Academic Advisement Reports

Academic Advisement Reports (AARs), also known as Degree Audits or Degree Progress Reports, show how your Tacoma Community College courses, transfer courses, and in-progress courses apply towards your degree/certificate requirements. You can view your Academic Advisement Report for your degree or certificate by logging into ctcLink and selecting Student Homepage > Academic Progress.

ctcLink

Catalog Year / Requirement Term

Your Catalog Year (also known as Requirement Term) refers to which Academic Catalog you are following for your degree/certificate requirements and is based upon what quarter and year your program plan was added in ctcLink. Catalog Years are unique to each degree/certificate you are pursuing and your AAR will display requirements for each degree/certificate in your Program Plan stack according to its corresponding Catalog Year. Catalog Years are displayed at the top of your AAR, next to each Program Plan Title (e.g. "Associate of Arts (DTA) with ANTHROPOLOGY Specialization (Fall 2019-Summer 2022)").

You may wish to update your Catalog Year if you would prefer to follow the requirements of a more current Academic Catalog than the one you started your degree/certificate with. Updating to a more current Catalog Year is always permitted; however, you cannot update to a previous Catalog Year. Please reach out to your advisor if you are interested in updating your Catalog Year.

Academic Catalog

Stackable Programs

If you are pursuing a degree/certificate that is part of a stackable program (see list below), your AAR will look a little different. Stackable programs are meant to build upon each other as you progress through your college career, so each award in the stack will also include the requirements for any and all previous awards. Because of this, some requirements may appear duplicated. This does not mean you have to complete the same requirement multiple times; once you have satisfied the requirement, it will be fulfilled in all places.

For example, if you are pursuing a degree with 3 certificates, you will see a group in your AAR for each of the awards in the stack: Certificate #1, Certificate #2, Certificate #3, and the degree. Certificate #2 will display requirements for both Certificate #1 and the additional requirements for Certificate #2. Certificate #3 will display requirements for Certificates #1, 2, and 3. And the degree will display requirements for Certificates #1, 2, and 3, as well as the additional requirements for the degree.

Don't forget to apply to graduate as you progress through a stackable program! Once you have completed a degree/certificate and it has posted to your unofficial transcript, it will also come off of your AAR so you will see less duplication.

List of Stackable Programs

Program	Certificate #1	Certificate #2	Certificate #3	Degree
Accounting	Accounting Office Associate Certificate	Assistant Bookkeeping Clerk Certificate	Bookkeeping Systems Certificate	Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Accounting
Business	Customer Service Certificate	Marketing Certificate	Managment Certificate	Associate of Applied Scinece (AAS) in Business with Entrepreneurship or Global Logistics Concentration
Early Childhood Education	Early Childhood Education Initial Certificate	Early Childhood Education Short Certificate of Specialization	Early Childhood Education: Emphasis on Children with Exceptionalities Certificate	Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Early Childhood Education: Emphasis on Children with Exceptionalities
Emergency Medical & Health Services	Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Certificate	Paramedic Certificate	-	Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Emergency Medical & Health Services
Health Information	Health Records Certificate	Health Information Associate Certificate	-	Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Health Information Technology
Human Services	Case Aide Certificate	Substance Use Disorder Professional (SUDP) Education Certificate	-	Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Human Services
Networking & Cyber Security	Help Desk Certificate	Technical Support Certificate	-	Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Networking & Cyber Security

What-If Reports

A What-If Report is a simulated version of your AAR that allows you to view how your coursework would apply towards a different program plan. Log into ctcLink and select Academic Progress > View What-If Report > Create New Report.

PLEASE NOTE: This What-If Report does not officially change your program. To complete an official program plan change, please meet with your advisor.

There are two types of What-If Reports:

Program Scenario

The first is a Program scenario that allows you to view how your completed coursework would apply to a different program plan. Select the new program and area of study (degree/certificate) and select submit.

What if screenshot

Course Scenario

The second report is the Course scenario that allows you to view how courses that you have not yet taken may apply toward your current plan. Entering a grade is optional.

