Degrees and Certificates
San José City College (SJCC) is authorized by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to confer the Associate in Arts for Transfer degree, the Associate in Science for Transfer degree, the Associate in Arts degree, the Associate in Science Degree, and the Certificates of Achievement upon students who complete the necessary requirements.
Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADTs: AA-T & AS-T)
The Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) is awarded to students who complete a minimum of 60 CSU transferable semester units, satisfy the California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) requirements, meet the In Residence requirement, earn a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0, and meet all other requirements outlined in this catalog. The ADT is designed for students planning to complete a bachelor’s degree in a similar major at a California State University (CSU) campus. Students must earn a “C” grade or better in all courses required for the major or area of emphasis. A “P” (Pass) grade is an acceptable grade for courses in the major or area of emphasis if the course is taken on a “pass/no pass” basis. If the “P” grade was earned at another institution, it must be defined as being equivalent to a “C” or better in the institution’s policy.
Associate in Arts Degree
The Associate in Arts (AA) degree is awarded to students who complete a minimum of 60 AA degree-applicable semester units, satisfy the AA General Education (GE) requirements, meet the In Residence requirement, satisfy the U.S. History, Constitution, and American Ideals requirement, earn a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0, and meet all other requirements outlined in this catalog. Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in all courses required for the major or area of emphasis. A “P” (Pass) grade is an acceptable grade for courses in the major or area of emphasis if the course is taken on a “pass/no pass” basis. If the “P” grade was earned at another institution, it must be defined as being equivalent to a “C” or better in the institution’s policy.
Associate in Science Degree
The Associate in Science (AS) degree is awarded to students who complete a minimum of 60 AS degree-applicable semester units, satisfy the AA General Education (GE) requirements, meet the In Residence requirement, satisfy the U.S. History, Constitution, and American Ideals requirement, earn a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0, and meet all other requirements outlined in this catalog. Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in all courses required for the major or area of emphasis. Students must earn a “C” grade or better in all courses required for the major or area of emphasis. A “P” (Pass) grade is an acceptable grade for courses in the major or area of emphasis if the course is taken on a “pass/no pass” basis. If the “P” grade was earned at another institution, it must be defined as being equivalent to a “C” or better in the institution’s policy.
Certificates of Achievement
Certificates of Achievement prepare students for direct job entry. Many certificate programs can be completed in one year, while others are designed to be completed over a longer period of time. Courses must be completed with a "C" grade or better. A “P” (Pass) grade is an acceptable grade for courses if taken on a “pass/no pass”. If the “P” grade was earned at another institution, it must be defined as being equivalent to a “C” or better in the institution’s policy. The In Residence Requirement for Certificates requires that students complete 6 units of the certificate's courses at SJCC.
Certificates of Specialization
Certificates of Specialization are not approved by the State. A certificate will be issued by the department offering the program. All courses within the Certificate of Specialization must be completed with a "C" grade or better. A “P” (Pass) grade is an acceptable grade for courses if taken on a “pass/no pass”. If the “P” grade was earned at another institution, it must be defined as being equivalent to a “C” or better in the institution’s policy. Only courses will be posted on the student’s transcripts. Certificates of Specialization will not be posted to transcripts.
Certificate of Competency
Certificates of Competency are not approved by the State. A certificate will be issued by the department offering the program. Certificates of Competency will not be posted to transcripts.
Certificate of Completion
Certificates of Completion are not approved by the State. A certificate will be issued by the department offering the program. Certificates of Completion will not be posted to transcripts.
Catalog Rights
The college updates its college catalog annually and the courses required for a specific degree or certificate may change from one catalog to the next. The college may discontinue courses, adjust the number of sections offered, and/or alter the frequency of course availability.
Students establish catalog rights at San José City College (SJCC) by enrolling in their first term or session (fall, intersession, spring, or summer) and earning an academic record symbol on their official transcript, as defined by AP 4230. The academic year starts in the fall, continues through the spring (including intersession), and concludes at the end of summer session. For example, students initially enrolled in summer 2020 have catalog rights for the 2019-2020 academic year.
A student maintains catalog rights at SJCC through continuous attendance. “Continuous attendance” is defined as enrollment in at least one term or session (fall, intersession, spring, summer) each academic year at a California Community College (CCC) including California Virtual Campus (CVC), California State University (CSU), or University of California (UC) campus. This attendance must be verified by receiving an academic record symbol on an official transcript from the institution where the course was taken, as defined by AP 4230. Both credit and noncredit coursework can count towards attendance if documented on an official transcript. If necessary, allowing two different catalog years for a GE Pattern and Major Requirements is acceptable, as long as the student has maintained catalog rights to both years.
A student maintains catalog rights by earning at least one academic record symbol each academic year. To demonstrate continuous enrollment for catalog rights purposes, completed coursework from a CCC, CVC, CSU), or UC may be counted. For example, if a student’s catalog rights begin in the 2020-2021 academic year and they remain continuously enrolled (earning at least, one academic symbol each academic year) through the 2024-2025 academic year, they will still retain catalog rights for the 2025-2026 academic year, even if no academic record symbol is earned that academic year.
If the student does not have verified attendance for the 2025-2026 academic year, they will lose catalog rights and must reestablish their catalog rights upon returning, beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year or later, depending on when they resume attendance.
Students granted a “MW” (military withdrawal) or an “EW” (excused withdrawal) under the provisions of AP 4230 Grading and Academic Record Symbols, will be in “continuous attendance” for their required period of military service or excused withdrawal.
Exceptions to the Catalog Rights requirements stated in this procedure may be made on a case-by-case basis, in conjunction with a graduation appeals committee as appropriate, if exceptions are not more restrictive than what is stated in this procedure.
If a student does not have catalog rights for the current academic year or missed the graduation petition deadlines (fall, spring, or summer) for the previous academic year, they may still submit a graduation petition, provided they completed all degree or certificate requirements under a prior catalog year (for which they had established or reestablished catalog rights) before the first day of the current fall semester. In this case, the student must follow the published graduation petition deadlines for the current academic year (fall, spring, or summer).
Students planning transfer to another institution, such as a four-year university, are advised to review that institution’s policy to understand “catalog rights” granted to California Community College (CCC) transfers.
Discontinued Degrees
A discontinued/inactive degree or certificate is one that was once offered by SJCC, but which is no longer offered. To be considered for a degree or certificate that is no longer offered, the student who has maintained continuous enrollment may petition the college which offered the degree/certificate. The courses required for a specific degree or certificate may change from one catalog to the next and often change while a student is completing a program. The college may not continue to offer coursework that it has offered in the past. Please note for ADTs, universities such as CSUs may not accept an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) once a new version has been in existence for three years or determined by a university.
CERTIFICATES NOT POSTED ON OFFICIAL SAN JOSE CITY COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS OR OFFICIAL RECORDS:
Per Title 5 regulations certificates of achievement are noted on the student’s transcript. However, Certificates of completion, proficiency, specialization, skills, and career are not reflected on the student’s SJCC transcript or official records.