Associate Degree Program (ADP)
An Associate Degree program (ADP) is structured to be comprised of four regular semesters over a period of two years and consists of 60-72 credit hours. After completion of the Associate Degree, the qualification holder will have the option of seeking admission in the fifth semester of a relevant undergraduate/equivalent degree program through exemption of courses already studied in the Associate Degree program. The courses to be exempted in this case shall be decided by the admitting university on case-to-case basis.
All Associate Degree programs must be structured on the semester system of examination as per HEC guidelines issued in this regard from time to time.
All Associate Degree programs shall be comprised of a mandatory set of 30 credit hours for general education courses and a set of 30-42 credit hours for major or disciplinary courses, as prescribed in the HEC’s undergraduate policy 2023.
The requirement of field experience/internship of 03 credit hours is applicable only in cases where the same is prescribed by the respective Accreditation Council, National Curriculum Review Committee or the concerned university. Where this requirement is prescribed, the courses within the major will comprise of 30-39 credit hours.
Pathway for Associate Degrees Holders:
a) Students having completed Associate Degrees shall be allowed admission in the fifth semester of the undergraduate/equivalent degree program offered in the same discipline without any deficiency course.
b) Where the disciplines of the Associate Degree and the undergraduate/equivalent degree program are different, students shall be required to complete deficiency courses through a bridging semester before the fifth semester as determined by the admitting university.
c) The minimum eligibility criteria for admission in the fifth semester in above cases is 2.00/4.00 CGPA in the prior qualification i.e., Associate Degree. The admitting university may, however, set higher eligibility criteria for admission in the fifth semester of the four-year undergraduate/equivalent degree program.
Pathway for Conventional Two-Year BA/BSc/Equivalent Degree Holders:
a) Students having completed conventional two-year BA/BSc/equivalent degree programs shall be allowed admission in the fifth semester of the undergraduate/equivalent degree program, in which case students shall be required to complete deficiency courses through a bridging semester before commencement of the fifth semester as determined by the admitting university.
b) The minimum eligibility for admission in the fifth semester in this case is 45% cumulative score in the prior qualification i.e., conventional two-year BA/BSc/equivalent degree programs. The admitting university may, however, set higher eligibility criteria for admission in the fifth semester of the undergraduate/equivalent degree program.