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This Catalog, along with the Student Handbook and Code of Conduct, is meant to give guidance and background to all students enrolled at HCC, as well as prospective students and alumni. The HCC Community, including students, is also subject to HCC’s Board Policies, which can be found online at www.hccs.edu/about-hcc/policies. Policy references in this catalog are meant to be helpful background information; for the most up-to-date Board Policies, students should consult the Board Policy website.
Some students in specialized programs or courses of study may also be subject to handbooks or rules pertaining to their particular program or course of study, in addition to a particular course syllabus. That information is provided to the student by their program, course of study, or faculty member.
All students are subject to the guidelines provided in the Student Handbook and in the Student Code of Conduct.
A copy of the current Student Catalog is available online at www.hccs.edu/programs/catalog.
Archived catalogs can be found at:
www.hccs.edu/programs/catalog/catalog-archive.
The current Student Handbook is available at:
www.hccs.edu/resources-for/current-students/student-handbook.
The Student Code of Conduct is available at:
www.hccs.edu/about-hcc/procedures/student-rights-policies–procedures/.
Equal Educational Opportunities Statement
As stated in Board Policy FA (LOCAL), Houston Community College is committed to providing an educational climate that is conducive to the personal and professional development of each individual. HCC does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, gender identity and gender expression, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, or Veteran status in employment or the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school, administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs. A lack of English language skills shall not be a barrier to admission to and participation in HCC programs. To ensure compliance with Title IX and other federal and state civil rights laws, HCC has developed policies and procedures that prohibit discrimination in all of its forms.
HCC is committed to cultivating an environment free from inappropriate conduct of a sexual or gender-based nature including sex discrimination, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and sexual violence. Sex discrimination includes all forms of sexual and gender-based misconduct and violates an individual’s fundamental rights and personal dignity.
All inquiries regarding compliance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or other civil rights and non-discrimination laws should be directed to the following individual:
David Cross, Director EEO/Compliance, Title IX Coordinator/Section 504 Coordinator
Office of Institutional Equity
3100 Main, Suite 702
Houston, TX 77002
713-718-8271 or institutional.equity@hccs.edu
More information on these policies and programs follows in this Handbook and is available on HCC’s website as described below.
Office of Institutional Equity
The Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) was established to ensure that all individuals have an opportunity to have full participation in the life of Houston Community College. Services provided by OIE include, but are not limited to:
- Ensuring compliance with HCC’s policies and laws prohibiting discrimination and illegal harassment based on protected characteristics;
- Investigating complaints of discrimination initiated by students, faculty, staff, and the community, promptly and impartially;
- Providing training and education materials regarding Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and diversity compliance issues; and
- Developing new programs and metrics to advance diversity, inclusion, and multiculturalism at HCC.
For more information about OIE and its services, please visit www.hccs.edu/departments/institutional-equity.
Sexual Misconduct Information and Reporting
Any student who believes that he or she has experienced or that another student has experienced sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, or other prohibited sexual conduct should immediately report the alleged acts to the institution’s Title IX Coordinator or the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE).
All employees (full-time and part-time) are required by state law to report behaviors that potentially constitute sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking. Therefore, any employee who becomes aware of such behaviors, whether informed directly or by a third-party, are obligated to make a report to the Title IX Coordinator with or without the consent of the person making the report to the employee.
Employees designated as “Confidential Employees” are exempt from making a full report to the Title IX Coordinator, though they must make a summary report. Confidential employees are professional counselors in the Counseling Services Department located throughout all HCC colleges. Counselors are available to provide a full range of confidential professional services to students, including personal and mental health counseling, consultation, crisis intervention, and links to local community resources. More information on counseling is provided elsewhere in this Handbook and on the HCC website.
For additional information or to make a report, please visit the following:
Office of Institutional Equity:
www.hccs.edu/departments/institutional-equity/
Title IX Know Your Rights:
www.hccs.edu/departments/institutional-equity/title-ix-know-your-rights
Speak with a Title IX Contact:
www.hccs.edu/departments/institutional-equity/title-ix-know-your-rights/speak-with-a-title-ix-contact
Speak with a Confidential Employee:
www.hccs.edu/support-services/counseling/counselors-hcc/
Sexual Assault Policy for Students:
www.hccs.edu/departments/institutional-equity/title-ix-know-your-rights/sexual-assault-policy-for-students/
Title IX Complaint Form:
https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?HoustonCC&layout_id=2
If you believe you or anyone else is in immediate risk to health or safety, call 911 or the HCC Police Department at 713-718-8888.
