Degree and Certificate Completion Requirements

South Suburban College awards the Associate in Arts degree, the Associate in Science degree, the Associate in Fine Arts degree, the Associate in Engineering Science degree and the Associate in Applied Science degree. In addition, Certificates of Completion may be earned by students enrolled in designated curricula. General requirements for the Associate degrees are:

All general and specific requirements in one of the Associate degree curricula listed in the catalog must be fulfilled.
An overall cumulative college-level grade point average of 2.0 (on a 4.0 point scale) must be achieved.
A student seeking an Associate Degree from South Suburban College must complete a minimum of 25% of the required college-level credit hours at SSC with a minimum cumulative college-level grade point average of 2.0, exclusive of any combination of ECEP, CLEP, AP, military experience or transfer credit.
Students earning an Associate degree must meet the requirement for coursework on improving human relations as defined in Public Act 87-581.
All students completing degree requirements must apply for graduation for the term in which the degree will be completed. The graduation application is available on SSC Self Service. Graduation application deadlines are October 1 for Fall; February 1 for Spring; and July 1 for Summer. Students who do not submit an application may not be awarded their degree.
All qualified students who have completed the requirements for a degree will be sent a letter acknowledging their status. After the final grades for the semester have been recorded and the final degree audit check is completed, the degree will be posted on the student’s transcript. One annual commencement is held in the Spring; however, the Associate Degree or Certificate may be granted and issued at the end of the Summer and Fall terms following the same process. (No commencement ceremony is held at these times.) Students who have completed the Degree Verification Form will be mailed their degree approximately six weeks after the end of the term. The dates for the end of the term are: December 31 for Fall; May 31 for Spring; and August 31 for Summer. A student must complete the form to receive the actual degree; however, all degrees will be listed on the student transcript.
In order to be eligible for more than one Associate degree, 15 semester hours of credit, in addition to the minimum 62 hours required for the first degree, must be earned at the college. Credits for the first degree or certificate may apply toward the second degree. All requirements must be fulfilled for each degree earned.
As a result of many changes required by State and Federal agencies, curriculum requirements may vary under specific catalogs. If a student discontinues attendance for a full year or more, he or she will be held to the requirements of the current catalog.
The responsibility for proper registration each semester rests with the student. The student is responsible for satisfying all graduation requirements for degree/certificate completion.
South Suburban College reserves the right to rescind the awarding of associate degrees and certificates if the College discovers that the degrees and certificates were awarded in error, such as an incorrectly listed degree or in a situation where it was found that a student had not actually fulfilled all graduation requirements under the criteria approved by the Illinois Community College Board or as otherwise established in the South Suburban College catalog.
All financial Obligations to the college must be satisfied before an associate's degree can be awarded.
All official transcripts, including the official high school transcript, must be on file with the Office of Admissions prior to the award date for degrees and certificates, excluding basic certificates.

Requirements for GECC Credential

The General Education Credential (GECC) represents completion of the GECC as part of a transferrable degree and is not a workforce certificate nor industry-recognized credential. This credential emphasizes student completion of a minimum of 37 credit hours across five academic disciplines, which satisfy the General Education Core Curriculum of the Illinois Articulation Initiative.

The GECC Credential requires completion of a minimum of 37 credit hours and all of the requirements listed in the catalog must be fulfilled.
An overall cumulative college-level grade point average of 2.0 (on a 4.0 point scale) must be achieved.
A student seeking a GECC Credential from South Suburban College must complete a minimum of 50% of the required college-level credit hours at SSC with a minimum cumulative college-level grade point average of 2.0, exclusive of any combination of CLEP, AP, military experience or transfer credit.
Students earning an Associate degree must meet the requirement for coursework on improving human relations as defined in Public Act 87-581.
As a result of many changes required by State and Federal agencies, curriculum requirements may vary under specific catalogs. If a student discontinues attendance for a full year or more, he or she will be held to the requirements of the current catalog.
The responsibility for proper registration each semester rests with the student. The student is responsible for satisfying all graduation requirements for GECC Credential completion.
South Suburban College reserves the right to rescind the GECC Credential if the College discovers that the credential was awarded in error, such as an incorrectly listed credential or in a situation where it was found that a student had not actually fulfilled all requirements under the criteria approved by the Illinois Community College Board, or as otherwise established in the South Suburban College catalog.

Requirements for a Certificate

A Certificate requires completion of a minimum of 30 credit hours and all of the requirements listed in the catalog must be fulfilled. All requirements in one of the Certificate curricula in the catalog must be fulfilled.
At least 50% of the program-specific courses must be completed at South Suburban College with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0, exclusive of any combination of ECEP, CLEP, AP, military experience or transfer credit.
All students completing Certificate requirements must apply for graduation for the term in which the Certificate will be completed. The graduation application is available on SSC Self Service. Graduation application deadlines are October 1 for Fall; February 1 for Spring; and July 1 for Summer. Students who do not submit an application may not be awarded their Certificate.
All qualified students who have completed the requirements for a certificate will be sent a letter acknowledging their status. After the final grades for the semester have been recorded and the final certificate audit check is completed, the certificate will be posted to the student’s transcript. Students who have completed the Certificate Verification Form will be mailed their certificate approximately six weeks after the end of the term. The dates for the end of the term are: December 31 for Fall; May 31 for Spring; and August 31 for Summer. The student must complete the form to receive the paper certificate; however, all certificates will be listed on the student transcript.
An overall cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (on a 4.0 point scale) must be achieved for the specific Certificate.
South Suburban College reserves the right to rescind the awarding of associate degrees and certificates if the College discovers that the degrees and certificates were awarded in error, such as an incorrectly listed degree or in a situation where it was found that a student had not actually fulfilled all graduation requirements under the criteria approved by the Illinois Community College Board or as otherwise established in the South Suburban College catalog.

Requirements for a Basic Certificate

A Basic Certificate is defined as a certificate of less than thirty semester credit hours.
At least 50% of the program-specific courses must be completed at South Suburban College with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0, exclusive of any combination of ECEP, CLEP, AP, military experience or transfer credit. They are automatically generated the semester after they are earned.
Basic Certificates do not require a high school diploma or HSE/GED® to be on file in order to be issued to the student.
All students completing Basic Certificate requirements must apply for graduation for the term in which the Basic Certificate will be completed. The graduation application is available on SSC Self Service. Graduation application deadlines are October 1 for Fall; February 1 for Spring; and July 1 for Summer. Students who do not submit an application may not be awarded their Basic Certificate. Basic Certificate students do not participate in the commencement ceremony.

Degrees & Certificate Information

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