2024-25 Catalog

Bachelor Degrees

The Bachelor’s degree is an upper-level degree that offers students an opportunity to continue their education beyond the Associate level. Valencia College offers eight Bachelor degree programs: a Bachelor of Applied Science in Business and Organizational Leadership, Computing Technology and Software Development, and Public Safety Administration. Bachelor of Science degrees in Cardiopulmonary Sciences with concentrations in: Community Health, Leadership, and Non-Invasive Cardiology, Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology, with concentrations in: Computer Systems, and Electrical/Electronic Systems, Elementary Education, Radiologic and Imaging Sciences, with concentrations in: Cardiac Ultrasound, Computed Tomography, Leadership, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Mammography, and Vascular Ultrasound, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).

Application Fees

When you apply to Valencia College for bachelor-level credit courses, you are not required to pay an application fee. Once you are admitted to the college as a BS Cardiopulmonary Sciences or BS Radiologic and Imaging Sciences candidate, you must submit your active professional credential to AlliedHealthBS.ATC@valenciacollege.edu.

Academic Standards

To maintain satisfactory academic progress at Valencia, you must achieve a minimum term grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 each term. Successful completion of a course is defined as a grade of A, B, C, or D except for those specific courses which require a grade of C or better for successful completion.

Mid-Term Warning

If you are making a grade lower than C at or about mid-term, you may be notified by your professor. If you receive a “below C notice,” you should immediately meet with the professor. Not receiving a “below C notice” at mid-term does not guarantee that you will pass the course.

Academic Warning

If your term GPA falls below 2.0 you will be placed on academic warning.  To be removed from academic warning at the end of the next term, you must achieve a minimum cumulative overall GPA of 2. When you are placed on academic warning, it is strongly recommended that you talk with your degree program advisor to discuss your education plan and Valencia’s academic support services before your next registration, and for assistance to ensure you are not in jeopardy of being dismissed from the program.

Academic Probation

If your term GPA falls below 2.0 for two successive terms, you will be placed on academic probation. You will receive e-mail notification to your Atlas account that you have been placed on academic probation.

Under this status you will need to complete the Probation Pass, which can be found in Atlas under Student Forms, then meet with your degree program advisor to discuss your education plan and Valencia’s academic support services. In addition, you must obtain your degree program advisor’s approval of your proposed course schedule before registering for the next term. The number of credit hours you are able to take may be limited in order to help ensure your success.

To be removed from academic probation, you must achieve a minimum term and cumulative overall GPA of 2.0.

If you want to take classes as a transient student at another institution you must follow the steps above and receive approval from your degree program advisor prior to submitting a Transient Student Form. Transient Student Forms received without your program advisor’s prior approval will be denied.

Academic Suspension

If while on probation, you have two terms in which you earn less than a 2.0 GPA, you will be placed on academic suspension for the following term (Fall, Spring or Summer).

Under Academic Suspension you:

  • Are officially prohibited from enrolling in credit courses at Valencia for one term (Fall, Spring or Summer).

  • May register only for continuing education courses at Valencia.

  • Must complete the Bachelor’s Suspension Readmission Process which can be found in Atlas under the Student tab and follow all required steps in the readmission process by the Suspension Readmission Deadline (established by Valencia and listed in the Important Dates and Deadlines Calendar at https://catalog.valenciacollege.edu/importantdatesdeadlines/).

Course Attempts & Course Withdrawal

Agencies and organizations which provide financial assistance/scholarships (federal and state government, businesses, etc.) may have requirements relative to withdrawal, course repeats and grade forgiveness which are more stringent than those described below. It is your responsibility to verify the effects of enrollment and/or withdrawal upon your financial assistance (financial aid, scholarships, grants, etc.).

According to State Rule 6A-14.0301, you may attempt the same course only three times at Valencia College including the original grade, repeat grades and withdrawals at any point in the term. The same course usually means the subject prefix and course number are the same when posted on a Valencia College transcript. Courses that have been deemed equivalent will all count as attempts even if the current course number is not the same as your previous attempt(s). Being enrolled in a course for credit beyond the Drop/Refund Deadline counts as an attempt. The Drop/Refund Deadline for each term is listed in the Important Dates and Deadlines document.

Notice to Students Seeking to Withdraw from a Course(s)

Before you withdraw from a course, you should be aware that course withdrawals:

  • Will increase the cost of your education
  • May affect your financial aid status
  • May affect your transfer grade point average
  • May affect your acceptance and entry to graduate school programs
  • May result in your having to pay the full cost of instruction fee to retake the course
  • May affect your anticipated graduation date
  • May result in your being denied access to limited access programs
  • May affect your immigration status if you are attending Valencia on a nonimmigrant visa
  • Will result in your required repayment of course fees paid by a Bright Futures scholarship

To withdraw from a course(s), you must access registration on Atlas. The Withdrawal Deadlines for each term are published in the Academic Calendar in the online official catalog. All requests for withdrawals must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on the Withdrawal Deadline date.