Centers of Excellence
HCC’s fourteen Centers of Excellence focus on top-notch faculty and industry best practices to give students the skills they need for a successful career. The programs range from manufacturing and global energy to logistics, engineering, fashion design and information technology. For more information, please visit www.hccs.edu/center.
Houston Community College is committed to excellence in education. As an expression of this commitment, HCC guarantees its graduates both transfer credit and entry-level job skills. Such guarantee is a statement of confidence in the administration, faculty, and staff, as well as a commitment to the College’s educational mission to empower students so they may achieve their highest potential.
This guarantee is expressly subject to and limited to special conditions identified in the following sections on job competency and transfer credit. The HCC obligation under this guarantee is limited to providing additional courses under the conditions prescribed in these sections.
Transfer Credit
HCC guarantees to those students earning the Associate of Arts, Associate of Arts in Teaching, and the Associate of Science degrees that their required courses will transfer to all public-supported Texas colleges and universities, subject to appropriate documentation. If these courses are rejected by the qualifying senior institution of the student’s choice, HCC will offer the student an alternate tuition-free course that will transfer.
Transferability means the acceptance of HCC credit toward a specific major and degree at a specific institution, as defined by the student’s transfer/degree plan. However, no institution of higher education shall be required to accept in transfer, or apply toward a degree program, more than sixty-six semester credit hours of lower-division academic credit. Institutions of higher education may choose to accept additional credit hours by agreement. The transfer guarantee of academic courses is subject to the following conditions:
- The student must file a written transfer/degree plan by the time the student has completed twelve semester hours or the equivalent at HCC. The transfer/degree plan must include the following: a) the specific institution to which the student plans to transfer, b) the bachelor’s degree and major the student plans to pursue, and c) the date such decision was made.
- Courses must be identified by the receiving institutions as transferable and applicable toward a specific major. The receiving institution determines the following:
- Total number of credits accepted for transfer;
- Grades required;
- Relevant grade point average; and
- Duration of transferability.
- Required courses must have been taken at HCC no earlier than three years before the attempt to transfer.
If the above terms and conditions have been met and courses are not accepted by a receiving institution in transfer, the following terms and conditions are applicable:
- The student must submit to HCC a Notice of Transfer Credit Denial from the receiving institution (within ten days of denial) so the resolution process may begin.
- If transfer credit denial is not resolved, tuition-free transfer courses (semester hour for semester hour) must be taken within a one calendar year period.
- Although courses are tuition-free, students will be responsible for any fees or course-related expenses, other than the course-required books which HCC is responsible for providing at no cost to the student. The fees students are responsible for include General Fees, Technology Fees, Student Activity/Services Fees, Recreation Fees, and Out-of-District fees.
Job Competency
HCC guarantees that graduates earning workforce certificates or degrees will possess the job skills required for entry-level employment in the occupational field for which they have been trained. (This guarantee does not imply the graduate will pass any licensing or qualifying examination for a particular career.)
Any HCC workforce program certificate or degree graduate whom the employer determines is lacking in the technical or general educational skills necessary for entry to the position shall be provided up to nine tuition-free credit hours. A program of instruction must be designed to meet specific occupational competencies identified in technical courses which are competency-based and emphasize the acquisition of the skills necessary for immediate employment and/or career advancement. Program competencies are identified in the course syllabus provided to each student.
- This guarantee applies only to certificates and degrees of at least thirty semester hours or 360 contact hours.
- All course work in question must have been taken at HCC and taught by HCC instructors.
- The graduate must have earned the AAS or certificate in a workforce program listed in the HCC catalog no earlier than one year prior to the beginning date of the employment in question.
- The graduate must have completed the degree within a five-year period beginning at the point of first enrollment.
- The graduate must be employed full-time within twelve months of graduation and in a position directly related to the specific program completed at HCC.
- Within ninety days of the graduate’s initial date of employment, the employer must certify in writing that the graduate lacks entry-level skills identified by HCC as program-exit competencies. The employer must specify the areas of deficiency.
- The employer, graduate, and HCC personnel will develop a written retraining plan. The retraining will be limited to nine credit hours or 360 contact hours related to the identified skill deficiency.
- The retraining must be completed within one calendar year from the time the plan is agreed upon.
- Although retraining is tuition-free, the graduate (or employer) is responsible for the cost of insurance, uniforms, fees, and any other course-related expenses. HCC is responsible for the cost of books required for the course work.
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