only grades earned at Passaic County Community College.