Academic Programs

The academic programs offered at Gwinnett Tech have been selected to provide a wide range of career choices for students. Programs are reviewed annually to verify the continued need for training in each area, and new programs are added as the need is established and resources permit. The review process includes faculty, administration, occupational advisory committees at the state and local level, and the Technical College System of Georgia. 

The purpose of each Gwinnett Tech program is to provide employment training through general education and technical courses. General education courses support continued personal and professional growth and are designed to enable students to develop and demonstrate skills in reading, writing, oral communications, and math. Technical courses provide the solid basis of skills and knowledge necessary for successful employment; they are up-to-date in content, use the most modern equipment possible, and are taught by subject area experts. 

In many programs, students have the option of enrolling in degree, diploma, or certificate programs. These three program options are generally distinguished by length in semesters and the number and level of general education classes. Degree programs typically range from 60 to 73 credit hours in length; diploma programs, from 37 to 59; and certificate programs, from 9 to 36. With approval of the State Board, maximum semester credit hours required for graduation may be extended beyond the required maximum credit hours. 

Technical certificate of credit programs are a popular option among students. Certificate programs are designed to provide training for entry-level or advanced positions in a brief time frame. Courses taken in these programs generally apply to either degrees or diplomas in the same program area. 

Regular admission policies apply to all Gwinnett Tech programs of study. Some programs have additional admission requirements. 

Academic Advisement 

Students are assigned an academic advisor upon acceptance to a program of study. The Enrollment Support Center staff works in partnership with the academic program advisors. Students are encouraged to visit the Enrollment Support Center to meet with their Enrollment Advisor for course schedule planning and progress counseling, prior to registration. Although advisors assist students in academic planning, each student is responsible for meeting all graduation requirements. 

Advisement Information/Instructor Office Hours 

Students can view advisement information at the advisement tab at gtc-web.org. All full-time instructors have scheduled office hours that are available from the instructor or through the office of academic affairs. Adjunct instructors are generally available for student conferences by appointment before or after scheduled class hours. 

The Enrollment Support Center staff is available to meet with students on a walk-in basis between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Fridays. Enrollment Advisors are trained to assist students with questions regarding admissions, student records, financial aid and academic advisement. 

Accreditation/Certifications/Agency Approvals 

Accreditation is the process through which educational institutions are evaluated by regional and national agencies and associations to establish recognized program quality. Gwinnett Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award the associate of applied science degree. Contact SACSCOC at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Gwinnett Technical College. All programs within the institution that require accreditation with independent accrediting/certification agencies are accredited/certified by those agencies. Programs of study that are specifically accredited/approved/certified by independent, professional, or state agencies are listed on the respective program pages along with the agencies that have accredited them. 

Course Evaluations 

Course evaluations are distributed for each instructor, each semester. All courses will be evaluated except for a select few externships, internships, practicums, and clinical courses. 

Nontraditional Fields for Students 

The term ‘nontraditional fields’ means occupations or fields of work, including careers in computer science, technology and other current and emerging high skill occupations, for which individuals from one gender comprise less than 25 percent of the individuals employed in each such occupation or field of work. Gwinnett Tech encourages students to participate in their program of choice regardless of traditional patterns of enrollment. 

Program Completion Requirements 

Students will be considered as having met the requirements for graduation with an associate degree, diploma, or certificate when the following conditions are met. 

1. Student has filed an application for graduation online at gtc-web.org and paid the required $40 processing fee. Completion of course requirements does not automatically indicate an award of graduation. Students must complete an application for graduation to initiate the official audit. Graduation application must be received within two years of program completion in order to be awarded. Students who completed their program more than two years ago should contact graduation services for assistance at GraduationOffice@GwinnettTech.edu. 
2. Student has completed a program of study, including all required courses/electives, meeting minimum credit hour requirements. 
3. Student has earned a minimum grade of C or better in all courses and electives in the program of study. 
4. Student has completed at least 40 percent of required credit from the declared program of study at Gwinnett Technical College. 
5. Gwinnett Technical College will limit academic residency to no more than twenty-five percent of the degree requirements for all degrees for active-duty Service members. Academic residency can be completed at any time while active-duty Service members are enrolled. Reservist and National Guardsmen on active-duty are covered in the same manner. 
6. Student has paid all required fees, fines, and other financial obligations owed to Gwinnett Tech. 
7. Student has cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher at the time that the graduation application is submitted. 
8. Student must complete all required developmental coursework in order to graduate from certificate, diploma or degree program. This requirement includes 097 courses for certificate program that do not require core classes. 
9. Students whose catalog year is Fall 2014 or newer according to their Degree Works audit are required to satisfy the FYES 1000  requirement, either by taking the course, or by exemption (if eligible) to be eligible to graduate. 
10. Please note that at the time a student graduates from his or her program, SCT 100/COMP 1000 , introduction to computers, many CIST courses cannot be older than seven years. The student’s options are to take the course(s) over or take an exemption exam if available in the Assessment Center. Please review your DegreeWorks audit with your Enrollment Advisor if you have any questions regarding FYES 1000  requirements, your degree progress, or required coursework.

