Purpose: This program prepares students to communicate proficiently in American Sign Language, including both expressive and receptive skills. The ASL Career Studies Certificate will improve the students' marketability in a wide range of positions where it is necessary to possess effective communication between hearing and Deaf persons. These fields include careers such as teaching, health and social service occupations, and public safety positions. Many people already holding positions in these areas would enhance their ability to perform their current jobs by expanding the range of people with whom they can communicate. The ASL Career Studies Certificate also fulfils all of the prerequisite requirements for our other programs of study. Many students complete the ASL CSC and then go on to enroll in either the Interpreting A.A.S. or Deaf Studies A.S. curriculum.

Purpose: This program of study is structured to enable students to improve their skills in computer application for drafting and design in their respective fields. It is important that students confer with a drafting advisor or counselor to better acquaint themselves with the selection of classes in the curriculum.

Purpose This curriculum is designed for students seeking licensure in 6-12 social studies education. This curriculum prepares students to transfer to any four-year college or university teacher preparation program. Courses in this degree are designed to satisfy some of the endorsement and professional course requirements of a Virginia teaching license. In EDU 200, students will identify the endorsement (content) courses they need to earn a teaching license. Students should meet with a Teacher Education faculty member or Education Field Placement Coordinator and Advising Specialist to select the correct courses for their area of licensure. EDU 200 and EDU 204 both require 20-hour field placements in a K-12 public school. Students will be required to complete a background check before being placed in the schools. Students with criminal records should consult with the Teacher Education Field Placement Coordinator before enrolling in the courses. Students are strongly encouraged to take the VCLA after completing ENG 111, ENG 112, Eng-literature course, and CST 100 or CST 110.

Purpose This curriculum is designed for students seeking licensure in either PreK-3rd Grade or PreK-6th Grade. Upon completion of endorsement courses, students should take the Praxis II: Elementary Education Multiple Subjects. This curriculum prepares students to transfer to any four-year college or university teacher preparation program. Courses in this degree are designed to satisfy some of the endorsement and professional course requirements of a Virginia teaching license. In EDU 200, students will identify the endorsement (content) courses they need to earn a teaching license. Students should meet with a Teacher Education faculty member or Education Field Placement Coordinator and Advising Specialist to select the correct courses for their area of licensure. EDU 200 and EDU 204 both require 20-hour field placements in a K-12 public school. Students will be required to complete a background check before being placed in the schools. Students with criminal records should consult with the Teacher Education Field Placement Coordinator before enrolling in the courses. Students are strongly encouraged to take the VCLA after completing ENG 111, ENG 112, Eng-literature course, and CST 100 or 110.

Purpose: The curriculum is designed to prepare the student to transfer into a baccalaureate degree program in engineering fields such as mechanical engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering, aeronautical engineering, and naval architecture/marine engineering.

Purpose: This program is a flexible associate degree. For students who plan to transfer, the degree can parallel the first two years of a four-year bachelor of science program if they choose courses that match the transfer institution's requirements. For those students who do not plan to transfer, the degree allows them to structure a program to suit their needs using accumulated credits from a variety of formal and experiential sources.

Purpose: This program is designed to help students develop both the theoretical knowledge and a practical facility with GIS. Students who already hold a baccalaureate or master's degree will acquire the requisite skills and knowledge to switch careers, or to apply spatial analysis in their present workplaces. Students will be positioned to pursue additional coursework toward an associate degree and/or transfer to a four-year institution for further study in the geospatial, environmental, or physical sciences; in civil engineering; in information technology; or in business/marketing at a four-year institution.

Preparation: Students are expected to understand fundamental computer applications and concepts before enrolling in GIS courses.

