Career and Technical Certificates (CTC)

Click on the tabs above for complete information regarding Career and Technical Certificate requirements.

Career and Technical Certificate (CTC) programs are job preparatory programs through which a student receives a vocational certificate upon completion of instruction. CTCs consist of a series of clock hour courses that prepare students for entry level employment in specific career fields. Selected courses may supplement the theoretical knowledge and skills of employed workers.

Students must hold a standard high school diploma or equivalent.

Students will be assessed tuition by the clock hour, and transcripts will reflect the clock hours attended instead of “credits".

The Program and Admission Requirements chart lists specific admission requirements by program, such as if the program is limited access or requires a specific degree, certification or license, and if the program is financial aid eligible. The Program of Study page for each program will outline program-specific courses and other requirements.

Clock Hour Programs

Definition

At EFSC, Career and Technical Certificate (CTC) programs are considered clock hour programs. This means that the number of hours spent in class or in hands-on training is tracked in clock hours. The completion of a certain number of hours is required for graduates of each CTC.

Financial Aid

Students may be eligible for financial aid including: Pell Grants, SEOG Grants, work study, scholarships, Direct Loans, and the Florida Student Assistance Grant. Not all programs are eligible for financial aid. Eligible programs are listed under Programs and Admission Requirements.

Financial Aid Payment Periods and Disbursement Procedure

Financial aid for students enrolled in clock hour programs will be disbursed based on clock hours rather than on semester credit hours and will be divided into two or more payments depending on the length of the program. A payment period is defined as clock hours and weeks of instructional time. Students must successfully complete the clock hours and the weeks of instructional time in a payment period to progress to the next payment period.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students enrolled in clock hour programs will have satisfactory academic progress (SAP) evaluated at the end of each payment period. At the time of review, students must have successfully completed both the clock hours and weeks of instructional time required for the payment period. Maximum Time Frame is measured in cumulative clock hours required to complete the program and expressed in calendar time. (Note that a student in a clock hour program cannot receive aid for hours beyond those in the program; the maximum time frame applies to the amount of calendar time the student takes to complete those hours.)

For example, if the program is 1200 clock hours and meets 30 clock hours per week, that means the program is 40 weeks in length. 150% of 40 weeks is 60 weeks. A student may receive aid while enrolled in this program for up to 60 weeks to complete the 1200 clock hours required for graduation.

Testing

Some programs require the student to take the TABE (Test of Adult Basic Education) and meet minimum cutoff scores in reading, language, and mathematics prior to graduating with the certificate. Law Enforcement and Corrections programs require the Criminal Justice Basic Abilities Test (CJBAT). Testing requirements are listed on the Programs and Admission Requirements page.

Veterans

Veterans enrolled in CTC programs may be eligible to receive benefits. Please contact the Military & Veterans Services office to determine eligible programs. Veterans certified under a CTC program will be certified to the VA in clock hours per week instead of credit hours per term. If a program is measured in clock hours, benefits are paid based on clock hours of attendance per week. The beginning date, ending date, and number of clock hours a student is scheduled to attend each week must be reported. If clock hours per week vary and the benefit amount is affected, the variance must be reported for calendar weeks, Sunday through Saturday, between the beginning and ending dates.

Full-time measurement is 18 clock hours if classroom instruction predominates and 22 clock hours if shop practice predominates. The clock hour measurement for all approved programs measured and paid by clock hours is listed in WEAMS (Web Enabled Approval Management System).

Rate of Pursuit (for Chapter 33 Post 9/11)

VA will convert clock hours to credit and then calculate rate of pursuit. The monthly housing allowance is paid if rate of pursuit is more than 50%. Estimated amounts are in the table below. Please remember that the VA Regional Processing Office makes final determinations regarding payments.

Rate of Pursuit

Percentage	Shop Predominates	Theory Predominates
100%	22 clock hours or more	18 clock hours or more
90%	19 - 21 clock hours	16 - 17 clock hours
80%	17 - 18 clock hours	14 - 15 clock hours
70%	15 - 16 clock hours	12 - 13 clock hours
60%	13 - 14 clock hours	10 - 11 clock hours

Training Time, All Other Chapters (30, 32, 35, 1606, and 1607)

Clock hour training time for all other chapters is measured as follows:

Training Time

Status	Shop Predominates	Theory Predominates
Full	22 clock hours or more	18 clock hours or more
3/4	16 - 21 clock hours	13 - 17 clock hours
1/2	11 - 15 clock hours	9 - 12 clock hours
Less Than 1/2 Time1	1 -10 clock hours1	1 - 8 clock hours1

¹

VA only pays tuition and fees when training time is less than ½ time.

Clock Hour Class Attendance

1. No more than 10% of class time may be considered excused absences that are not required to be made up. An instructor may follow a stricter policy in his/her class.
2. If a student needs to make up hours beyond the 10% excused absence policy, make-up clock hours must be completed under instructor supervision by the last published class date for the completion period. Makeup hours must be recorded on the Clock Hour Program Make Up Timesheet Form, signed by the instructor, and submitted to the Financial Aid Office.
3. Attendance Records: instructors must take attendance; they must be able to prove attendance by documented evidence.

Admission Requirements

1. Submit an application for admission.
   • For information about applying for admission to Eastern Florida State College, visit the Admissions website.
2. Student must hold a standard high school diploma or equivalent.

3. Submit final official transcripts: high school and all prior colleges. 

4. Some programs require testing, such as the TABE or CJBAT.  

• Visit the TABE Testing Information or the Taking the CJBAT webpage for more information 

5. An additional application to the program will be required if access is limited.

Find specific admission requirements, such as testing, and if program access is limited on the Programs and Admission Requirements list.

Graduation Requirements

Responsibility for meeting the requirements for graduation with a Career and Technical Certificate (CTC) rests with the student.  To be awarded the CTC from Eastern Florida State College a student must do the following:

1. File an Intent to Graduate Application and pay the graduation fee. Visit the How to Apply for Graduation website for more information.
   • Applications submitted after the published deadline will incur a late fee.
2. Complete all admission requirements, including the submission of all necessary transcripts and other required documents.
3. Complete at least 25% of the clock hours required for the program through instruction at EFSC.
4. Complete all coursework with a final grade. Students with a grade of “I - Incomplete” will not be processed for graduation until a final grade is posted.
   • For graduation in the term of application, the final grade must be posted within the first three weeks of the following term. If the final grade is not posted within the first three weeks of the following term, student must reapply and repay for graduation in the term they complete all requirements. Student may request through the instructor to have the “I” converted to a permanent "F" if the course is not required to graduate.
5. Earn a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in the courses that comprise the program.
   • College developmental courses, college credit courses, audited courses, 3000-4999 (upper-level) courses, and continuing education courses are not applicable toward clock hours for the CTC degree.  
   • Transfer courses with a grade of T% do not calculate into the GPA.
6. Remove all financial obligations to the college.

Available Programs