Curricular Resources: Certificate Guidelines

The Certificate of Completion (career program specified) is a program of study in occupational education that has been approved by the MCCCD Governing Board. The intent of the Certificate of Completion in a specified field is to provide the student with the technical competencies necessary for primarily entry-level positions in local businesses and industries.

Characteristics of the Certificate of Completion

Program content and competencies have been established through the participation of local advisory committees and approved by the appropriate Instructional Council and various levels of curriculum committees.
 
Courses taken in a certificate program are credit bearing and may be a component of the coursework required for the Associate of Applied Science degree in the same career field.

Certificate Guidelines

Every certificate proposed must state a minimum number of credits, but there should not be a District standard for the minimum number of credit hours in a certificate.
 
Students must have earned a minimum of 12-semester credit units toward the degree or certificate at the district college granting the degree or certificate, except in cases where the certificate requires fewer than 12 credit units.
 
Selected general education courses may be included in certificate programs as appropriate for the certificate's intended outcome.
 
Certificate proposals shall be supported by a statement that identifies the program as providing skills sufficient for employment, i.e., the statement of program competencies.
 
Courses numbered below 100 shall not count toward a certificate. If below 100 level courses are deemed appropriate as program prerequisites, the credit hours will not be counted within the total credit hours for the program.
 
Prerequisite courses or experiences, wherever applicable, shall be stated as program requirements or as prerequisites to the certificate program.
 
All MCCCD Governing Board approved certificates shall be titled, "Certificate of Completion in (career program specified)."
 
MCCCD certificate programs, which carry the same title, should require comparable number of credit hours.
 
The naming of vertical or horizontal levels (or ladders) of the packaged content of a Certificate of Completion should:

Remain a prerogative of the colleges, subject to recommended approval by Instructional Councils and District Curriculum Committee
 
Not be standardized throughout the District

For example, use of Level I, Level II, and Level III or Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced are equally acceptable for distinguishing vertical levels/ladders of similar content. Alternatively, the name of the content also may distinguish different levels, such as "Nurse Assisting" and "Practical Nursing."

For horizontal "ladders," any appropriate descriptor that differentiates among or between similar content areas would be appropriate and equally acceptable. For example, either:

Certificate of Completion in Supervision: Personnel
Certificate of Completion in Supervision: Accounting

OR

Certificate of Completion in Personnel Supervision
Certificate of Completion in Accounting Supervision
 

Certificate programs will allow for establishing specific grade requirements per area, i.e., student must earn a grade of "C" in all Required Courses.
 
Whenever the Required Courses for both a certificate and degree are the same, the title should be the same if possible. If the Required Courses differ by one course; the titles for the two programs should be different. Since program competencies are written only for the Required Courses, the statement of competencies for both a certificate and degree program of the same name should be identical.
 
The student should not have to substitute an elective if credit for a required course by examination, articulation or evaluation is allowed. Substitutions within certificates shall be the same as the regulation in effect for degree programs.
 
Credit by examination, evaluation or articulation may be accepted for any credit course required in the Certificate of Completion program.

The Curriculum Procedures Handbook is a product of the Maricopa County Community Colleges District. Any and all changes to the Handbook are monitored and coordinated through the District Curriculum Office. Please give credit to the Maricopa County Community College District if the Handbook or sections of the Handbook are duplicated.