Graduation Requirements and Procedures
All students seeking an Associate of Arts or a Bachelor's degree must satisfy the following degree requirements as established by the Florida Board of Education. You are required to complete a minimum of 60 hours of transferable college-level credit to receive an A.A. degree. Florida State Board of Education Administrative Rule 6A-10.024 (3a) requires 36 semester hours of general education courses, excluding college prep courses. The remaining 24 credit hours are elective credits.
Graduates must meet the requirements of the College-Level Communication and Computational Skills Administrative Rule (Rule 6A-10.030, formerly known as the Gordon Rule) and a state-mandated foreign language requirement. Graduates must also have completed the Civic Literacy Competency Administrative Rule by successfully passing either POS2041, American Federal Government, or AMH2020, United States History 1865 to Present, or by achieving a standard score on AP Government and Politics: United States, AP United States History, or CLEP: American Government (Rule 6A-10.02413). You also must meet the Daytona State College residency requirements (see below).
Students seeking Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, Bachelor’s degree or certificates must have a cumulative 2.0 GPA, a Daytona State 2.0 GPA and meet the Daytona State College residency requirements (see below).
*Some degrees may have a GPA standard of higher, which will be noted on their program guides.
Students must earn a “C” or better in all General Education courses and pre-requisites to graduate with an AA degree. For A.S. degree and Bachelor’s degree – program specific courses must be completed with a grade “C” or better. See Program requirements in College Catalog for details.
SLS1122 – Managing your Success is required for the Associate of Arts degree. It is strongly recommended that the course be taken in the first semester of coursework. Students enrolled in an active bachelor's program are not required to complete SLS1122.
Completion of a course designated as a Cultural/Global Focus Area course is required for students seeking an Associate of Arts within the General Education curriculum or as an elective before graduation. These courses are outlined under the Requirements for Associate of Arts Degree. In addition to the courses in the General Education Curriculum, EDF2085, Introduction to Diversity for Educators, also satisfies this graduation requirement.
Students who have earned an Associate of Arts degree from a Florida public or private regionally accredited institution or a baccalaureate degree or higher from a U.S. regionally accredited institution at the time the degree was earned, are deemed to have met the General Education requirements for degree programs at Daytona State College, and also qualify for an exemption from the college placement tests. Specific majors may still require the completion of specified course requirements or prerequisites. Rule: 6A-10.024 Articulation Between and Among Universities, Florida Colleges, and School Districts (3)(a) consistent with Section 1007.24, F.S. See also: General Education Requirements below.
Students graduating from a vocational certificate program must have earned a 2.0 GPA in their program-specific classes and meet the Daytona State College residency requirements to be awarded the certificate. (see below). Students must also satisfy the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems (AE-CASAS) requirements for their vocational certificate program or meet the criteria for an exemption. All placement test score results, and test scores used for exemption to the placement test, are valid for 2 years.
Grade forgiveness applies when students repeat the same course in which they earned a "D" or "F" grade. The highest earned grade will be used in the calculation of GPA and graduation requirements. (A subsequent "W" grade will not replace an earned grade.) Students may not repeat the same course to improve a "C" grade or better.
Students enrolled in an online bachelor’s degree program, are required to complete it within three (3) years of reaching 75% of the program’s total credits needed to graduate.
Courses in Residency
The Daytona State College residency requirements are an overall 25 percent of degree requirements, 25 percent of program-specific classes, a cumulative 2.0 GPA and a Daytona State 2.0 of GPA. For bachelor's degree students, in addition to meeting the 25 percent overall residency requirement, a minimum of 25 percent of the upper-level program-specific credits must be completed at Daytona State College.
For instance, if your bachelor's degree program requires 42 upper-level program-specific credits, at least 10.5 of these must be completed at Daytona State, or if your bachelor's program requires 60 upper-level program-specific credits, at least 15 credit hours of these must be completed at Daytona State.
In addition, students can only earn a maximum of 25 percent of degree requirements through experiential learning, i.e. APLE. Credits earned by active US military members are excluded from this requirement.
General Education Requirements /Prior Degree Earned
Previously earned A.A. degrees from a Florida regionally accredited institution will be reflected on the students records as “general education requirements met through transfer” milestone. This milestone satisfies all the general education courses in the academic progress / audit for the student for upper level programs.
However, if the program specifically requires a course, for example MAC 1105 or MAC 2311C and student did not take the course as part of the AA transferred credits, the student will be required to take the course to meet program requirements.
Students that have earned a Baccalaureate degree from another institution are not eligible for the A.A program and are not allowed enrollment in the A.A. program to rehabilitate their GPA or to meet university prerequisites. Previously earned Baccalaureate degrees from a national regionally accredited institution will be reflected on the students records as “general education requirements met through transfer” milestone. This milestone satisfies all the general education courses in the academic progress / audit for the student for upper level programs. However, if the program specifically requires a course, for example MAC 1105 or MAC 2311C and student did not take the course as part of the AA transferred credits, the student will be required to take the course to meet program requirements.
