American Samoa Community College

10.  Academic Credit:
The institution awards academic credits based on generally accepted practices for degree-granting institutions of higher education and in accordance with statutory or system regulatory requirements. The institution provides appropriate information about the awarding of academic credit. (Standards II.A.9 and II.A.10)

ASCC follows accepted academic practices on awarding of credit based on instructional hours, credit per course, credits required for certificates and degrees, and in maintaining a 2.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CMGP) for AA/AS graduation and 2.7 CGPA for students graduating with a B.Ed.1

The college defines academic credits as follows:

  • Academic credits are granted for work completed successfully in courses specifically outlined below
  • A lecture course carries one semester credit hour for one hour of classroom instruction per week.

Instructor-supervised laboratory work carries one semester credit hour for three hours of laboratory time per week. Note: Supervised laboratory work includes clinical, studio, internship, practicum, fieldwork, and physical education courses.

Course credit is awarded based on successful completion of the course and achievement of student learning outcomes (SLO) as stated in course syllabi.

The College has in place transfer-of-credit policies to address transfer of coursework internally and externally.  These policies are available to students via the College Catalog and are communicated through the Transfer Counseling Services. The ASCC 2014-2016 Catalog is available online.2   When accepting transfer credits to fulfill degree requirements, the Registrar certifies the transfer credits through the approval process. This process involves students’ submission of official transcripts to the Admissions and Records Division for review and articulation, and the final review and approval of transferred courses by the Department Chairperson and the Dean of Academic Affairs.  This confirms course equivalency through review of course descriptions to ensure courses are similar in scope and content, review of course syllabi if available, and course articulations.

The College assures the quality of transferred courses through ASCC transfer policies. The Curriculum Committee and respective divisions review these policies biennially during the catalog review cycle.

These transfer of credit policies are stated in the 2014-2016 Catalog.3