Purpose: The curriculum is designed for persons who seek entry-level employment as clinical data coding specialists in healthcare organizations by providing them with knowledge in anatomy and medical terminology, skill development in ICD-10-CM/PCS and CPT coding classification systems, database management, and clinical data abstracting processes, prospective payment systems, and reimbursement strategies. Clinical data coding specialists are in demand across the spectrum of healthcare organizations including hospitals, physician offices, insurance companies, managed care organizations, contracting groups, and accounting firms. Graduates of the certificate program are eligible to take one of two national certifying examinations administered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) to become a Certified Coding Associate (CCA), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), or Certified Coding Specialist-Physician Office setting (CCS-P).

Purpose: This program is designed to provide the student with the training necessary to obtain several different CISCO certifications as outlined below. These certifications prepare the student to install and/or configure networks, including wide area networks (WANs) and local area networks (LANs). They prepare students to optimize WANs through internet access solutions that reduce bandwidth and lower WAN costs, and provide remote access by integrating remote dial-up access with remote LAN to LAN access, as well as supporting higher levels of performance required for new applications such as internet commerce and multimedia. This career studies certificate also prepares the student to sit for the CISCO Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) certification exam.

Credit for Prior Learning: Students in this program may be eligible for credit for prior learning. See an academic advisor or counselor for further information.

Purpose

The program is designed to prepare students to participate as contributing members of the healthcare team, rendering direct care to patients in a variety of healthcare facilities and agencies. Upon satisfactory completion of the program, students will be eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN^¨) leading to state licensure as a registered nurse (RN) and are qualified to assume registered nurse positions in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, physiciansÕ offices, HMOs, and other community-based settings.

NOVA has adopted the VCCS Common Nursing Curriculum which was fully approved by VBON and ACEN in Spring of 2017. The nursing program is a 5-semester program: first semester students take the pre-requisite course work to prepare the student for applying to the program and for the study of the nursing courses. Then there are 4 semesters of nursing course work (LEVELS 1-4).

Information about the nursing program and the application process can be found online. Admission to the Nursing program is competitive.

Transfer Information

Transfer is not the primary purpose of an A.A.S. program; however, NOVA has articulation agreements that facilitate the transfer of this and other career-oriented programs to selected senior institutions. Students interested in transfer should contact a counselor or their academic advisor early in their program.

Special Program Requirements

Once enrolled in the Nursing program all students must maintain a grade of ÒCÓ (80% or higher) in all nursing courses to continue in the program. This includes lecture, nursing lab and clinical components. In addition, students must achieve a ÒCÓ or higher in all general education courses.

Accreditation & Approval Status

The NOVA Nursing Curriculum is fully approved by the Virginia Board of Nursing (VBON) Perimeter Center, 9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 300, Henrico, Virginia 23233 and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), 3390 Peachtree Road, NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, Georgia, 30326. Telephone 404-975-5000. View NCLEX-RN pass rates for the last five years go to online.

Licensure Requirements

The Virginia Board of Nursing reserves the right to deny licensure to any candidate who has been found guilty of a misdemeanor or felony.

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL)

Students who hold a current unrestricted Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) license in VA complete NSG 115 Healthcare Concepts for Transition are eligible to receive credit for prior learning for the following courses: NSG 106 Competencies for Nursing Practice, NSG 130 Professional Nursing Concepts, NSG 152 Health Care Participant, and NSG 170 Health/Illness Concepts. These students must complete the prerequisites (BIO 141 Human Anatomy And Physiology I, ENG 111 College Composition I, PSY 230 Developmental Psychology, SDV 101 Orientation to: prior to applying to the A.A.S. Nursing Program and must complete BIO 142 Human Anatomy and Physiology II as a prerequisite to NSG 115 Healthcare Concepts for Transition. Credit for prior learning will be applied to studentsÕ academic records after successful completion of NSG 230 Advanced Professional Nursing Concepts, NSG 252 Complex Health Care Concepts, and NSG 270 Nursing Capstone.

Readmission

Students who leave the Nursing program and wish to be re-admitted must meet the current CatalogÕs requirements for admission. Any developmental studies that were prescribed at the time the student left the program must have been satisfactorily completed. Students wishing to be readmitted to NOVAÕs nursing program will be required to seek approval of the Dean or their designee. Readmission is competitive and based on space availability.

