Bossier Parish Community College Bossier Parish Community College Contact Site Map Help

Bossier Parish Community College
2009 - 2010 General Catalog

 

 

General Degree Requirements

Bossier Parish Community College fulfills its stated purpose by meeting challenges from business establishments, industrial companies, and medical institutions to provide technical training for their employees. Successful completion of the training qualifies students to receive, in each appropriate case, technical competency area certification, a certificate, an associate degree, and/or credit to transfer to other institutions where the studies can be completed. The College's occupational/technical programs include degree programs, clock-hour programs, seminars, and training sessions.

BPCC offers the following Associate Degrees, Academic Certificates, and Technical Competency Areas:

Associate of Applied Science

Business Administration
Care and Development of Young Children
Computer Information Systems
Criminal Justice
EMT Paramedic
Industrial Control Systems
Information Network Security Specialist
Information Network Specialist
Information Programmer Analyst
Information Systems Administration Specialist
Medical Assistant
Pharmacy Technician
Physical Therapist Assistant
Respiratory Therapy
Telecommunications
Web Analyst Programmer

Associate of Arts

Music
Theatre

Associate of Science

Teaching
General Science (Allied Health)
General Science (Natural Sciences)

Associate Degree

General Studies

Academic credentials are as follows:

Technical Diplomas

Medical Office Specialist
Surgical Technology

Certificate

General Studies

Certificate of Technical Studies

Construction Technology
Culinary Arts
Help Desk Support
Legal Secretary
Pharmacy Technician
Phlebotomy
Respiratory Therapy
Telecommunications
Theatre

Technical Competency Area

Acting
Basic Management
Biotechnology
Bookkeeping
Broadcasting
Business Communications
Business of Makeup
Business of Music
Computer Animation
Costume Design
Directing
EKG/Telemetry Technician
EMT Basic
Film
Graphic Design
Laboratory Assistant
Lighting Design
Media for the Ministry
Medical Unit Coordinator
Photography
Radio
Scene Design
Stage or Theatre Management
Software Applications
Sound Recording Technology
TV Production
Theatre Technician
Web Design

General Education Core Curriculum

Associate Degree

The accrediting (SACS-COC) and governing (Board of Regents) bodies of Bossier Parish Community College have established a set of core courses for students receiving an Associate degree at the College. This core curriculum is included in the Associate Degree curriculum that students follow. Graduates of all BPCC associate degrees are required, at a minimum, to take the following courses:

Minimum required Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Associate of Arts (AA) Associate of Science (AS) Associate (A)
General Education 15 credit hours 27 credit hours 27 credit hours 27 credit hours
English Composition 3 credit hours 6 credit hours 6 credit hours 6 credit hours
Mathematics 3 credit hours 3 credit hours 6 credit hours 3 credit hours
Natural Science 3 credit hours 6 credit hours 6 credit hours 6 credit hours
Humanities 3 credit hours 3 credit hours 3 credit hours 3 credit hours
Fine Arts 0 credit hours 3 credit hours 3 credit hours 3 credit hours
Behavioral/Social Sciences 3 credit hours 6 credit hours 3 credit hours 6 credit hours

Academic Certificates

Bossier Parish Community College awards the following: the Certificate, the Technical Diploma, and the Certificate of Technical Studies. These contain the required coursework as approved by the Board of Regents. The Technical Diploma and the Certificate of Technical Studies do not possess a general education core requirement.

Technical Competency Area

A Technical Competency Area is a series of applied courses that provides students with mastery in a specific technical/vocational area. The TCA does not possess a general education core requirement.

General Education Competencies

Associate Degree

In addition to the above minimum core courses, BPCC has established general education competencies, which are related to the entire curriculum, and not limited to any one course. The general education competencies for Associate Degree graduates are reading, written and oral communication, mathematical computation, critical thinking, library skills, and computer literacy. Establishing competencies is accomplished across the curriculum for each associate degree program and includes courses from the Core Curriculum required by the Louisiana Board of Regents and the General Education core required by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Specifically, Associate Degree graduates must be able to do the following:

  1. READING - Comprehend, evaluate, and synthesize information gained by reading college-level material across the curriculum.
  2. WRITTEN COMMUNICATION - Communicate effectively in written English across the curriculum by thinking critically to develop ideas and organize argument and supporting information in a variety of rhetorical modes.
  3. ORAL COMMUNICATION - Develop effective informative and persuasive oral-communication skills demonstrated through oral presentation across the curriculum.
  4. MATHEMATICAL COMPUTATION - Comprehend and accurately perform course-specific mathematical operations to demonstrate problem-solving skills.
  5. CRITICAL THINKING - Develop critical thinking skills to generate and interpret information and beliefs successfully from knowledge, skills and abilities gained across the curriculum.
  6. LIBRARY SKILLS - Use library resources to research topics across the curriculum.
  7. COMPUTER LITERACY - Utilize current computer technology and applications across the curriculum to develop research skills and computer literacy for academic settings, workforce development, and lifelong learning.