Program Structure 

Programs of Study/Majors 

Gwinnett Tech offers a wide variety of programs of study (majors) to the prospective student. The greatest amount of time in degree, diploma, and certificate programs is devoted to technical or occupational courses in order to prepare students for employment upon graduation. A complete listing of programs can be found here . 

General Education Courses

All associate degree and diploma programs include specified general education courses. Associate degree programs require at least 15 credits of general education college-level courses; and all programs require at least 3 credits from each of the following areas: English, humanities/fine arts, social/behavioral sciences, and natural sciences/ mathematics. Diploma programs require a minimum of 8 credit hours in English, mathematics, and interpersonal relations and professional development.

Student Learning Outcomes

Gwinnett Tech, in conjunction with employers and others, believes that learning outcomes foster the knowledge, skills, and values essential to students in their pursuit of lifelong learning and a satisfying career. Achievement of these outcomes occurs over several courses throughout a student’s educational experience and guarantees access to all the overlying skills important for graduates of Gwinnett Technical College to have mastered.

Each academic program at Gwinnett Tech identifies outcomes to address the continuous improvement of education. The learning outcomes are directly addressed by methods and criteria designed to demonstrate achievement of those outcomes, and improvements are implemented that impact the quality of each program’s function. A learning outcome is a brief, clear statement identifying in measurable terms the intended result of achievement of competencies. Learning outcomes focus on the specific performance(s) students are expected to demonstrate when the outcome is achieved. The means of assessment is a description of the methodology used to gather data in order to determine whether the learning outcomes have been achieved. Success criterion is a statement of the specific standards that identify successful achievement of the intended learning outcome.

These include the following:

Computation Skills: Students will learn the ability to express oneself through the transfer of opinions, ideas, knowledge, and/or skills accomplished by writing, speaking, listening, and reading.

Computer Proficiency: Students will acquire current knowledge of computer terminology, access information through electronic communications and perform basic tasks using common business application software.

Critical Thinking/Problem Solving: Graduates of Gwinnett Tech will learn that critical thinking uses a set of cognitive skills requiring mental agility and intellectual discipline gathered from, or generated by, creativity, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication. This is used to distinguish fact from fiction and then analyze, synthesize, or evaluate information associated with problem solving.

Mathematical Concepts: Students will learn that mathematical concepts are descriptions, properties, relationships, operations, and ideas that can be expressed quantitatively, numerically, algebraically, or geometrically.

Reading Comprehension: The student will demonstrate the ability to understand, analyze and evaluate readings and apply that learning to academic and professional contexts.

Research and Locating Information: The student will acquire the ability to identify what information is needed, understand how the information is organized, identify the best sources of information for a given need, locate those sources, evaluate the sources critically, and share that information. It is the knowledge of commonly used research techniques.

Technology Literacy: The student will learn computer skills and the ability to use computers and other technology to improve learning, productivity, and performance (US Department of Education). Technology can be defined as the purposeful application of information in the design, production, and utilization of goods and services, and in the organization of human activities.

Technical Proficiency: The student will demonstrate technical competency necessary to meet industry standards of entry level knowledge and skills appropriate to the discipline.

Work Ethics: The student will demonstrate a commitment to evolve as a productive member of society and the workplace, through a concerted and continuous effort of reflection and adjustment of one’s values, habits, and attitudes, as they affect on-the-job performance and overall life goals.

Electives

Electives are designated in two ways - general and technical or technically-related. Students may choose general electives from the variety of programs offered at Gwinnett Tech. Students must choose technical or technically-related electives from the program area indicated with academic advisor approval. Students must also meet all prerequisites for elective courses, including test scores. For guidance on program-specific elective options, please consult DegreeWorks and meet with an Enrollment Advisor regarding any questions you may have.

Note: Diploma-level general education courses cannot be used as electives in associate degree programs.

Technical Education Guarantee

The Technical College System of Georgia has developed curriculum standards with the direct involvement of business and industry. These standards serve as the industry-validated specifications for each occupational program. These standards allow Georgia’s technical colleges to offer their business partners the following guarantee:

“If one of our graduates who was educated under a standard program and his/her employer agree that the employee is deficient in one or more competencies as defined in the standards, the technical college will retrain that employee at no instructional cost to employee or employer.”

This guarantee applies to all Gwinnett Tech graduates who are employed in their field of training and is in effect for a period of two years after graduation.