Before you withdraw:

  • Talk with your professor to discuss your progress in the course
  • Contact your program advisor to discuss how a withdrawal will affect your education plans and/or the status of your financial aid

Conditions That Apply to a First or Second Attempt in a Course

On or Before the Withdrawal Deadline

During a first or second attempt in the same course at Valencia, if you withdraw, or are withdrawn by the professor, you will receive a W (Withdrawn). You will not receive credit for the course, and the W will not be calculated in your grade point average; however, the enrollment will count in your total attempts in the specific course.

After the Withdrawal Deadline

A student who has documented major extenuating circumstances may petition to be dropped or withdrawn after the published deadlines.  Major extenuating circumstances are defined as, and limited to, the following:

  • Death of an immediate family member (spouse, mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter, or legal equivalent thereof),
  • Documented medical emergencies resulting in medical confinement or incapacitation of a defined length,
  • Military Call to Active Duty.

Students wishing more information about the petition process should review the procedure published with the “Late Withdrawal Without Refund/Late Drop With Refund” form, available via Atlas. 

Limit to Three Attempts

Students in bachelor’s degree programs or Advanced Technical Certificates are limited to three attempts in the same course. You may have three attempts at Valencia per course including the original grade, repeat grades, and withdrawals. Permission to register for a fourth attempt, based on extenuating circumstances, may be requested through an academic appeals process. This appeal must be processed no later than 30 days prior to the beginning of the upcoming term. The Bachelor's and Advanced Technical Certificate Fourth Attempt Appeal Form is available from the Program Advisor or the academic division office. 

If you are approved for a fourth attempt:

  • You will be charged the full cost of instruction fee (equal to out-of-state fees):

  • You will receive a grade of A, B, C, D, F, or I (Incomplete) and should you withdraw, your grade will be changed to an F; and

  • A grade of A, B, or C from the Third Attempt will forgive grades from previous attempts.

If you receive an I (Incomplete) and complete the required course work by the end of the term for the following term, the faculty member will change your grade from I to the appropriate letter grade (A-F). If you receive an I and do not complete the required coursework by the end of the term for the following full term, your grade will be changed by the professor in accordance with the syllabus. If no grade it submitted by the faculty member to replace the I, your grade will be changed from an I to an F.

Administrative Withdrawal 

(College Policy: 6Hx28: 6-08.1 Student Fees and Refunds)

You may be administratively withdrawn without your permission for failure to satisfy financial obligations to Valencia or for non-compliance with Florida statutes and rules or Valencia policies and procedures related to student behavior and conduct.  If you are administratively withdrawn, your record will be placed on hold and you will receive a grade of W for all course work attempted.

Repeated Courses/Grade Forgiveness  

You may not repeat a course for credit if you have earned an A, B or C in the course or if you have had three attempts in the course at Valencia. You may appeal to register for a fourth attempt through an academic appeals process based on major extenuating circumstances (see “Conditions that Apply to a Third Attempt in a Course”).

You cannot be given multiple credits for the same course unless the catalog course description indicates the course is a “multiple credit course.” These courses may be repeated for credit; repeats of these courses will not count as attempts for the full cost of instruction fee or for withdrawal; and grade forgiveness cannot be applied.

You may not take for credit a course for which you have earned Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), DANTES, or International Baccalaureate (IB) credit.

Grade forgiveness means that one grade in a course replaces another grade in that same course. The same course means that the course is officially determined by Valencia to be the same course and, usually, the subject prefix and course number are the same when posted on a Valencia transcript. For grade forgiveness to be applied, certain conditions must be met.

Conditions of Grade Forgiveness for Valencia Course Work in Bachelor and Advanced Technical Certificate Programs

  • Forgiven grades, and the courses in which you earned them, will always appear on your transcript.
  • “Multiple credit courses” may be repeated for credit, but grade forgiveness cannot be applied.
  • You may not repeat a course for grade forgiveness for which you previously have earned a grade of A, B, C or S+.
  • If a minimum grade of C is required in a course, grade forgiveness will not be applied to grades of D or lower until you achieve a grade of A, B or C in the course. At that time, the grade of A, B or C will forgive all previous lower grades obtained in the same course.
    In a course in which a grade of D is acceptable, a minimum grade of C is not required for grade forgiveness to be applied; the highest grade in the course will be used in your GPA calculation.
  • You may not use Advanced Placement, College Level Examination Program, Credit by Examination (Local), DANTES, Excelsior, Experiential Learning or Internships to forgive the grade in a course in which you have earned an A, B or C. You may use CLEP credit under the repeat course policy for D or F grades only. Within the guidelines of the repeat policy, all attempts for a course will be counted in your GPA until you earn a grade of C or better when only the last attempt will be counted. If you earn an acceptable CLEP score in a course in which you have earned a D or F, the CLEP credit will be recorded and the D or F will no longer be computed in your GPA. No letter grades or quality points will be assigned.
  • You will not receive grade forgiveness for any course that counts toward your degree and is repeated after you have been awarded the degree from Valencia.

There is no consistency among colleges and universities with respect to forgiveness of grades and the way in which repeated courses are computed in a student’s grade point average. Limited access programs at Florida colleges, universities and private institutions might consider the extent to which a student has used grade forgiveness and the effect on the student’s GPA when selecting students for admission. Some institutions have a limit on the number of times grade forgiveness can be used. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the transfer institution in order to be certain of its forgiveness policy.