Many students at Pulse PAC will be “recreational” students, or “part-time” students.  There is no negative connotation to these terms! We encourage students to take the classes that they want to take, and it is fine to be involved in other activities outside of the arts.  These students we are describing will typically be taking 6 or fewer hours per week.  However, there are many other students who discover at an early age that the performing arts is an area in which they excel, and therefore they wish to study it more seriously and begin to train for a career as a performing artist.  For these students, it is encouraged to enroll in the Diploma Program detailed below.

Diploma Program participants must be rising 5th graders or above.  Until 5th grade, a student may still take as many classes as he/she wishes and will get credit for those classes once on the Diploma program. Furthermore, all students must be approved by the Pulse board before entering the Diploma program.

In order to receive a diploma at graduation time, a student must do all of the following:

• Declare a major, major/minor, or double major no later than 8th  grade (not necessary for current students who are already past 8th grade).
• Receive 120 credits per major, of which 100 pertain to core curriculum for a particular major and 20 that are general electives,including some that are outside of the field of the student’s major.
• Complete an independent, large-scale project called “Directed Study” in their particular field or major.

If a student wishes to double major, he/she must complete twice as many credits, both in core classes and electives.  In order to have a major and a minor, a student must complete not only the 120 credits for his/her major, but also an additional 50 credits for their minor and another 10 for general electives.

GRADUATION

At the same time a student graduates from his or her high school, he/she is also eligible for a diploma from Pulse PAC.  In addition to the general achievement of graduating from a performing arts school, we also will identify certain special students who graduate “with honors.”  The following are the possible honorary diplomas:

• Cum Laude - 20 credits above and beyond those required
• Magna Cum Laude - 20 credits above those required, plus top-level classes
• Suma Cum Laude - 30 extra credits, top level classes (may include private lessons)

Each year there will be a ceremony or banquet held in honor of the graduating seniors.  Each student who is eligible for a diploma will receive it on that night.  Also there will be a performance of some kind, starring the seniors, as well as a tribute to the seniors performed by the younger students.

Some of the many advantages of having a diploma from Pulse PAC are:

1. As the awareness of Pulse grows and its reputation precedes it, letters from us to colleges, institutions, and employers in the arts will become increasingly important to the children’s futures.  When applying to a performing arts school, music school, acting school, or other type of school, a diploma of this magnitude could be highly effective as far as receiving scholarships or being admitted to schools that are difficult to get into.
2. Having taken so many classes, both within their field of major and outside it, the students who graduate from Pulse will be the most
   versatile, trained, and experienced artists in the country.
3. Most students will be able to test out, or “exempt” from many classes when they get to college because they have already studied, and
   in some cases mastered, the material that is to be covered, therefore shortening the amount of time it will take to get a degree.
4. For those students who decide for various reasons not to attend college right away or at all, the diploma in performing arts could prove
   a vital element when building a resume and hopefully a career in entertainment.
5. Most importantly, the situations the students will be placed in at Pulse, the tools they will attain, and the habits they will form will be quite parallel to those they will face in the real world, so they will be prepared and confidant as they venture forward.