Degree Programs

Cuyahoga Community College offers the following five (5) degrees: Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Business, Associate of Applied Science and Associate of Technical Study.

All curriculum is approved through the established College curriculum approval process. Students petitioning for a degree must submit a petition form to the Admissions & Financial Services office according to the graduation deadline published in the Academic Calendar.

Graduation Residency Requirement

For each degree, a student must complete the following number of credit hours while in attendance at Cuyahoga Community College:

  • Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, and Associate of Technical Studies:  Minimum of twenty (20) of the sixty (60) semester credit hours required for degree completion
  • Short-Term Certificates:  Minimum of nine (9) semester credits
  • Certificate of Proficiency: Minimum of nine (9) semester credits
  • Post-Degree Professional Certificates: Minimum of six (6) semester credits

General Education Requirements Overview

Each degree requires students complete a minimum of 60 credit hours of College-level coursework (1000 level or higher), with a set number of credits in each of the College's General Education categories (Communication, Mathematics, Natural and Physical Sciences, Arts and Humanities, and Social and Behavioral Sciences.  Outlined below is a summary of the credit hour requirements in each of the general education categories for each degree program offered at Cuyahoga Community College..

Associate of Arts Degree

  • 9 credits of Communications
  • 3 credits of Mathematics
  • 6 credits of Natural and Physical Sciences (must include 1 laboratory experience)
  • 6 credits of Arts and Humanities
  • 6 credits of Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • 6 credits of Ohio Transfer 36 approved electives.  Courses approved for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion can apply in this category.

Associate of Science Degree

  • 6 credits of Communications
  • 6 credits of Mathematics at the 1400 level or above
  • 15 credits of Natural and Physical Sciences (must include 2 laboratory experiences)
  • 6 credits of Arts and Humanities
  • 6 credits of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Associate of Applied Business Degree

  • 6 credits of Communications
  • 3 credits of Mathematics
  • 6 credits of Arts and Humanities/Natural and Physical Sciences/Social and Behavioral Sciences

Associate of Applied Sciences

  • 6 credits of Communications
  • 3 credits of Mathematics/Communications/Natural and Physical Sciences
  • 6 credits of Arts and Humanities/Natural and Physical Sciences/Social and Behavioral Sciences

Associate of Technical Studies

  • 6 credits of Communications
  • 3 credits of Mathematics
  • 6 credits of Arts and Humanities/Natural and Physical Sciences/Social and Behavioral Sciences

Essential Learning Outcomes

Essential Learning Statement of Purpose

Essential Learning refers to that broad body of knowledge and skills common to all educated people, regardless of their professions. A essential learning enables students to demonstrate measurable knowledge and intellectual skills that generate a lifelong habit of inquiry and decision-making. It fosters a better understanding of the world’s cultural complexity. It prepares students to be more responsible citizens and more judicious inhabitants of the world. The Essential Learning curriculum of Cuyahoga Community College prepares students for a more fulfilling life. 

Essential Learning Outcomes

As a graduate of Cuyahoga Community College, students will become members of a community of learners who are knowledgeable and competent in the following areas:

Oral Communication

Demonstrate effective verbal and non-verbal communication for an intended audience that is clear, concise, organized, and delivered following the standard conventions of that language.

Written Communication

Demonstrate effective written communication for an intended audience that follows genre/disciplinary conventions that reflect clarity, organization, and editing skills.

Critical/Creative Thinking

Analyze, evaluate, and and synthesize information in order to consider problems/ideas and transform them in innovative or imaginative ways.

Information Literacy

Acquire, evaluate, and use information from credible sources in order to meet information needs for a specific research purpose.

Quantitative Reasoning

Analyze problems, including real-world scenarios, through the application of mathematical and numerical concepts and skills, including the interpretation of data, tables, charts, or graphs.

Cultural Sensitivity

Demonstrate sensitivity to the beliefs, views, values, and practices of cultures within and beyond the United States.

Civic Responsibility

Analyze the results of actions and inactions with the likely effects on the larger local and/or global communities.

Associate of Arts Degree and Associate of Science Degree

The Arts and Sciences curriculum includes a range of course offerings in liberal arts and sciences for all students at the College. Students may enroll in a sequence of courses to earn either the Associate of Arts degree or the Associate of Science degree.

Study in the arts and sciences is the classic approach for preparing oneself for life and its many challenges with a broad education founded in history, literature, social sciences, and natural and physical sciences.