Students that transfer to Daytona State College with a prior A.A. degree or higher are encouraged to enroll as non-matriculated students and take courses that meet their personal and career goals. Normally, a non-matriculated student is not eligible for student financial assistance, but non-matriculated students who are taking specific prerequisite courses for a Daytona State College limited access program will be eligible for student loans.
Foreign Language Requirements for A.A. and Bachelor's
Students who are enrolled in DSC’s Associate of Arts and or a Baccalaureate degree are required to meet foreign language requirements. [s. 1007.262, Florida Statutes] One of the following options can be used to meet this foreign language at Daytona State College:
Option 1: Students who complete two years of the same foreign language in high school will have satisfied the language requirement.
Option 2: Students who have earned the Florida Seal of Biliteracy Gold or Silver, from their high school. Florida Seal of Biliteracy Gold or Silver indicates that the student has met proficiency in at least 2 languages. This information is noted on their high school transcripts.
Option 3: Foreign students who present a high school diploma which demonstrates the course work is completed in a language other than English will have satisfied the language requirement.
Option 4: Students without documented language proficiency or who do not satisfy language proficiency requirements must take DSC Level I- and Level II language courses. Students who complete two years of the same foreign language at Daytona State must complete the Level I foreign language course with a C or better to be enrolled in the Level II foreign language course. A GPA of 1.50 ( Grade C on Level I and grade D on Level II) will satisfy the language requirement.
Option 5: Students who self-identify or show some language proficiency in a 2nd language may take a level-one language assessment authored and administered by the School of Social Science & World Languages. Students who attain 80 percent or higher will receive a test code on their record and be able to register for a level-two language course.
Option 6: Students who demonstrate a proficiency at level-two language will be advised to take the appropriate CLEP, Brigham Young, or Language Testing International (LTI) test.
Option 7: Students who have earned an international Baccalaureates that are regionally accredited based on the NACES member evaluations will be processed as met the foreign language requirement.
Foreign and Sign Language courses satisfy elective credits toward the A.A. degree. All A.A. and Bachelor's degree recipients must meet the foreign language requirement in order to graduate. This requirement satisfies foreign language proficiency at Daytona State College. It may not satisfy a specific university graduation requirement. Students should contact the institution they are interested in attending to find out their requirements.
Catalog Year
Students are required to follow the degree requirements as listed in the catalog for the year (requirement term) in which they began enrollment as a degree seeking student with DSC. If a student misses two or more consecutive major semesters (fall and spring) a student must be readmitted to the college and their catalog year will be updated to current catalog year, for advising and graduation purposes. Students typically follow the degree requirements as listed in the catalog for the year in which they began enrollment as a degree seeking student.
Graduation Application
The graduation application is completed online when students are completing program requirements. We encourage all students to run a degree audit or visit with an advisor before applying for graduation. Graduation Application opens on the first day of classes in Fall and Spring term. Summer completers must apply for graduation when Spring term begins in order to be eligible to participate in the May commencement ceremony. Students must log in to their MyDaytonaState portal to apply for graduation and pay the applicable graduation fee whether they wish to walk in the Commencement ceremony or not. Students must apply for graduation in order to be awarded their degree or certificate.
Once the student applies for graduation, the student’s grad application will be sent to the department chair for review and approval. Graduation status updates will be sent via email to the student FalconMail account. Denied grad application status: Students not meeting graduation requirements (denied status) will be moved to the next term for graduation review. Students do not need to apply or pay the grad fee again. Denied status is not a mark against the student and does not show on records.
Students who complete all graduation requirements and pay the graduation fee are entitled to receive a printed diploma through the mail after their completion term ends, according to the Academic Calendar mail out date. Students who complete all degree requirements are no longer eligible to receive student financial assistance for their current degree program. Students must fulfill all financial and other obligations to the college before receiving their degree or certificate.
Graduation deadline dates are located on the Academic Calendar or the Records and Registration web page. Certain priority deadlines will apply for inclusion in the commencement ceremony and commencement booklet. The Florida Civics Literacy Exam must be completed and passed prior to the student completion term.
Students must apply for graduation and Register to Walk to participate in the May commencement ceremony. See Commencement Ceremony below
Program Completion
Students are responsible for determining if they have fulfilled graduation requirements. A Degree Audit is available on My.DaytonaState.edu Falcon Self Service/ Enroll by My Requirements / View as PDF. We encourage all students to run a degree audit or visit with an advisor before applying for graduation. Assistance can be obtained from the Academic Advising Office for graduation check downs, as well as from the academic department for career/occupational programs. Students may be permitted to substitute requirements upon completion of a substitution form (see Course Substitution Form) approved and signed by the appropriate program manager/program department chairperson and Dean/AVP if it is determined that the substitution does not substantially alter the program and is in the student's best interest. Some program specific courses must be completed and a course substitution will not be accepted.
