Graduation and Commencement

Graduation Requirements

Within five years of initial enrollment in credit courses at Texas State Technical College, a student may graduate with a degree or certificate according to the catalog requirements in effect at the time of first enrollment at Texas State Technical College, a student may graduate with a degree or certificate according to the catalog requirements in effect at the time of first enrollment or any subsequent catalog provided the degree, certificate, the program, and requisite courses are still being offered. If a student fails to complete within five years all requirements of the catalog in effect at the time of initial enrollment, the student will be required to graduate under a catalog not older than five years. Exception to this requirement may be approved in extenuating circumstances by the Dean of Student Learning.

To obtain a diploma, a student must apply for graduation, satisfy all financial obligations to the college and pay the graduation fee. Diplomas are issued after final grades have been recorded on the student's permanent record and the student is certified as a graduate.

Students are notified of their eligibility for graduation when they achieve the following requirements for the applicable degree or certificate.

1. All TSI-related requirements are met (Associate degrees only).
2. All required course work is satisfactorily completed.
3. At least 25% of the total required credit hoursare earned at the college granting the degree or certificate.
4. The student's cumulative grade point average is 2.00 or higher.
5. The student's grades in all major courses are C or better.
6. All transfer credits accepted by TSTC and applied to the degree or certificate are approved by the faculty of the program.
7. The student has no pending disciplinary issues as defined in the college student handbook.

Commencement Ceremonies

Since graduation ceremonies and receptions are generally held before graduate certification occurs, students are permitted to participate in these events only upon the recommendation by faculty. Students are required to wear the regalia designated by TSTC during commencement ceremonies.

Graduation Honors

Students receiving associate degrees or certificates who earn Cumulative GPAs of 4.0 receive TSTC Board of Regents' Honors. Students receiving associate degrees or certificates who earn Cumulative GPAs of 3.50 to 3.99 receive Honors.

Graduate Guarantee

If an associate degree or certificate of completion graduate is judged by his/her employer to be lacking in technical job skills identified as exit competencies for the program under which the student graduated, TSTC will provide the graduate with up to 12 tuition-free semester credit hours of additional skill training, in accordance with the following.

1. The graduate must have earned the degree or certificate since May 1992 in a technical or occupational program published in the TSTC catalog.
2. The graduate must have earned at least 75% of the total credits of the degree or certificate at TSTC, and must have completed the degree or certificate within five years of initial enrollment.
3. The graduate must be employed full-time in an area directly related to the program concentration, as certified by the Dean of Student Learning.
4. The employment must have commenced within twelve months of graduation.
5. The Graduate Guarantee process must be initiated in writing to the TSTC Office of the President by either the graduate or the employer.
6. The employer must certify in writing that the employee is lacking entry-level skills identified by TSTC as program exit competencies and must specify the areas of deficiency within 90 days of the graduate's initial employment.
7. The employer, Dean of Student Learning, career counselor, and appropriate chairperson will develop a written educational plan for retraining.
8. Retraining will be limited to 12 semester credit hours related to the identified skill deficiency and to those classes regularly scheduled during the period covered by the retraining plan.
9. All retraining must be completed within one calendar year from the time the educational plan is agreed upon.
10. The graduate and/or employer will be responsible for the cost of books, insurance, uniforms, fees, and/or other course-related expenses.
11. The guarantee does not imply that the graduate will pass any licensing or qualifying examination for a particular career.

A student's sole remedy against TSTC and its employees for skill deficiencies shall be limited to 12 semester credit hours of tuition-free education, as described above.