Academics at PJC
Paris Junior College's goal is to help students finish certificates or degrees with fewer excess hours and better preparation for employment or transfer to a four-year institution of higher education.
The Degree Plans are based on coherent and easy-to-follow college-level programs of study that are aligned with requirements for success in employment and/or the next stage of education. Students first choose one of seven pathways that represent their interests:
- Arts & Humanities
- Business
- Health Careers
- Industry/Workforce/Vocational
- Public Services
- Social & Behavioral Sciences
- STEM
➤ View all PJC Degrees & Programs
Step 2: Students choose a program within the pathway aligning with their goals, interest, and aptitudes.
Each program is represented on a Degree Plan, specifying which courses the student should take and in what order. PJC’s Degree Plans are designed to help students stay on track regarding their coursework and to master knowledge and skills that will equip them to enter the labor market successfully or to pursue further education with seamless transfer of credits.
The Academic Calendar provides important dates for registration, payment deadlines, class start and end dates, holidays, withdrawal deadlines, graduation, and other key milestones. Students are responsible for knowing and adhering to these dates.
➤ View the Complete PJC Calendar (Find only Academic Calendar (Deadlines) by changing the category to "Academic Deadlines".
Students are expected to attend classes on a regular and punctual basis. Absences are considered unauthorized unless due to illness, emergencies, or sanctioned school activities. For more information, see Policy FC: Registration and Attendance.
Students' mastery of course content is measured by each instructor's individual criteria. Students may be dropped from classes upon the recommendation of instructors who believe the students have been unjustifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course objectives. Students dropped from a class will receive a grade of "W."
Each instructor must have on file in the Vice President of Academic Instruction's or Vice President of Workforce Education’s office attendance policies, course objectives, and other relevant materials that comprehensively describe the course procedures applicable to each class section. Instructors are responsible for ensuring all students enrolled in their classes are aware of these procedures.
When it becomes necessary to drop a student from a class, the instructor will submit a properly completed withdrawal notice to the respective Vice President. Students may appeal an instructor-initiated withdrawal through the college's Academic Appeals procedures.
Attendance in Developmental Courses
Students are required to participate in continuous remediation every semester until all parts of the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) have been satisfied.
Developmental faculty must carefully monitor attendance. Instructors should attempt student contact through the retention link in MyPJC or by any other means of direct contact, particularly during the first three weeks of classes and throughout the semester. If the student is involved in extracurricular activities, an attempt may be made to contact them through the appropriate activity sponsor.
All first-time entering students are required to enroll in a student success course, Learning Framework. The course includes study skills, test taking skills, time management, stress management, and other areas that will help students be successful in college
The common unit of measurement for college credit is the semester hour. It represents the work a student completes in a course over one semester, based on both time in class and work expected outside of class.
In a typical lecture course, one semester hour reflects about one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction each week, plus a minimum of two hours of out-of-class work — such as reading, studying, and assignments — over roughly a fifteen-week semester.
A class that meets three hours per week therefore usually earns three semester hours. Courses offered in other formats — laboratories, clinicals, internships, and online or hybrid classes — are assigned credit based on an equivalent amount of instruction and student work, measured by the learning outcomes students are expected to achieve.
Related Policies:
ECC — Instructional Arrangements: Course Load and Schedules (Legal)
ECC — Instructional Arrangements: Course Load and Schedules (Local)
Paris Junior College monitors student enrollment and course-drop activity to ensure compliance with Texas state law, which limits the number of courses a student may drop over the course of their undergraduate studies at Texas public colleges and universities. Because dropping a course can affect your academic progress, financial aid, and eligibility, we encourage you to meet with your advisor before making any changes to your schedule.
For deadlines and instructions, visit our Add/Drop a Class page.
Before dropping any course, talk to your advisor about how it affects your six-drop total, financial aid and transfer plans. Read More about the Six-drop Rule
Related Policies:
FC (Registration & Attendance) (Legal)
FC (Registration & Attendance) (Local)
Degree-seeking students who do not score high enough on the TSIA2 but whose test score is within a threshold and below Non-Course Based Options (NCBO) will be required to take a developmental education corequisite course in addition to the college-level course.
Corequisite courses are designed to assist students with a demonstrated need for skills development in reading, writing, and/or mathematics to master basic skills needed for success in the paired college course.
If a student does not receive the minimum required scores on an approved TSIA2 test, the student will be required to enroll and attend a prescribed paired corequisite course and remain in the course until passing test scores are submitted, or the corequisite and college-level course is successfully completed. Therefore, all students are expected to do their utmost to complete the corequisite and paired credit courses within one semester. If a student withdraws from a corequisite course, they must also withdraw from the paired credit course.
