General Education Course Substitution Appeals

Montgomery College is authorized to make decisions about the substitution of course credit to satisfy General Education requirements in an associate’s degree awarded by the College. In its decision, Montgomery College is bound by Code of Maryland Academic Regulations (COMAR) and by General Education course substitution criteria and procedures approved by College faculty.

Appeals should be submitted no later than November 15 for the fall semester and April 15 for the spring semester. For assistance, email  GenEd@montgomerycollege.edu.

• Before submitting an appeal, read the instructions below in order to have the proper documentation for the appeal.

General Education Course Substitution Criteria:

Proposed General Education course substitutions must meet one of the following criteria:

• The course was not on the General Education list at the time the student completed the course, or
• The course has been added to the General Education list since the time the student completed the course. Additionally, the chair of the academic department must provide the student with a statement certifying that the course as taught at the time the student completed it was substantially the same then and now, or
• The course has a General Education prerequisite from within the same academic discipline.

If a course substitution does not meet one of the above criteria, the appeal may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The student must receive a letter of support from the department chair of the academic department clarifying the course fulfills the learning outcomes of the foundation or distribution area and a letter of support from the program chair clarifying the course appropriately fits within the student’s major for any reason of appeal.

Students, Counselors, and Program Advisors Should be Aware of the Following:

• 
  Students are responsible for being informed of official policies, meeting all requirements relevant to degree completion, and selecting correct courses.
• General Education requirements may change from catalog year to catalog year. To determine graduation requirements, the General Education committee bases a decision in part on the catalog year chosen by the student.
• Appeals must include an accurate and complete transcript of all courses taken and grades earned. An unofficial transcript is acceptable.
• All appeals must include a personal statement from the student explaining the circumstances surrounding the request.
• The student personal statement and comments from the program chair are essential in helping the committee understand course content or the suitability of a substitution.
• If the General Education course substitution appeal is denied, the decision is final and there is no further appeal process.
• If the General Education course substitution appeal is approved, the graduation coordinator will provide the student with a revised graduation degree audit evaluation.
• A separate DSS Course Substitution Request Form (PDF, )  is required for disability-related General Education course substitutions for the math foundation. Students must first meet with a disability support services counselornew window to obtain eligibility criteria and the appropriate form. Email dss@montgomerycollege.edu for questions or clarification.
• The Academic Appealsnew window Committee provides decisions regarding certain College academic regulations and those appeals are separate from General Education appeals. Misdirected appeals will be returned to the student.