Glossary
Academic Program
A series of courses that lead to the award of a degree, certificate or other credential.
Block Calendar Exclusions
The block calendar does not apply to the following programs or student populations.
- Non-program seekers
- Dual Enrollment
- On-sight incarcerated programs
- Educational Service Partnerships certificate and degree programs (on-site)
- Non-credit programs
- Academic certificates
Non-Program Seeker
A student who is not intending to complete a certificate, degree or program at Rio Salado College but is taking classes at the college:
- To supplement a degree program at another college or university
- For personal or professional interest
Program Seeker
A student pursuing a degree, certificate or program of study (i.e. Education Post Baccalaureate) at Rio Salado College.
Term (fall, spring and summer)
Rio Salado College, like the other nine Maricopa Community Colleges, offers degrees and certificates to students on a term calendar. Rio Salado College has three terms; fall, spring and summer. Each term provides flexibility allowing:
- 16 Term blocks, or program entry points for program-seekers
- 16 Class start dates for non-program seekers
- 48 Opportunities annually to begin a degree, certificate or program of study
Term Block Overview
- A term block is 16 weeks in length.
- Each term block begins on Monday and ends on Saturday.
- Students may stagger class start dates within most term blocks as long as all classes for the term begin and end within the term block.
- Term blocks may not overlap. For example, a student may not begin their spring term block until after the fall term block end date.
Term Block Transfer
When a student needs to change their academic block they can complete a Block Transfer. Block Transfers can only be completed at the transition from one term to the next and the new term block must begin after the end date of the prior term block. Important: Term Blocks may not overlap.
Specialized Block Calendar
Some academic programs at Rio Salado College will have a Specialized Block Calendar that differs from the Standard Block Calendar. Contact an academic advisor to learn about the block calendars associated with your program of study.
Standard Block Calendar
The academic calendar that applies to the majority of the degree and certificate programs at Rio Salado College. To see if your degree, certificate or program of study aligns with the Standard Block Calendar, click here. To see an example of the Standard Block Calendar click here.