New degrees and certificates

Notebook

New AAS degrees and certificates development occurs under the oversight of the discipline/program SAC. New degrees and certificates must have internal and state approval before being offered.

The new degree or certificate process

  • Log into Courseleaf through the Faculty tab in MyPCC. Under Tools on the right-hand side, click Degree and Certificate Management.
  • Follow the prompts to complete the proposal.
  • Save and submit to workflow in Courseleaf for review and recommendation by the SAC Chair and Program Dean.
  • Once the Program Dean has reviewed and recommended the item, it will be placed on the next available Degree and Certificate Committee meeting.
  • The Degree & Certificate Committee (DAC) may recommend the program for approval as proposed, amend the proposal, and recommend or postpone for further review.
  • Once recommended by the DAC, the program must be recommended by the Pathway Dean, EAC Chair, Executive Dean for Teaching & Learning Support, VP of Academic Affairs, and approved by the District President and the PCC Board.  The program must then be approved by the state.
  • Implementation: The SAC will be notified when the course has completed the entire process. At that point, the SAC may advertise the program, and the curriculum staff will input the program details into the catalog, web application, etc.

How long will it take until the degree or certificate is available?

  • A new degree or certificate request will take a minimum of eight months and/or three terms to complete the approval process and be available to advertise and schedule. View a more detailed timeline of deadlines.

Other curricular items to note

  • Sub-100-level courses cannot be used in:
    • The first 12 credits of a less-than-one-year certificate
    • The first 45 credits of a one-year certificate
    • The first 61 credits of the two-year certificate
    • The first 90 credits of an AAS degree
  • Other documents that may be needed in the process