Developmental Studies

Students enroll in developmental education courses to develop skills needed for entry into college-level courses and programs. Students who enroll in developmental courses represent various segments of the population: recent high school graduates who are under-prepared for college level courses, adults entering college after having been away from school for years, international students whose English proficiency is below that considered necessary for success in college level courses, and adults 18 years or older who never have received a high school diploma.

To help these students meet their academic goals, they must adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Students whose placement test scores indicate a need for two or more developmental courses must begin to take these courses during the first semester of attendance and successfully complete them prior to registering for college-level courses for which developmental courses are required.
2. Students are limited to no more than twelve (12) credit hours per semester.
3. Students must take SVD 100 in their first semester of attending PVCC and concurrently with at least one developmental course.
4. Students are assigned to a Student Success Academic Advisor who will provide guidance and referrals as needed to promote academic success. Students will be required to meet with this advisor to prior to enrolling for any course while in the developmental studies program.
5. Students will not be permitted to enroll in a course after the first class meeting without the approval of both course faculty and at success advisor.

Developmental education courses do not award college level credits applicable toward associate degree or certificate programs.

Developmental education courses are numbered 01-15 and can be found first in the course descriptions under English (ENG/ENF), mathematics (MTE), and natural sciences (NAS).

The grades used in the developmental education curriculum are S (satisfactory) and U (unsatisfactory). A grade of S is awarded to a student upon achievement of all the objectives required for the course. A grade of U is awarded to the student making unsatisfactory progress.