General Information
Degrees & Certificates
Clark College awards eight (8) degrees and three certificates:
- Associate in Arts (AA) degree, for completion of a program of study for transfer to a baccalaureate institution;
- Associate in Arts Direct Transfer Agreement (AA-DTA , DTA/MRP) degree, for completion of a program of study for transfer to a baccalaureate institution;
- Associate in Science (AS, AST1, AST2) degree, for completion of a program of study in the sciences in preparation for transfer to a baccalaureate institution;
- Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) degree, for completion of a program in fine arts in preparation for transfer to a baccalaureate institution;
- Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree, for completion of a program of study in an occupational program;
- Associate of Applied Technology (AAT) degree, for completion of a program of study in an occupational program;
- Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree, to increase the educational pathways for career-technical associate graduates;
- Bachelor of Science (BS) degree, to increase the educational pathways for career-technical or transfer associate graduates;
- Certificate of Proficiency (CP), for completion of specialized occupational training;
- Certificate of Achievement (CA), for completion of specialized occupational training;
- Certificate of Completion (CC), for completion of specialized occupational training.
Additional Information
- The grades assigned in transferable courses by the sending institution will not be altered by the receiving institution.
- Courses completed with a grade of 'D' or above will normally be accepted in transfer to Clark College or to another institution. Courses completed with a grade of D- may be transferrable to some career-technical degrees or certificates.
- Nontraditional grading practices require special handling, depending on the nature and circumstances of the program from which and to which a student is transferring, but receiving institutions will take steps to assure all students receive equitable treatment.
- A student may earn more than one career-technical degree and/or certificate at Clark College, and a student may earn a combination of academic and career-technical degrees and/or certificates.
- A student can also earn a Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) degree and an additional Major Related Program (MRP) degree (for instance, a student can earn a degree in both Business Administration – MRP and an Associate in Arts –DTA).
Academic Residency Requirements and Restrictions
Refer to the following information for specific requirements and restrictions for each type of program. Note that transfer credit and test credit that was earned at another institution does not count toward the academic residency requirement. However, Academic Credit for Prior Learning (ACPL) earned at Clark College (course challenges, certification crosswalks, etc.) does count toward the academic residency requirement.
- Bachelor Degree: A minimum of thirty (30) credits/units, pre-college or college-level, must be completed at Clark College at any time to meet Academic Residency.
- Associate Degree: A minimum of thirty (30) credits/units, pre-college or college-level, must be completed at Clark College at any time to meet Academic Residency.
- Certificate of Proficiency: A minimum of fifteen (15) credits/units, pre-college or college-level, must be completed at Clark College at any time to meet Academic Residency.
- Certificate of Achievement: A minimum of ten (10) credits/units, pre-college or college-level, must be completed at Clark College at any time to meet Academic Residency.
- Certificate of Completion: A minimum of ten (10) credits/units, pre-college or college-level, must be completed at Clark College at any time to meet Academic Residency.
Academic Residency Requirements for Veterans
Clark College, in compliance with the Department of Defense (DOD) Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Executive Order 13607 of April 27, 2012, limits academic residency requirements for active-duty service members to no more than 25 percent of the degree program (22.5 credits/units); recognizes all credit/unit course work offered by the institution as applicable in satisfying academic residency requirements; and allows service members to satisfy academic residency requirements with courses taken from Clark College at any time during their program of study.
Academic Subplans
Clark College offers three types of subplans. Subplans allow for specialization within a program. Some subplans are transcribed on student transcripts and some are not.
Academic Concentration
- Academic concentrations consist of 15 to 30 credits/units (on average) of coursework applicable to transfer degree requirements, and the concentration must be earned concurrently with a transfer degree. Students will not be able to earn a concentration separately from its associated degree.
- Academic concentrations are transcribed on student transcripts.
- Academic concentrations must have some tangible transfer benefit for students (e.g., MOU or articulation agreement with specific transfer institutions).
- Academic concentrations must include one or more concentration-specific learning outcomes that are regularly assessed.
- Students are limited to one academic concentration per program (plan code).
Academic Emphasis
- Academic emphases are designed to expose students to a subject matter/discipline and represent a “suggested classes” or “possible sequence” of classes.
- areas Academic emphases are not transcribed on student transcripts but can be informally used to reference a breadth of work in an area.
- Academic emphases are informed by Guided Pathways Maps and not driven by transferability, community partnerships or articulation agreements. They aim to support the student experience and provide exposure to a wider breadth of course work in an “area”.
Academic Option
- Academic options are available to career-technical programs only.
- Academic options represent a grouping of classes within a focus area and are transcribed on student transcripts.
- Programs that offer multiple academic options (focus areas) can require that students select a specific option and complete the grouping of classes outlined as part of a degree path.
- Students are limited to one academic option per program (plan code).
Online Learning Degrees
For information about Clark College eLearning programs and degrees, see Online Learning Degree Programs
Academic Honors
To be eligible for academic honors, students must have a minimum GPA of 3.40. Honors for the Associate in Arts (AA) degree, the Associate in Science – Transfer (AS) degree, the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree, and the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree are based on the cumulative college-level GPA. Honors for the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree, Associate of Applied Technology (AAT) degree, and Certificate of Proficiency (CP) are based on the cumulative GPA. Students in the AA, AS, BAS, BS, AAS, and AAT degree programs will earn the designation of “with honors” for a GPA of 3.40 to 3.89 and the designation of “with highest honors” for a GPA of 3.90 or higher. Students in the Certificates of Proficiency programs will be granted the designation of “with merit” for a GPA of 3.40 or higher (other certificates are not eligible for honors designations). Students participating in commencement ceremonies will receive recognition at the celebration based on their GPA on record at the end of winter term. If their honor status changes once final grades are posted, adjustments will be made to the student record.
Distribution Coding
The following codes may be included in some course descriptions and indicate the applicability of the course toward the general education requirements of Clark College degrees and certificates. Be sure to verify which courses have been approved to meet general education requirements for your particular degree or certificate program as Distribution Coding is not universally applied.
| Code | General Education Requirement |
|---|---|
| CA | Written Communication Skills (AAS and CP only) |
| CP | Computational Skills |
| CT | Written Communication Skills (AAT only) |
| GE | General Elective |
| HA | Humanities Academic (A list) |
| HB | Humanities Performance (B list) |
| HE | Health |
| HPE | Health & Physical Education |
| HR | Human Relations |
| NS | Natural Sciences |
| NS-Lab | Natural Science with Lab |
| OC | Oral Communications |
| PE | Physical Education Activity |
| PPI | Power, Privilege and Inequity |
| Q | Quantitative/Symbolic Reasoning |
| SE | Specified Elective |
| SS | Social Sciences |
| WC | Written Communication Skills (Transfer only) |
Title IV Student Complaint Process
The Higher Education Act (HEA) prohibits an institution of higher education from engaging in a “substantial misrepresentation of the nature of its educational program, its financial charges, or the employability of its graduates.” 20 U.S.C. §1094(c)(3)(A). Further, each State must have “a process to review and appropriately act on complaints concerning the institution including enforcing applicable State laws.” 34 C.F.R. § 600.9. The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) maintains a process to investigate complaints of this nature brought by community and technical college students in the State of Washington. For more information, contact the SBCTC Student Services Office at 360-704-4315.