For those students who wish to continue their studies toward the completion of a four-year degree after leaving Cuyahoga Community College, it will be necessary to plan a program that provides for eventual transfer of credits to a baccalaureate degree-granting college or university. A large number of Tri-C students plan programs that will transfer to four-year colleges and universities by enrolling in what is usually referred to as the Transfer, or University Parallel curriculum. This course work is the equivalent of the courses offered during the first two years at a four-year institution. Information about planning a program to transfer to a university is provided in the General Curriculum Information section of this Catalog.

Associate of Applied Business Degree and Associate of Applied Science Degree

The Associate of Applied Business degree and Associate of Applied Science degree feature programs in the general areas of business technologies, health careers, engineering and industrial technologies, public service technologies, agriculture and natural resources technologies, and applied industrial technologies.

Tri-C offers more than 80 technical degree programs, many of which have career ladder plans consisting of Short-Term Certificates and Certificates of Proficiency developed to meet short-term objectives while pursuing associate degree goals. In addition, students in the Associate of Applied Business and Associate of Applied Science degree programs are expected to demonstrate proficiency in their career fields via capstone coursework.

Certificate Programs

Cuyahoga Community College grants Short-Term Certificates, Certificates of Proficiency, Degrees, and Post-Degree Professional Certificates. These curriculum options allow for multiple entry and exit points and supports career laddering.

A student can start in a degree program by taking those courses identified in the Short-Term Certificate, which may be a subset of that degree. They are then ready to enter the job market with these new skills while continuing to pursue their next goal which could be a Certificate of Proficiency.

Once an associate degree is obtained, or if a student already has a bachelor’s degree, a Post-Degree Professional Certificate can be pursued.

Certificates will be automatically awarded when the certificate requirements are completed. Students who do not want to receive an earned certificate must notify the Office of the Registrar at RegistrarOffice@tri-c.edu.

Short-Term Certificate

A Short-Term Certificate prepares students for entry-level positions in a specific career/employment situation.

Short-Term Certificate candidates at Cuyahoga Community College must be in good standing. A Short-Term Certificate will be granted to the student completing the following requirements:

  1. The satisfactory completion of 9-29 semester credits at the 1000 level or higher as defined in the Short-Term Certificate.
  2. The completion of no fewer than nine (9) credits while in attendance at Cuyahoga Community College.
  3. The accumulation of a minimum grade point average of “C” or better (2.00) for all courses attempted at Cuyahoga Community College (with exceptions as provided under College policies for repeating a course, Grade Forgiveness and Fresh Start).
  4. Special Topics, Independent Study/Research, and Cooperative Education courses may be applied to the general education and elective graduation requirements unless otherwise noted.

One-Year Certificate of Proficiency

A Certificate of Proficiency program prepares the students for proficiency in an occupation field, after they successfully complete a prescribed education program.

Certificate candidates at Cuyahoga Community College must be in good standing. A Certificate of Proficiency will be granted to the student completing the following requirements:

  1. The satisfactory completion of 30-37 semester credits at the 1000-level or higher as defined in the Certificate of Proficiency.
  2. The completion of no fewer than nine (9) semester credits while in attendance at Cuyahoga Community College.
  3. The accumulation of a minimum grade point average of “C” or better (2.00) for all courses attempted at Cuyahoga Community College (with exceptions as provided under College policies for repeating a course, Grade Forgiveness and Fresh Start).
  4. Special Topics, Independent Study/Research, and Cooperative Education courses may be applied to the general education and elective graduation requirements unless otherwise noted.

Post-Degree Professional Certificate

The Post-Degree Professional Certificate is a high-quality program of instruction for those students who have already completed an academic degree and are pursuing additional certification in professional and technical fields.

Post-Degree Professional Certificate candidates at Cuyahoga Community College must be in good standing. A Post-Degree Professional Certificate will be granted to the student who has fulfilled the following requirements:

  1. Completed an associate or higher degree from a regionally accredited post-secondary institution, or an equivalent degree or diploma from a post-secondary program certified and accredited by a state or nationally certified and accredited board.
  2. The satisfactory completion of 6-37 semester credits as identified in the specific Post-Degree Professional Certificate.
  3. The completion of no fewer than six (6) semester credits defined in the Post-Degree Professional Certificate while in attendance at Cuyahoga Community College.
  4. The accumulation of a minimum grade point average of 2.50.

Degree and Certificate Programs No Longer Offered by the College

The College may award a deleted degree or certificate program for up to two (2) years after its deletion. After that time limit, the student will no longer be able to petition for the deleted degree program.