Students who have not attended developmental classes before the official report date must be dropped by the instructor of record. Students dropped from all developmental courses due to non-attendance before the official reporting day will be out of compliance with Paris Junior College developmental education guidelines.
All developmental student schedule changes prior to the official report date must stay in compliance with policy. Students dropped from a developmental course will also be dropped from the co-requisite college-level course. Students will be advised to remain in all of their developmental courses in order to complete their developmental sequences as quickly as possible.
Students will also be advised of the consequences of withdrawing from developmental courses and the repercussions of receiving a grade of F in developmental courses. Students must be advised, if applicable, to consult with Financial Aid before making a decision about withdrawing from a course.
Withdrawal from all courses not previously dropped during a term constitutes withdrawal from college and should not be confused with simply withdrawing from one of several courses in which a student may be enrolled.
Withdrawal from college requires payment of all outstanding debts for tuition fees and/or fines.
Transfer or Workforce Programs
When you enroll at PJC, one of the first big decisions you’ll make is whether you’re pursuing a Workforce program or a Transfer degree. The right choice depends on what you want to do after you finish at PJC.
- Workforce programs offer:
- Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees
- Certificates (Level 1 or Level 2, etc.)
- Workforce Programs are designed to help you enter the job market quickly with practical, career-ready skills.
- Transfer Programs are designed for students who plan to continue their education at a four-year university.
You’re completing the first two years of a bachelor’s degree — at a lower cost — before
transferring.
- Associate of Arts (AA)
- Associate of Science (AS)
- Common transfer degrees include:
- Certificates are shorter programs focused on specific skills. Certificates are ideal if you want to gain a credential quickly or build experience step by step.
Paris Junior College works closely with colleges and universities to make the transfer process as smooth as possible for courses transferred to PJC from the other institutions and follows guidelines to resolve transfer disputes.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has established procedures to be followed when transfer credit for lower-division courses listed in the Academic Course Guide Manual (ACGM) is disputed. The individual courses covered by this procedure are defined in the Coordinating Board’s guide entitled, “Transfer of Credit Policies and Curricula.”
Continuing Education courses are short-term, skill-based courses for professional development or personal enrichment. PJC awards Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in recognition of satisfactory completion of Continuing Education and Workforce Development courses.
PJC meets the requirements of the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), as well as the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), in awarding CEUs. The CEU is a uniform, nationally accepted unit that provides permanent documentation of an individual’s completion of a given CE course.
For Continuing Education courses, credit is measured in continuing education units (CEUs); ten contact hours equal one CEU.
Adult Education & Literacy (AEL) services support high school equivalency preparation, English language learning, and workforce readiness.
Full-Time: 12+ credit hours
Half-Time: 6–11 hours
Less than Half-Time: 1–5 hours
More Info: PJC Board Policy ECC (Legal) & Policy ECC (Local)
Enrollment status impacts:
- Financial aid
- Insurance
- Housing
- Veterans benefits
Freshman: A student who has successfully completed fewer than 30 semester credit hours.
Sophomore: A student who has successfully completed 30 or more semester credit hours but has not earned a degree.
Full-time: a student enrolled for 12 credit hours or more in a regular (16week) semester or 6 credit hours or more in a five-week summer session.
Part-time: a student enrolled for 11 credit hours or less in a regular (16-week) semester or five credit hours or less in a five-week summer session.
The following programs have additional requirements and pre-requisite courses for admissions:
- Nursing
- Radiology Technology
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography
- Surgical Technology
- EMS-Paramedic
- Police Academy (pending approval)
- Aviation (pending approval)
- Horology
See individual program webpages for details.
Grades will be posted online on MyPJC at the end of each semester. Grade reports are not mailed.
Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 for all course work attempted during the fall and/or spring semesters to remain in good standing at PJC.
Special program students and scholarship students may require higher grade point average status to continue. The student should be familiar with the regulations dealing with scholastic probation and enforced withdrawal.
A grade in a course may be raised only by the students’ repeating the course and making a higher grade. Only the grade and credits earned in the course with the highest grade will be used in computing the grade point average and applied toward degree or program requirements. Courses must be taken at PJC to raise a grade.
More Info on Adding and Dropping courses at PJC.
More info on Grade Change(s) at PJC.
Related Policies:
EGA — Academic Achievement: Grading and Credit (Legal)
EGA - Academic Achievement: Grading and Credit (Local)
EGB — Academic Achievement: Class Rank and Honors (Legal)