Certificate of Achievement

Certificates of Achievement require 16 or more units of degree-applicable coursework in an approved program. Certificates of Achievement are designed to convey evidence that defined levels of proficiency have been attained in career or technical areas.  Certificates are established that are consistent with the mission of Southwestern College, meet a demonstrated need, are feasible, and adhere to all guidelines on student academic achievement. Certificates of Achievement are available in most of the programs for which the College offers the associate degree. Students select a certificate of achievement area with specified course requirements from the catalog.  A certificate consisting of 8 or more units of degree-applicable coursework may be created and submitted to the Chancellor's Office to be approved as a program leading to a certificate of achievement if the program symbolizes successful completion of patterns of learning experiences designed to develop certain capabilities that may be oriented to career or general education despite requiring fewer than 16 semester or 24 quarter units of degree-applicable credit coursework.

To qualify for a Certificate of Achievement, a student must do all of the following:

  • Complete all courses listed for a particular certificate
  • Achieve a grade of “C” or better in all courses required for that specific certificate;
  • Transfer coursework of "C-" does not fulfill this requirement
  • Achieve a grade point average of “C” (2.0) for all courses attempted at Southwestern College that are required for that specific certificate
  • File a petition for Certificate of Achievement
  • Satisfactorily complete at least one required course from the certificate program’s list of course requirements at Southwestern College.

Certificate of Achievement

Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum

Transfer Preparation * (Major Code: 00065)

Students who complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer (IGETC) Requirements, commonly referred to as the “yellow sheet,” may be awarded a Certificate of Achievement. Completion of the IGETC requirements satisfies the lower-division general education requirements for the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC) systems.

Although this certificate recognizes completion of the lower-division general education requirements, it does not guarantee admission into the CSU or UC systems. For a list of the approved courses for this program, please refer to the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum Requirements in the Catalog or the “yellow sheet” of course listings.

Please contact a counselor with questions or for additional guidance. IGETC, Area 7, Ethnic Studies is effective fall 2023.

Program Requirements
Area 1: English Communication -- 1C CSU Requirement Only6-11
Area 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning3
Area 3: Arts and Humanities9
Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences6
Area 5: Physical and Biological Sciences7-9
Area 6: Language Other Than English -- UC Requirement Only0-5
Area 7: Ethnic Studies3
Total Units34-46

Certificate of Achievement

California State University General Education Breadth

Transfer Preparation * (Major Code: 00055)

Students who complete the California State University General Education (CSUGE) Breadth Requirements, commonly referred to at Southwestern as the “pink sheet,” may be awarded a Certificate of Achievement.  Completion of the CSUGE requirements satisfies the lower-division general education requirements for the CSU system.

Although this certificate recognizes completion of the lower-division general education requirements, it does not guarantee admission into the CSU system.

For a list of the approved courses for this program, please refer to the California State University General Education Breadth Requirements in the Catalog or the “pink sheet” of course listings.

Please contact an academic counselor for additional information and/or questions.


 

Program Requirements
Area A: English Language Communication and Critical Thinking9-11
Area B: Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning9-10
Area C: Arts and Humanities9
Area D: Social Sciences6
Area E: Lifelong Learning and Self-Development3
Area F: Ethnic Studies3
Total Units39-42