Course Scenario screenshot

Frequently Asked Questions about AARs

Blank AARs or AARs with empty reports can mean:
- The AAR for your program plan does not exist. Some program plans do not have AARs due to the nature of the plan, including Transitional Studies (ABE and High School+) and Non-Award Seeking programs.
- You have already completed the degree/certificate and it has been posted on your academic transcript. In other words, you've graduated from that degree/certificate. You can view your unofficial transcript by logging into ctcLink and selecting Student Home Page > Academic Records > View Unofficial Transcripts > Submit (green button).
If none of these situations apply and you still see a blank AAR, please contact Stuart Drake in Enrollment Services: sdrake@tacomacc.edu.
If your AAR is showing the wrong program plan or catalog year, please reach out to your advisor. They will be able to review your program plan information with you and submit the necessary forms to Enrollment Services if a correction is needed.
There are several reasons why your transfer courses may not be satisfying your degree requirements:
- TCC has not received/evaluated your official transcripts from your transfer institution(s). Please verify with your transfer institution(s) that your official transcripts have been sent to TCC. Once we have received them and once you are actively enrolled in TCC classes, your transcripts will enter the evaluation queue. Check your ctcLink Message Center for notifications when we have received and evaluated your transcripts.
- Your courses transferred in as general electives instead of TCC equivalent courses. Transfer courses may not fulfill degree/certificate requirements if they come in as general electives (XFER 981) or subject electives (e.g. ENGL 900). Please reach out to your advisor if you have questions about how your transfer courses are being applied to your degree/certificate.
- Your courses transferred to TCC with less than 5 credits because of semester-to-quarter credit conversion. Students with transfer credit may require manual adjustment in order for their AAR to display correctly because of the semester-to-quarter credit conversion process.
  Semester credit is translated into quarter credit by multiplying the amount of semester credit by 1.5:
  1 semester credit = 1.5 quarter credits
  2 semester credits = 3 quarter credits
  3 semester credits = 4.5 quarter credits
  4 semester credits = 6 quarter credits
  
  Most 5-credit course requirements at Tacoma Community College may be satisfied by an equivalent transfer course of at least 4 quarter credits. The appropriate requirement will be reduced and College-Level Electives will be increased by the same amount in order to maintain the total degree/certificate credits.
Course substitutions must be approved by the appropriate department program chair. If you think you have an approved substitution, please reach out to your advisor first. They will be able to confirm the substitution with the department and submit the necessary form to Enrollment Services. You will see the approved substitution applied to your AAR once Enrollment Services processes the form.

I have enough credits to graduate, but my AAR still says it's Not Satisfied.

If you are certain that you have completed both the total number of credits required for the degree/certificate AND all of the degree/certificate requirements, your AAR may need manual adjustment before it reads Satisfied. Some degrees have variable-credit requirements and require a College-Level Electives section be added or adjusted in order to maintain the total number of credits required by the degree. Without this adjustment, the AAR cannot "see" the remaining credits, even if you have them. It is always best to reach out to your advisor first if you have any questions about how your credits should apply towards your degree.

Below is a list of degrees that may require manual adjustment in order to read "Satisfied:"

Degree	Variable-Credit Requirement
Associate of Arts, DTA - All Specializations (LASDTAA)	COL 101 Exemption
Associate in Computer Science (CSACSAA)	Natural Sciences; University-Specific Requirements
Associate of Applied Science-Transfer in Allied Health (HSAAHAAS)	Medical Terminology Requirement
Associate of Science-Transfer, Track 1 - No Specialization (LRST1AS)	Track Sequence Requirement
Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management - All Concentrations (BAMAMBAS)	Core Requirements; Concentration Track Requirements
Bachelor of Applied Science in Health Information Management - All Specializations (HMRHIBAS)	Lower Division Non-Distribution Requirements (Summer 2020-Spring 2021 catalog years only)

If you notice any errors in how your classes are applying in your AAR, it is best to reach out to your advisor first. They will be able to answer any questions you have about your program plan and how your coursework is applying to your AAR. They will also be able to submit any necessary forms to get errors in your AAR corrected.
For each degree/certificate you are active in, you will see "Degree/Certificate GPA" under "Degree or Certificate Completion Requirements" at the bottom of your AAR. That GPA is what is used to calculate honors. Please note that honors is calculated separately for each degree/certificate you are active in, so it is possible to receive honors in one award, but not another. For more information about honors, please refer to the Academic Honors webpage.

AAR Resources for Faculty & Staff

Academic Advisment Reports look very different in ctcLink for students, faculty, and staff. Please visit the page linked below for additional AAR information and guides specifically tailored to faculty/staff views in ctcLink.AAR Resources for FACULTY & STAFF

Any Other Questions?

enrollmentservices@tacomacc.edu

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