Transfer from Other Institutions

Nursing credits earned at other institutions are reviewed by the Dean or their designee to determine if the courses in question apply to the curriculum and/or if substitutions may be made within the curriculum. Students who transfer to NOVA with prior nursing courses may be required to demonstrate skills competencies.

Nursing Program (Common Curriculum Program)

Classes are taken on campus and via a combination of synchronous (live) and asynchronous (anytime) online activities including in-person nursing laboratory and clinical practice. Nursing courses must be taken in the order outlined below.

Purpose This curriculum is designed for students seeking a solid foundation in the theories, methods, and skills in the complementary fields of public history and historic preservation.

Purpose This curriculum is designed to fulfill the Virginia state educational requirements for the certification of substance abuse counselors. To meet substance abuse counselor certification requirements, the applicant is expected to meet specific education requirements including didactic and experiential learning with a supervised internship required.

Individuals seeking skills and knowledge in this career field, but not seeking state certification may also enroll.

Cooperative Education: Students in this curriculum will participate in at least 3 semester hours of Cooperative Education unless they already have equivalent experience.

Purpose This curriculum is designed for individuals wishing to obtain fundamental skills for immediate entry-level positions in the welding trade as welding apprentices or welding laboratory assistants.

Its structure allows students to pursue these courses on a part-time basis. All courses will apply to the Welding Certificate.

Purpose: This program is designed for individuals who plan to transfer to a four-year institution to complete a bachelor of arts (B.A.).

Purpose: This program is designed for students who plan to transfer to a college or university for a Bachelor of Arts in Art History.

Purpose: This program is designed for students who plan to transfer to a college or university for a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science in English, Creative Writing or Writing and/or Rhetoric as an entry-level professional writer.

Purpose: This program is designed to prepare students who intend to transfer to a four-year institution to complete a bachelor's degree in international studies. This specialization will broaden the student's education to include more emphasis on other cultures and countries in recognition of the increasing interdependence of today's world.

Purpose The curriculum is designed for individuals who are interested in a professional or scientific program and who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a baccalaureate degree with a major in one of the following fields: agriculture, biology, chemistry, pre-dentistry, forestry, geology, oceanography, pharmacy, physics, physical therapy, pre-medicine, science education, or mathematics.

Purpose The curriculum is designed for individuals who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a baccalaureate degree. This curriculum is designed to prepare students to major in one of the following fields: mathematics, mathematics education, statistics, operations research, applied mathematics, or computer science.

Purpose This program is designed for individuals who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a bachelor of science in one of the social sciences. It also prepares students for some teacher certification programs. Students from the A.S. program major in a wide variety of fields, including anthropology, economics, government/political science, history, mass communications, pre-law, psychology, public administration, social work, and sociology.

PurposeThe goal of the Deaf Studies Major is to introduce students to the multidisciplinary study of human culture, language, experience, society, and history, with a focus on analyzing and understanding the contributions of Deaf people in America and around the globe. This curriculum is designed to provide students with conversational-level fluency in ASL to allow them to engage with members of the Deaf community in a variety of settings. Graduates may use their skills to work in human service fields. Graduates from the program can also transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a program that requires a background in American Sign Language and the Deaf community. Possible majors include a wide variety of fields, such as ASL instruction, Deaf education (parent-infant programs, elementary education, secondary), linguistics, Deaf studies (e.g. history, literature, research, etc.), speech-language pathology and audiology, sociology, communication sciences and disorders, media, government, and social work. Students may be able to waive the ASL requirement if they have prior experience in ASL. To demonstrate ASL competency, students must receive a score on the Sign Communication Proficiency Interview (SCPI) or the Gallaudet University American Sign Language Proficiency Interview (GU-ASLPI) of ÒIntermediateÓ or higher.