Program Requirements
An audit will be run once students graduation application is processed. All program specific courses and pre-requisites/ co-requisites must be completed with a grade C or better. Elective courses may be completed with a grade D or better. Overall cumulative GPA must be 2.0 or higher for degree to be awarded. Please see the College Catalog for detailed outline of program requirements. Students must satisfy the total credit hours requirement for the program.
Autograd students
Daytona State reserves the right to certify students as graduates/completers once they complete all requirements for the degree or certificate, regardless of whether a graduation application has been completed or not. Students who do not apply for graduation after completing requirements will not receive a printed diploma but may have the degree or certificate earned statement on their official transcript as an “Autograd” student. Students will be notified of the degree or certificate earned and will have the opportunity to pay the graduation fee to receive their printed and mailed diploma.
Reverse Transfer
Students that transfer from DSC to a Florida state university level institution without earning an Associate of Arts degree may opt-in for a Reverse Transfer at the Florida state university institution. Student must have completed more than 30 credit hours toward the Associate of Arts program at DSC to be eligible for opt-in at the Florida State University System (SUS) institution. Students that opt-in may complete the missing program requirements at their Florida SUS level institution. Student may have the official transcript showing completed courses sent back to DSC for the AA degree to be awarded. An official transcript showing the awarded Associate of Arts degree will be returned to the Florida state university level institution at no charge.
NOTE: The academic requirements or degree audits are designed to provide a general guide that will lead to graduation. As a guide, students will still need to meet college policies, procedures, and graduation requirements, including required exams, regardless of what the academic requirements or degree audits indicate. Prior to officially graduating, Records will review credentials and verify that all requirements have been satisfied.
Commencement ceremony
Annual Commencement for degree, certificate and adult education candidates is held in May. Students who complete graduation requirements in the previous fall and those who have applied for graduation for Spring or Summer completion, are encouraged to participate in commencement ceremonies in May. Each annual ceremony is for the current academic year students only (FALL – SUMMER).
Eligible students may walk in the ceremony regardless of grad status at the time of the ceremony ( Applied, In Review, Pending and Denied may all walk). Walking in the Commencement Ceremony is not an indication of completion of requirements or degree earned. Diplomas are not issued at the ceremony. Diplomas are mailed after all requirements are met. See Issuing Diplomas below.
Students must have applied for graduation and must Register to Walk in the Commencement Ceremony from their student portal. Ceremony participation Instructions will be reviewed with students during Grad Info Packet Pickup each April at Daytona Campus. The Records Office will inform students of the date and time for the ceremony for their degree level. Number of guests per student may be limited.
Issuing Diplomas
Diplomas are mailed to students approximately three (3) weeks after the end of the full term to the address the student entered as part of the graduation application process. Students must verify the mailing address for the printed diploma at the time they apply for graduation. Diplomas that are returned to Daytona State by the Postal Service will be held in Daytona Campus, Wetherell Center, B100 R208 for one year and student will be notified to either pick up the diploma or provide a correct mailing address. Daytona State is not responsible for issuing a replacement diploma for undeliverable items. If the diploma has not been returned to Daytona State in the mail, for a replacement diploma, student must complete a Duplicate Diploma Request form and pay the duplicate fee to Student Accounts (386-506-3024). If an error is found on the diploma, the error will be corrected and a replacement diploma provided at no charge.
For DUAL enrolled students: Upon completion of the program, your degree will be awarded , however final high school transcript showing graduation date and standard high school diploma earned must be received by DSC Admissions office prior to DSC printed diploma being issued.
Awarding Posthumous Degree Policy
A. A posthumous degree may be awarded upon request provided it is submitted to the Records Office within two years after the death.
B. The request must be accompanied by:
1. Student’s full name.
2. Daytona State College student ID or SSN.
3. Copy of the death certificate.
4. Address where the diploma will be mailed.
C. The student should meet the following criteria:
1. Must have been a degree-seeking student.
2. Must have been enrolled at time of death (summer excluded), or their continuous enrollment was interrupted by their injury, illness, deployment, etc.
3. Must have been within one term or 15 credits of graduation to be considered for a posthumous degree.
4. Must have completed at least one term required for the degree at Daytona State College.
5. Must meet the standard graduation eligibility criteria for GPA and academic standing.
6. Must be in good discipline standing at the time of the request.
D. The posthumous degree shall not be included in any state or federal reporting data.
E. Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the College.