General Education and Student Success

The Curriculum

The liberal arts curriculum at Tougaloo College is based upon two assumptions: first, students should have an interdisciplinary general education drawn from broad academic areas as well as specialized training in one major department; and second, students should have reasonable freedom to design their own course of study, coupled with guidance from committed advisors.

Official credit for academic work is measured in semester hours. Under the semester schedule, credit hours are based on the number of weekly instructional hours provided over a 15-week period. An instructional hour is defined as no less than 50 minutes of instructor/student contact. For example, a course that awards 3 credit hours constitutes 150 minutes of instructional hours per week (instructor/ student contact) over a 15-week semester.

One credit hour is awarded for laboratory work (e.g., science lab or music lab, etc.) with 180 instructional minutes per week over a 15-week semester. Laboratory is defined as work performed in a supervised safe environment that accommodates hands-on application and examination of subject matter theories and practices. Information relative to the awarding of course credit hours and number of credit hours required for program completion is published under requirements for graduation for the individual degree-granting program. In order to graduate, students must pass 124 semester hours and must have attained at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average. The 124 hours are subdivided: a certain number of semester hours in a discipline major, approximately 34-36 credit hours in general education, and the remainder in electives and/or requirements for professional certificates.

As long as students are in continuous residence from the date of entrance, they will be held accountable for the degree requirements in effect at the time of entrance; however, once they stop out for a semester or more and return to the College, they will be accountable for the degree requirements in effect at the time of return.

The Student Success Center is a comprehensive student success program designed to provide curricular and co-curricular support to students at Tougaloo College. The Center has three main objectives:

To orient first-year/first-time students to Tougaloo College:

Goal: Assist every first-time, full-time student toward a successful transition from high school, or other academic institutions, to college-level academics and to promote academic success.

Goal: Help first-year students understand the importance of modeling good behavior and respecting themselves and their community.

To advise students as they prepare to enter career paths:

Goal: Enable students to develop effective personal leadership development and academic skills that will enhance their ability to become leaders who will contribute to the greater global community.

Goal: Provide opportunities for new students to develop multicultural awareness and cultural competence as they select career paths. To retain students with various curricular and co-curricular programs:

Goal: Provide students with information about campus resources and opportunities available on campus while establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships within the college community and a connectedness to campus life.

Goal: Encourage students to be socially responsible by enlisting in civic engagement and service-learning projects on campus and in the local community.

The Student Success Center is staffed by a Director of First-and Second-Year Experience, a Director of Retention Services, and Student Success and Retention Coaches. The Student Success Coach serves as an academic advisor and mentor for freshman students. They share ideas, talents, and services in and beyond the classroom to ensure academic success of students as well as promote self-actualization and foster a lasting bond with Tougaloo College. Through Student Success Seminars, the Student Success Coach will utilize the Appreciative Advising model to engage the students in developing healthy academic habits while promoting the Tougaloo College community.

The Retention Coaches develop and implement engagement opportunities to develop strategies to address academic persistence and completion. They will utilize the Intrusive Advising model, early alert technologies and strategies for outreach, and track student academic progress.

Special Requirements

Student Success Seminar is a required course for all first-year students. Transfer students who have completed two comparable seminar courses at a prior institution are exempt. Students must enroll in SSS 101 for the fall semester an SSS 102 for the spring semester.

Signature Events/Experiences

During the students’ first year, they will participate in various signature events and participate in different signature experiences. These activities are designed to better acclimate the student to the campus, community, and the surrounding area.

Signature Events

New Student Orientation
Transfer Students Orientation
First-Year Student Induction Ceremony
Eagle Day of Service
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
Rite of Passage Ceremony
Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society Induction
Eagles Back on Track Ceremony
Lambda Sigma Honor Society
Alpha Chi Honor Society
Chi Alpha Sigma Athlete Honor Society
Chat and Chew with High School Counselors
College Prep for Parents 101