The institution offers one or more degree programs based on at least 60 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the associate level; at least 120 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the baccalaureate level; or at least 30 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the post-baccalaureate, graduate, or professional level. If an institution uses a unit other than semester credit hours, it provides an explanation for the equivalency.  The institution also provides a justification if it allows for fewer than the required number of semester credit hours or its equivalent unit for a degree.

X Compliance                         __Partial Compliance             __Non-Compliance

Narrative

St. Petersburg College is in compliance with this requirement because its associate degree programs are at least 60 credits and its baccalaureate programs are at least 120 credits.

Policies and procedures for new programs regarding minimum length for programs

Two-year programs.  St. Petersburg College offers three two-year degree categories – an Associate in Arts (A.A.) Degree, sixty Associate in Science (A.S.) Degrees and three Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) Degrees.  All three degree categories require a minimum of 60 credit hours, although some A.S. programs have higher credit hour requirements to meet requirements set by other accrediting bodies.  All degree programs comply with Florida Statutes and State Board of Education rules governing degree requirements of state universities and community colleges.  In addition, the Florida Department of Education has an Articulation Coordinating Committee (ACC) to coordinate ways to help students move easily from institution to institution and from one level of education to the next.  The ACC is a K-20 advisory body appointed by the Commissioner of Education and comprised of representatives from all levels of public and private education.

Associate of Arts degrees.  Florida Statute 1007.25  General education courses; common prerequisites; and other degree requirements gives the College’s Board of Trustees a responsibility parallel to the Principles of Accreditation Core Requirement:

Florida Statute 1007.25  General education courses; common prerequisites

St. Petersburg College follows the guidelines in the State Department of Education Rule 6C-6.004 Transfer Students—Undergraduate, (3) AA Degree Graduates from Florida Community Colleges and State University System (SUS) Universities, to ensure that SPC students graduating with an A.A. can transfer seamlessly into the State University System to pursue their baccalaureate degree or continue at St. Petersburg College in one of the baccalaureate programs offered at this institution.

Excerpt from State Department of Education Rule 6C-6.004 Transfer Students—Undergraduate, (3) AA Degree Graduates from Florida Community Colleges and State University System (SUS) Universities

Example of A.A. program that articulates to a baccalaureate degree in the Florida State University System or College

Associate of Science/Associate of Applied Science degrees.  All programs require a minimum of 60 credit hours; many of the health related programs have over 70 hours of credit requirements, with the Dental Hygiene requiring 88 credit hours for completion.  Program lengths for workforce programs (A.S. and A.A.S.) conform to state curriculum frameworks:

Excerpt from: Florida DOE Community College Program Length Document

Four-Year programs.  Florida Statute 1007.25  General education courses; common prerequisites; and other degree requirements also address the length of baccalaureate programs.

Florida Statute 1007.25  General education courses; common prerequisites; and other degree requirements

St. Petersburg College offers four-year baccalaureate level degrees that all have a minimum of 120 hours.  Some majors in the College of Education, such as Exceptional Educational with Infused ESOL and Secondary Science with a Biology emphasis, require 124 hours for completion.  B.A.S. Programs require students to complete additional General Education courses to bring their total General Education coursework to 36 hours.  All program lengths and common pre-requisite requirements have been approved by the State Board of Education and are consistent with those in the State University System.
 

Example of B.A.S. program length

Identifying the minimum number of credit hours required for degrees

St. Petersburg College Faculty are responsible for recommending new degree programs and courses or revisions to degree programs and courses, with input from the program’s advisory committee where appropriate, to the Board of Trustees for final approval.  In Board of Trustees Rule 6Hx23-3.04, the College’s Board of Trustees has established a process reviewing recommendations for new programs and courses and revisions to programs and courses through the Collegewide curriculum committee.

Excerpt from Board of Trustees Rule 6Hx23-3.04 Course Descriptions and College Programs

The Curriculum and Instruction Committee is composed primarily of Faculty representatives across disciplines and sites.  New degree program proposals are developed by individual Faculty or collaborative Faculty groups by first researching educational needs through business and industry advisory committees and economic councils, reviewing accreditation requirements and existing state curriculum frameworks, and benchmarking similar programs at other institutions.  These proposals are then reviewed by other Faculty in the discipline and through the Curriculum and Instruction Committee.  Although proposals are passed through Provosts and department heads as part of the approval process, the Faculty bear primary responsibility for content and for methods of instruction.  This process is documented in the Curriculum and Instruction Manual and in minutes from the Curriculum and Instruction Committee meetings.  Each degree program offered in the College has an official set of requirements, approved by the Curriculum and Instruction Committee, and published in the College Catalog.  These requirements contain pre-entry requirements, required general education courses, core courses (in baccalaureate programs), major and support courses, any special graduation criteria, sequence of courses where applicable, and total program length.

SPC follows academic procedures and processes noted in the Curriculum and Instruction (C & I) manual.  These procedures may differ slightly depending upon the program, but always involve the Faculty.  In many of the Associate of Science programs, an advisory committee, meeting with Faculty and administration, may begin the process by indicating a need or demand.  This same process occurs with some of the four year degree programs as well.  State and employment demand may influence the initiation of new programs (for example, the dramatic shortage of teachers in Florida has accelerated the need for graduates in this area).  Guidelines on program length from the Articulation Coordinating Committee (ACC) are followed to assist with seamless transfer between institutions.  For example, minutes from the October 25^th, 2006 ACC meeting recommended changes to State Board of Education Rule 6A-5.066, Approval of Preservice Teacher Education Programs:
 

Excerpt from ACC minutes, 10/25/2006

As the process progresses, content specialists in each program of study may be identified to research existing curricula and to work with the practitioners in each field of study to acknowledge areas that might also be incorporated into the curricula.  While developing the College of Education program of study, content specialists, local school district personnel, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) personnel and outside evaluators were utilized.  Core courses were identified as well as electives.  A course of study outlining the requirements and any requested sequence of courses are presented.  Major learning outcomes are also developed. Once this curriculum process has been completed, the materials are submitted through a Collegewide process.  The Board of Trustees considers approval of all programs after they are approved by the Curriculum and Instruction Committee and reviewed/approved by Cabinet.  New programs are submitted to the State of Florida Department of Education for final approval.

Each program of study has a designated number of general education courses.  The Bachelor’s degrees and A.A. degree must comply with the state of Florida mandate of 36 hours of General Education.  The A.S. and A.A.S. degrees have a minimum of 17 hours of general education courses, and could require more depending on the course of study. State guidelines, local industry representatives, program reviews, and advisory committees provide direction on appropriate support courses.  Some A.S. degrees are state mandated as transferable to SUS.  Some A.S. programs, such as Nursing, have pre-entry requirements that may be applied to the general education requirements.

Unit equivalency to semester hours

All programs at St. Petersburg College use a statewide definition for credit hours: 15 contact hours for every credit hour awarded; therefore the College has not had to establish justification for an alternate system for determining unit equivalency.