Degrees and Certificates Awarded
Del Mar College offers transfer associate degrees designed for students planning to transfer to a four-year institution of higher education and complete a baccalaureate degree and career and technical associate degrees and certificates that prepare students for immediate entry into the workforce.
Associate in Arts (AA) Degree – The AA Degree is designed to prepare the student to transfer to a four-year institution of higher education to complete a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. Del Mar College offers AA Degrees in areas related to the business, arts, humanities, and social sciences.
Associate in Science (AS) Degree – The AS Degree is designed to prepare the student to transfer to a four-year institution of higher education to complete a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. Del Mar College offers AS Degrees in areas related to science, mathematics, engineering, technology and computer science.
Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) Degree – The AAT Degree is designed to help prepare community college students for entrance into the teaching profession. The College offers the AAT degree in three areas of concentration:
- Option 1: EC–Grade 6 Certification;
- Option 2: Grades 4–8, EC–12 Special Education Certification;
- Option 3: Grades 8–12, EC–12 Other than Special Education Certification.
Responsibilities for Transfer Degrees
- It is your responsibility to know the specific requirements of the college or university to which you plan to transfer. This responsibility includes knowing course requirements, number of credit hours accepted and grade-point average for admission.
- You should consult with your academic advisor at the earliest opportunity after being admitted to Del Mar College and begin developing an education plan. Thereafter, you should confer with the advisor regularly each semester while completing the education plan toward the associate degree.
- Where transferability permits, course substitution is permitted on recommendation of advisor and approval of both the dean of your major area and the dean over the course in question.
Requirements for the AA, AS, and AAT Degrees
- Successfully complete the required credit hours for the AA, AS and AAT Degrees in the prescribed courses.
- Complete the 42 credit hour core curriculum (may not be required for programs with a field of study).
- Maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average for all courses (unless the major/program requires a higher cumulative grade point average or requires minimum grades in individual courses).
- Courses shown in the Suggested Transfer Plan areas of this Catalog fulfill all requirements for the indicated majors. However, because of various transfer requirements from senior institutions, other combinations of core and major-field courses may satisfy the requirements for Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees.
- A minimum of 25 percent of degree-required classes must be earned at Del Mar College.
- All subsequent degrees must differ from the first degree by 20% of the required semester hours. This policy applies to degree and certificate programs. However, a student may pursue a degree or certificate that does not meet the 20% requirement if the certificate or degree is a stackable credential with a previously issued certificate.
Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Degree – The AAS Degree is designed to prepare students to enter the workforce in one of the identified Del Mar College career and technical programs.
Requirements for AAS Degree
- Successfully complete the prescribed courses in the curriculum including the identified 15 general education credits.
- Maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average for all courses (unless the major/program requires a higher cumulative grade point average or requires minimum grades in individual courses).
- Certificate of Achievement – The Certificate of Achievement is awarded to students who successfully complete the prescribed courses in any one of the College’s approved certificate programs.
- Occupational Skills Award – The Occupational Skills Award is awarded to students who successfully complete the prescribed 9 to 14 credit hours of courses in any one of the College’s approved business or industrial programs.
- Institutional certificates – These certificates are issued in certain workforce areas for successful completion of a course or courses that make a student eligible for immediate employment or add to the student's marketability to employers.
- A minimum of 25 percent of degree-required classes must be earned at Del Mar College.
Requirements for Certificates, Certificates of Achievement, and Occupational Skills Award
- Successfully complete all courses required for the certificate or award.
- Maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average for all courses (unless the certificate/award requires a higher cumulative grade point average or requires minimum grades in individual courses).
- All subsequent degrees must differ from the first degree by 20% of the required semester hours. This policy applies to degree and certificate programs. However, a student may pursue a degree or certificate that does not meet the 20% requirement if the certificate or degree is a stackable credential with a previously issued certificate.
Student Right to Know Graduation and Transfer Rates
In accordance with the Student Right to Know Act, the College annually publishes the graduation and transfer-out rates for first-time, full-time, degree-seeking or certificate-seeking students, which are available to all current and prospective students. Out of the first-time, full-time, degree-seeking or certificate-seeking students who entered Del Mar College in Fall 2016, 16 percent successfully completed a degree or certificate program at the College, and 10 percent transferred to other institutions within 150 percent of the normal completion time for their programs. For additional information about student completion and transfer rates, please contact the Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research at (361) 698-1207.