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:

Academic credentials are as follows:

Technical Diplomas

Medical Office Specialist
Surgical Technology

Certificate of General Studies

Certificate

Certificate of Technical Studies

Technical Competency Area

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:

Comprehend, evaluate, and synthesize information gained by reading college-level material across the curriculum.
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.
Develop effective informative and persuasive oral-communication skills demonstrated through oral presentation across the curriculum.
Comprehend and accurately perform course-specific mathematical operations to demonstrate problem-solving skills.
Develop critical thinking skills to generate and interpret information and beliefs successfully from knowledge, skills and abilities gained across the curriculum.
Use library resources to research topics across the curriculum.
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:

Comprehend, evaluate, and synthesize information gained by reading college-level material.
Use basic grammar, mechanics, and composition skills in a variety of rhetorical modes to explain, describe, inform, and analyze.
Perform arithmetic computations as these are related to certification area.
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)

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

ENGLISH (Competency # 2)

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

MATHEMATICS (Competency # 3)

A minimum ACT score of 15 in mathematics;
Placement test results showing placement in Math 099 or higher; or
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

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.
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 division chair 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.
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 academic division chairs and the Executive Dean of Instruction, and the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
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
Official Classification of Elective Courses

Behavioral and Social Sciences
Geography
Sociology
Political Science
Psychology

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

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

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

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

Associate of Applied Science

Associate of Arts

Associate of Science

Associate Degree

Academic credentials are as follows:

Technical Diplomas

Certificate of General Studies

Certificate of Technical Studies

Technical Competency Area

General Education Core Curriculum

Associate Degree

Academic Certificates

Technical Competency Area

General Education Competencies

Associate Degree

Academic Certificates

Technical Competency Areas

Degree Requirements