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Accreditation
Accreditation Academic Statement
General Education Program Requirements
Degree & Certificate Requirements
Sessions & Fast Tracks
Course Formats
Preparatory & Developmental Courses
Scholars Program
Accreditation
Butler County Community College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 1007 North Orange street, 4th floor, MB #166, Wilmington, DE 19801; (267-287-5011) www.msche.org. is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Butler County Community College is nationally accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP; www.acbsp.org) for the offering of all business programs that culminate in the Associate of Science and Associate of Applied Science Degrees.
Butler County Community College’s Nursing Program is approved by the State Board of Nursing, and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). The Associate Degree RN program at Butler County Community College at the Butler Campus located in Butler Pennsylvania and the Associate Degree RN program at the Brockway Instructional Site in Brockway, PA is accredited by the:
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 975-5000
The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN board of Commissioners for the Associate Degree Nursing Program is Continuing Accreditation
The Physical Therapist Assistant program at Butler County Community College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org.
Accreditation Academic Statement
As an institution of higher learning, Butler County Community College (BC3) strives to assist individuals in establishing and achieving their educational and professional goals. The College integrates academic standards throughout courses and programs created to encourage the highest level of achievement for all students. BC3 has many programs that not only follow the institution’s academic policies, but must also submit to intense scrutiny from accreditation agencies and field experts. Therefore, BC3 supports and expects that certain programs will follow the academic rigor required by the College and supports stringent guidelines, procedures, and policies recommended for specialty fields. The College trusts in the credentials and the expertise of its faculty to make decisions regarding these specialized fields and their subsequent implementation.
General Education Philosophy
General Education is the foundation of a student’s education at BC3. The General Education experience will enable students to think critically, analyze issues, make reasoned judgements, and develop the multicultural and diverse perspectives necessary to be engaged members of society. Integrated throughout the curriculum, General Education is the basis for establishing a positive sense of well-being to help students achieve their educational and occupational goals, as well as the foundation for lifelong learning.
General Education Program Requirements
To earn an Associate’s degree at Butler County Community College, students must meet the general education requirements that are embedded in each program. The BC3 General Education Program will enable students to develop the following nine competencies:
Critical Thinking: Thinking critically, reasoning analytically, and solving problems.
Information Literacy: Defining information needed and accessing, evaluating, and utilizing information.
Oral Communication: Communicating effectively in standard spoken English to an audience.
Quantitative Reasoning: Understanding and working with numerical data.
Scientific Reasoning: Understanding how the natural world works through observing natural phenomena.
Technological Competence: Applying computing software and electronic communication.
Wellness: Committing to a healthy lifestyle.
Written Communication: Communicating effectively and critically in standard written American English.
Values, Ethics and Diverse Perspectives: Assessing personal values and ethical principles in diverse settings.
For associate degree programs, these competencies are achieved by completing courses designated as meeting General Education requirements.
Degree & Certificate Requirements
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A GPA of 2.0 or better is required to graduate with an Associate Degree or to earn a Certificate of Achievement or Workplace Certificate.
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All requirements for preparatory coursework must be completed prior to the receipt of an Associate Degree, Certificate of Achievement, or Workplace Certificate.
• For an Associate Degree, maximum of 45 credit hours may be transferred back to BC3.
• For a Certificate of Achievement, a minimum of fifteen (15) college credits must be completed at BC3 exclusive of credits for prior learning.
• For a Workplace Certificate, a minimum of one-half of the minimum credit requirement for the certificate must be completed at BC3 exclusive of credits for prior learning.
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For a second major, a student will be required to complete a minimum of an additional fifteen (15) credit hours for an Associate Degree and nine (9) credit hours for a Certificate of Achievement or a Workplace Certificate. These credit hours must be approved in advance by the dean of the second major.
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A student is responsible for fulfilling all Associate Degree, Certificate of Achievement, or Workplace Certificate requirements.
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To be eligible for graduation honors, a student must have successfully completed thirty (30) semester hours at BC3.
Certificate of Achievement programs must have a minimum of 30 credits, 24 credits for a career specialty, 3 credits in Workplace Communications or English 101, and 3 credits in the general education core requirements as referenced in the College Catalog. Programs with external accreditation requirements or government mandates may vary from these guidelines.
Workplace Certificate programs must have a minimum of 12 credits. Workplace Certificate programs that require 22 or more credits must include 3 credits in Workplace Communications (ENGL 110) or College Writing (ENGL 101) and 3 credits in an additional general education core as referenced above. Programs with external accreditation requirements or government mandates may vary from these guidelines.
Sessions & Fast Tracks
Sessions 1, Session 2, and Session 3 may be available in the following formats: face-to-face, online, hybrid, or iTV live remote, or iTV Classroom. Sessions that are shorter in length may have the same requirements/expectations as a full-term course.
Fast Track courses run for 5 weeks. Most are online. Courses may have the same requirements/expectations as a full-term course, but are condensed to 5 weeks. It is recommended that only one Fast Track course is taken at a time as the workload is concentrated.
Visit bc3.edu/credit-schedule to view available courses in each session and fast track.
Course Formats
Face-to-Face
Instruction is delivered in-person at a specific location and time.
Online
An online class uses the Internet, the College’s Learning Management System (Blackboard), and other web-based applications for all instruction, activities, assessments, and class interaction.
Hybrid
A hybrid class is essentially an online class, but also requires four (4) or more on-campus or iTV Live Remote meetings. These meetings are scheduled in advance by the instructor, and may be used for any combination of lectures, discussions, presentations, labs, examinations, etc. Required campus or iTV Live Remote meeting dates are listed with the class information on the College’s Credit Schedule and the instructor’s Course Outline.
iTV Live Remote
An iTV Live Remote class is delivered synchronously using video- and/or web- conferencing technology to allow the instructor and students to have video and audio interaction from separate remote locations simultaneously via televisions and/or computers with Internet, video, and audio capabilities. Physical on-campus presence is not required by the instructor or students. iTV Live Remote classes may require assignments and assessments be completed online outside of the regular class time through the College’s Learning Management System (Blackboard).
iTV Classroom
An iTV Classroom class is delivered using video- and/or web- conferencing technology to allow the instructor and students to have video and audio interaction from separate remote on-campus locations simultaneously via televisions and/or computers with Internet, video, and audio capabilities. iTV Classroom classes may require assignments and assessments be completed online outside of the regular class time through the College’s Learning Management System (Blackboard).
Preparatory & Developmental Courses
Preparatory and developmental courses are specifically designed to prepare students for college level courses by developing the basic skills and understanding necessary for success. Placement test results determine if students are required to enroll in preparatory and/or developmental courses. Preparatory and/or developmental courses are available in English, reading, math, and algebra. Preparatory and developmental courses earn institutional credits and must be passed with a C grade or higher.
Scholars Program
The Scholars Program is a series of courses designed to reward students who seek a more challenging academic experience at Butler County Community College. Students meeting the requirements for the BC3 President’s Scholars program receive waived in-county tuition up to 18 credits, which maybe funded through various named scholarships, and must participate in the BC3 Scholars program. In addition to the tuition waiver and the benefit of early registration for classes, Scholars take three Scholars-only classes - one general education course in the first year of enrollment and two courses leading to an independent study project in the second year of enrollment.
The independent study program answers a research question under the supervision of a mentor. Students may identify their own research question/project and then find the appropriate mentor or develop a research question/project under the guidance of a mentor (In addition to a faculty mentor, engagement with industry professionals through the project is allowable with approval of the faculty mentor). Students interested in learning more about the Scholars program should contact the coordinator of the Scholars Program, Michael Dittman mike.dittman@bc3.edu.
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