Educational Opportunities

Created to encourage aspiring teachers, MCC’s Center for Careers in Teaching assists students who are beginning or continuing their career preparation at Middlesex. A clearinghouse for the most recent teacher-preparation information and resources, the center offers students counseling and advising on the academic pathways to licensure, and provides teacher test-preparation workshops, mentoring support and informational seminars. Contact the Center for Careers in Teaching for individualized services via telephone, e-mail and by appointment at 781-280-3901 or higginsn@middlesex.mass.edu.

The mission of MCC’s Center for Community Engagement is to enrich students’ educational experiences, meet community needs, and foster civic responsibility throughout the college and the community at large by integrating service into the academic curriculum. Through participation in thoughtfully organized service experiences that address real community needs, students extend what they learn beyond the classroom. Courses with Service-Learning and community-engagement components are offered in a wide variety of courses at Middlesex. While Service-Learning courses generally require a minimum of 22 hours per semester in an appropriate community-service placement, community engagement service opportunities have a variety of project-based requirements. Coordinated by the center’s staff, both Service-Learning and community engagement opportunities enrich student’s educational experiences by developing the knowledge and  skills needed to be effective members of their communities.

The Center for Community Engagement is located in the City Building, Fifth Floor (Office 21) on the Lowell campus. In Bedford, it is located in the Enrollment Center (Building 9), Room 108. For more information, call 978-656-3159 (Lowell) or 781-280-3556 (Bedford).

Related topic: To learn more about earning graduation honors as an MCC Engaged Scholar, see Academic Information .

Note: In order for a student to be eligible to participate in an academic, community or clinical program that involves potential unsupervised contact with children, the disabled, or the elderly, the student may be required to undergo a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check and/or a Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI) check. See Admission  for details.

As part of MCC’s annual Writing Across the Curriculum activities, a Common Book is selected for literary quality and relevance to many subject areas. This book is recommended for inclusion in a variety of courses and college-wide activities. Faculty may choose to assign the book to be read independently, or teach appropriate elements within a given discipline. Therefore, the Common Book may be examined from different perspectives in different courses.

The Common Book for the 2007-2008 academic year is When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka. MCC Common Books in previous years have included Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan, The Giver by Lois Lowry, Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts, Not Born in the U.S.A. edited by the MCC Writing Across the Curriculum Committee, and Shakespeare Behind Bars: The Power of Drama in a Women’s Prison by MCC Professor Jean Trounstine.

Designed to provide students with opportunities to gain work experience in their fields of study, cooperative education, internships or field experiences are included in many major programs of study as required courses or recommended electives. In these experiences, students earn academic credit for work related to their major programs of study. There are field experiences in specific areas of program-related work, such as internships for Paralegal Studies students with the MCC Law Center at the Lowell campus.

Cooperative Field Experience (BUS 214), which combines classroom or online lectures with workplace experience, is required in some Business Administration degree and certificate programs. Many students in programs other than business also enroll in this course as an elective. See the section on Course Descriptions  for further information and prerequisites.

MCC’s Honors Program and designated honors courses have been developed specifically for high academic achievers -– students who enjoy working together and sharing ideas while they challenge themselves with exciting readings, assignments and independent research. Outstanding faculty work with these strongly motivated students and offer honors courses across all disciplines. Individual honors courses are open to students who have earned at least 12 credits, including English Composition I, and have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. Certain courses have additional prerequisites, such as a writing sample or a faculty recommendation. A student may take an Honors Option in a “non-honors” course by signing a contract with the instructor and performing additional tasks for honors credit.

Honors students are invested in their learning and are encouraged to develop a rigorous attitude towards their education. To graduate from Middlesex as an Honors Program Scholar, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.2 and take a minimum of three honors courses, including one that is interdisciplinary. The college celebrates these students with the designation of “Honors Scholar” on their permanent transcript and special recognition at graduation.

Honors Program graduates strengthen their transfer opportunities, increase their eligibility for scholarships, and enhance their employment potential. For more information about applying to the Honors Program, contact the Honors Program Coordinator at 781-280-3829, e-mail honors@middlesex.mass.edu or visit the Honors website: http://www.middlesex.mass.edu/honors/.

Students in good standing (a minimum 2.00 GPA) may develop, in cooperation with a faculty member, a program of study which is not formally offered at the college. Independent study can only be pursued after the student’s first semester or during their second year. A maximum of six semester hours (three per semester) may be taken under such an arrangement. Contracts for independent study must be approved by the cooperating faculty member, the division dean and the provost.

Each semester, the college offers a variety of interdisciplinary courses. Some are co-taught by two instructors and others are two separate (paired) courses. Both types of interdisciplinary courses interrelate knowledge, facts and ideas through the integration of several subject areas.

By enrolling in one interdisciplinary course that combines, for example, humanities and social science, students have the opportunity to fulfill two of their core curriculum requirements with one course. Interdisciplinary courses are noted in each Semester Schedule and more information is available from the Academic Planning Centers.

Middlesex sponsors study abroad fellowships to Belize, The People’s Republic of China, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands. The international fellowships are three-credit courses involving a two-week journey to study first-hand the history and culture of the host countries.

Exchange opportunities, a broad array of cross-cultural activities, and an extensive campus international visitors program all contribute to students’ exposure to the global nature of economic and social development. International education and training programs are also part of the college’s support for area business and community development. For more information call MCC’s International Students and Multicultural Center at 978-656-3258.

The MCC Theatre Company is a community of students that forms each semester to rehearse, build and market a variety of productions. All MCC students are encouraged to nurture their interest in the theater by participating onstage, offstage or backstage, and may choose to receive course credit in elective theater courses. Productions are staged in the newly renovated MCC Theatre, a flexible, 90-seat performance space, located at 5 E. Merrimack St. (rear entrance), in Lowell. For more information, visit the college Performing Arts website: www.middlesex.mass.edu/PerformingArts.

Designed expressly for students with significant learning disabilities, MCC’s nationally recognized Transition Program is a two-year, noncredit certificate-of-completion program that teaches consumer and business skills, independent living, and personal and social development. The cornerstone of the program is an internship each semester in local business settings.

The Transition Program helps students who would find traditional college-level academics too challenging, even with extensive support services, achieve their potential through specialized coursework and hands-on experience in work settings. Students work two days per week in competitive employment situations in office and business support environments. During the other three days, students complete specially designed courses in the following areas: computer skills and vocational preparation, consumer education, personal and social development, job seeking and job survival skills. Small class size ensures that students receive individualized attention and a program tailored to meet their unique needs. Graduates receive a Certificate of Completion in Office and Business Support Skills. (See Transition Program  for the complete curriculum.)

The Transition Program is selective, accepting only 20 students each year. Prospective applicants and their families must attend an information session to receive application materials. Information sessions are held periodically throughout the year. For information about the Transition Program and application procedures, call 781-280-3630.

Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) was established at Middlesex in 1987 to encourage and support writing, reading and critical thinking in all disciplines and throughout the college community. A WAC Committee, comprised of faculty and staff from across the disciplines, sponsors workshops, events and special programs to help educators incorporate writing assignments into their coursework. As part of WAC activities, a Common Book is selected by the committee and recommended for the whole college. Throughout the year, WAC sponsors events, such as writing workshops, poetry readings, student essay contests and Common Book activities, for all members of the college community. For further information, resources and the current WAC calendar of events, see the WAC website: www.middlesex.mass.edu/wac/.