General Information

Associate Degrees
To help the student achieve an organized plan of study in higher education, and to provide greater depth in the student’s field of major interests and more breadth in general knowledge, Danville Area Community College offers the following Associate Degree programs: Associate in Fine Arts in Art, Associate in Fine Arts in Art Education, Associate in Science, Associate in Arts, Associate in Engineering Science, Associate in General Studies and Associate in Applied Science.

Students desiring to qualify for the Associate Degree must present a total of at least sixty hours of degree credit including transferred credit. A cumulative grade average of 2.0 is required for all degree courses completed.

A student wishing to graduate from DACC may choose to meet the graduation requirements stated in the catalog in effect during the student’s initial enrollment at DACC or those requirements stated in the current catalog at the time of their graduation. If a student has a break in enrollment of 3 consecutive terms (including summers), it shall mean that the student must meet degree requirements in the catalog published at the time of re-enrollment or those requirements stated in the current catalog at the time of their graduation.

It is anticipated that a student will complete an associate degree within five years of initial enrollment. Vocational courses that are outdated (5 years or more) must be reviewed by the Division Dean to determine if the course is still applicable to this desired degree. Those courses determined inapplicable must be repeated at the student’s expense.

Students must complete INST 101, Success in College. An appeal of this requirement may be made through your counselor or advisor, to the Registrar. This appeal should be made before the completion of a student's first 25 hours at Danville Area Community College.

Not more than 45 hours will be accepted by transfer and approved testing toward degree requirements. Candidates for a degree must clear all school obligations and file an application for graduation at the time he/she has earned 45 or more semester hours.

A student may earn a second Associate Degree by completing an additional 24 semester hours of degree credit and by fulfilling the requirements for the degree. The grade point average for the additional hours must be at least 2.0.

Certificate Requirements
The College will award certificates to students who have completed all required course work and who have earned a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.00 (4.00 scale) for all required courses.

A minimum of one-half the credits required for a certificate must be earned at DACC.

General Education Definition
General Education at Danville Area Community College has two purposes: first, to develop skills in communication and in mathematics that will be necessary for success in college, the community, and the working world; second, to acquaint students with the breadth of knowledge and the methods of inquiry in the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities.

The following areas are included in the General Education requirements at Danville Area Community College:

1. Communications: The study of the skills of discourse—collecting, preparing, and presenting ideas in written and oral form.
2. Humanities: The study of literature, language, philosophy, and fine arts to analyze values, to stimulate speculation and creativity, and to explore the meaning of human existence.
   
   
3. Mathematics: The study of numbers and their operations, measurement, and relationships, and the use of computational methods in problem solving.
4. Science: The study of life and physical sciences directed toward the application of the scientific method of inquiry to natural phenomena.
5. Social Science: The study of psychological, social, historical, and political behavior directed toward an understanding of human continuity and change.

Non-Western Culture: Students seeking an AS or AA degree are recommended to take a non-western culture class from either the humanities or the social science categories.

Human Relations: Students seeking an AS, AA, AES, AGS, AAS, AFA or AFAE degree are required to take a minimum of one course as part of their general education program which contains instruction on improving human relations, including race, ethnicity, gender, and other issues related to improving human relations to address racism and sexual harassment. This requirement is in compliance with Public Act 87-581.

General Education Core Curriculum (GECC)
DACC also offers the General Education Core Curriculum (GECC) Certificate as an option for transfer-oriented students. The GECC Certificate represents com- pletion of the General Education Core Curriculum as a part of a transferable degree. DACC is a participant in the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI), a statewide agreement that allows transfer of the completed Illinois General Edu- cation Core Curriculum between participating institutions.

A list of participating institutions can be found at http://itransfer.org/courses/participatingschools.php

Completion of the GECC assures transferring students that lower-division general education requirements for an associate or bachelor’s degree have been satisfied. Completion of the 37-41 credit hours also meets the general education requirements for all of DACC’s transfer associate degrees. The credential is not a workforce certificate nor industry-recognized credential. Please note, education, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors will be directed to take specific general education courses for their majors. DACC Academic Advisors can help students select the courses that meet their education and certificate/degree goals.