The College subscribes to the philosophy that students in higher education need to have

i) a core set of skills to equip them with the capacity to better understand and cope with the real world and the capacity to pursue further education independently (General Education and Electives)

ii) an appropriate concentration of skills to enable them to function in their chosen field or area of focus (Programme courses)

iii) as a Community College the institution is also committed to providing bridging assistance to persons who have the capacity and desire to pursue
higher education but who might require remedial or preparatory training in areas such as Mathematics, Communication Skills, the Natural Sciences or Social Sciences.

Programmes offered at the College (i.e. Associate Degree, Diploma, Certificate) will therefore consist of four basic components:

1. General Education requirements (See Appendix )
2. Electives
3. Programme requirements
4. Preparatory Courses

However, the percentage of each of the above components will depend on the nature and level of the programme, and whether the programme is designed for transfer or vocational training. In general, however, the College requires that:

1. Associate Degree programmes will consist of a minimum of 60 credits offered normally over four semester.

2. Certificate programmes will consist of a minimum of 27 credits offered normally over two semesters.

Diploma programmes will be redefined so as to be-appropriately differentiated from the regular Associate Degree Programme. Table 1 below provides a rough guide of the range of total credits and the possible distribution of courses among the General Education, Elective, and Programme components.

ADMISSION PROCEDURES AND POLICIES: Eligible candidates shall possess the following:

A) Academic qualifications for Associate Degree:
Passes in at least five (5) * subjects at the CXC general proficiency level including English A and Mathematics Grades I and II before June 1998 and Grades I, II and III after June 1998.

B) Academic qualifications for Diploma:
Passes in at least four (4) *subjects at the CXC general proficiency level including English A and Mathematics Grades I and II before June 1998 and Grades I, II and III after June 1998.

C) Academic qualifications for Certificate:
Passes in at least four (4) *subjects at the CXC general proficiency level including English A and Mathematics Grades I and II before June 1998 and Grades I, II and III after June 1998. General Certificate of Education (GCE) Grade A, B and C successful completion of relevant access courses offered at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College are also accepted.
*Other compulsory subjects may be required for admission to various programmes at the College.