To ensure BPCC associate degree graduates have established general education competencies in these areas, a graduate must have no grade lower than a "C" in courses used to assess general education competencies.

Academic Certificates

Additionally, BPCC has established the following general education competencies for Academic Certificates. The general education competencies for the Academic Certificate graduates are reading, written communication, arithmetic computation, and skills in their chosen occupational fields. Specifically, Academic Certificate graduates must be able to do the following:

  1. READING - Comprehend, evaluate, and synthesize information gained by reading college-level material.
  2. WRITTEN COMMUNICATION - Use basic grammar, mechanics, and composition skills in a variety of rhetorical modes to explain, describe, inform, and analyze.
  3. MATHEMATICAL COMPUTATION - Perform arithmetic computations as these are related to certification area.
  4. SKILLS - Demonstrate skills required for current entry-level employment in their chosen fields.

Students receiving Academic Certificates from BPCC must show competency in general education. The following measurements have been established to indicate competency:

READING (Competency # 1)

  1. A minimum ACT score of 16 in reading;
  2. Placement test results showing Reading 099 is NOT needed; or
  3. Completion of Reading 099 with a grade of "C" or higher.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (Competency # 2)

  1. A minimum ACT score of 18 in English;
  2. Placement test results showing placement in English 101; or
  3. Completion of English 099 with a grade of "C" or higher.

MATHEMATICAL COMPUTATION (Competency # 3)

  1. A minimum ACT score of 15 in mathematics;
  2. Placement test results showing placement in Math 099 or higher; or
  3. Completion of Math 098 with a grade of "C" or higher.

SKILLS (Competency # 4)

  • Skills for entry-level employment are determined by achievement of learning outcomes in Academic Certificate course requirements.

Technical Competency Areas

The TCA does not possess a general education competency requirement.

Degree Requirements

  1. Associate Degree and Academic Certificates: (General Requirements) -
    The BPCC academic catalog prescribes the requirements for each associate degree and certificate program as well as services offered by the College. The catalog is published annually and becomes effective with the beginning of the summer semester each year. Former and continuing students must adhere to all changes in policies, rules, regulations, and academic requirements each year that changes are made. The educational programs and academic courses described herein may be altered by BPCC to carry out its stated mission. Students pursuing BPCC associate degrees and academic certificates are permitted to pursue only one associate degree at a time.

  2. Requirements for a Second Associate Degree:
    In order to qualify for a second associate degree, regardless of whether the first was granted by BPCC or another college or university, the candidate must present to the appropriate dean a minimum of 20 additional semester hours earned at BPCC since the completion of the previous degree requirements. These 20 additional hours will not include any semester hours counted in fulfilling any previous degree requirements or those hours earned prior to the date of certification of the last degree. The candidate must also fulfill all academic major requirements and College requirements for the second degree. The 20 hours of an approved curriculum for a second associate degree must be taken in residence at BPCC within five years of the time of graduation. Note: Students are not allowed to pursue more than one BPCC associate degree simultaneously.

  3. Official Certification of Degree/Certificate Completion:
    The official documentation of degree/certificate completion of BPCC programs is indicated on the BPCC transcript. Diplomas/certificates are unofficial and do not indicate official graduation from Bossier Parish Community College. The determination for satisfying all degree and certificate requirements is made by the Registrar after considering recommendations, where appropriate, from the appropriate deans and the Executive Dean of Instruction, and the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

  4. Graduation requirements:
    A grade of "C" or higher must be earned in all courses applicable to graduation;
    Students must have an overall GPA of 2.000 on all hours attempted, including
    hours earned at all colleges and universities.
    Student successfully establish competency in all general education areas.
    For degree completion, at least 25 percent of semester credit hours must be earned
    at Bossier Parish Community College

  5. Official Classification of Elective Courses

    Behavioral and Social Sciences
    Anthropology
    Geography
    Sociology
    Political Science
    Psychology

    Fine Arts
    Art 201, 202, or 206
    Music 120
    Telecommunications 240
    Theatre 101 or 131

    Humanities
    Anthropology
    English 201    , 202, 255, or 256
    French
    History 101 or 102
    History 201 or 202
    Humanities
    Religion
    Spanish 101, 102, or 201
    Theatre 101

    Natural Sciences
    Allied Health 115
    Allied Health 206
    Biology
    Biotechnology
    Chemistry
    Meteorology
    Microbiology
    Physical Science
    Physics
    Science 101
    Zoology