Educational Opportunities

Some degree programs at MCC require students to take Business Internship (BUS 214). This course combines job-related experience with an online class. An internship can be one of the most rewarding and valuable college experiences. It guides students in using their internship workplace as a site for learning about a new career field, developing job skills, and gaining more employment experience. It can enhance the educational experience by giving students a chance to see how information they have learned in their courses applies in real-work settings. Internships also help students develop a solid resume of work experience while they complete degree requirements. See the section on Course Descriptions  for further information and prerequisites.

MCC’s Commonwealth Honors Program (CHP) is accredited by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and provides graduates with transfer rights to all state universities. The CHP at Middlesex has designated honors courses that 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. Dedicated faculty work with these strongly motivated students and offer honors courses across all disciplines.

All CHP graduates have transferred, with significant scholarships, to a wide range of institutions, including American University, Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, Boston University, the University of Massachusetts system, Salem State University, Tufts University, Wellesley College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Bentley University and Babson College. In addition to the 100 percent transfer rate after graduation as a CHP Scholar, our graduates have also earned many full and partial scholarships.

Eligibility in the Honors Program is reserved for students with a minimum 3.2 GPA. Acceptance letters are sent each semester to eligible students inviting them to participate in the program. To graduate as a Commonwealth Honors Scholar, students must complete a minimum three honors courses, and two must be 200-level honors seminars. Successful students usually take more than the three-course minimum to maximize their honors experience and strengthen their opportunities for transfer to a four-year college/university. Additionally, all CHP students must participate in the annual Honors Research  Conference held in late April.

Honors students are invested in their learning and are encouraged to develop a rigorous attitude toward their education. The college celebrates these students with the designation of “Commonwealth Honors Scholar” on their permanent transcript and special recognition at graduation. Additionally, entering students with no prior college experience must have graduated from high school with a minimum 3.2 GPA, place into “Honors English Composition I,” or if there are other noteworthy experiences, then approval to join the program can be requested from the Honors Program Director.

Commonwealth Honors Program graduates strengthen their transfer opportunities, increase their eligibility for scholarships, and enhance their employment potential. For more information about the Commonwealth Honors Program, contact the Commonwealth Honors Office at 781-280-3553, email: honors@middlesex.mass.edu, visit the honors website: www.middlesex.mass.edu/honors, or make an appointment to meet with the Program Director.

National research has shown what we at Middlesex have intuitively known all along: Students are more successful - in completing their courses, in graduation rates, in their overall achievement - when they are personally engaged with their college.  Having a connection with even one member of the faculty or staff can create that bond. A key part of MCC’s new-student engagement effort is our enhanced First-Year Experience, which we continue to improve to provide the support new students need as they transition into college life. Please visit the First-Year Experience webpage for complete details: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/fye

Full-time students in good standing (a minimum 2.00 GPA) who have earned a minimum of 12 credits 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. 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 and the division dean. Final approval must be made by 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. In addition, the college now offers General Education Seminars that can be taken separately, or three seminars can be bundled together as a three-credit General Education elective. For more information and course offerings, visit the Interdisciplinary Studies website. Interdisciplinary courses are noted in each Semester Advising Schedule and more information is available from the Academic, Career & Transfer Centers.

Middlesex Community College empowers learners to participate in a diverse global community. Since 1988, the college has been a leader in offering opportunities that intentionally transform curriculum, promote intercultural competence, and engage the college community in deeper cross-cultural understandings of our ever-changing interconnected world.

MCC sponsors short-term and semester study abroad programs, as well as internship opportunities. The International Fellowship is an academic opportunity for Middlesex students to study a country’s culture, literature and history - and then visit that country. These fellowships are three-credit courses involving a two-week journey to study in the host countries. MCC sponsors International Fellowships to Belize, the People’s Republic of China, Costa Rica, Greece, UK-Ireland, Morocco, Spain, Russia, Peru and the Netherlands.

International education and training programs are also part of the college’s support for area business and community development. For more information on International Education opportunities, contact the Office of International and Multicultural Affairs by email at: demarasp@middlesex.mass.edu or visit the Study Abroad website: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/studyabroad/fellowships

Learning Communities are interdisciplinary course offerings in which two highly interactive courses are combined to deepen and intensify the learning experience for students. In totally integrated Learning Communities, two or more team-taught courses are joined as if they were one larger class. In linked Learning Communities, two separate courses are thematically connected and use shared assignments and activities.

By focusing on contemporary themes, Learning Communities enhance student interest, and foster understanding of how subjects and issues are interrelated. In addition, because the same students work together on projects and assignments in both classes, Learning Communities foster the development of peer relationships, which enhance and support the learning experience.

Learning Communities offered in the past include: Write for Law and Order, Theater in Action, Power: Who has it? Who gets it?, Born Identity, and How to Succeed in Business. Only the individual courses included in the Learning Community are listed on students’ transcripts. For example, students enrolled in Power: Who has it? Who gets it? will have ENG 101 English Composition I and SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology recorded on their transcripts.

For more information and course offerings, visit the Learning Communities website. 

All Middlesex students are encouraged to nurture their interest in the theatre by participating onstage, offstage or backstage in the various MCC Theatre Department productions staged throughout the year. Any currently enrolled MCC student can participate, and may choose to receive course credit in elective Theatre courses.

Students can also enroll in MCC’s Performing Arts: Theatre Option, Fine & Performing Arts Concentration: Theatre Option, Technical Theatre Certificate, or Arts Administration Certificate. For more information, visit the college Performing Arts website: www.middlesex.mass.edu/performingarts.  

 The Pathways Center offers a variety of student supports that are focused on academic achievement and successful career outcomes for all students.

Support and services include the following:

• Access to computers, printers and project supplies
• Group and individual study space
• Mock interviews, soft-skills and job-shadowing assistance
• Research opportunities for STEM students
• Peer mentoring for all students
• Career-related  field trips & workshops
• Financial awards, scholarships and stipends for STEM scholars
• Academic guidance
• Multiple Summer Bridge opportunities and FREE courses (for high school, new to MCC, and transferring students)

For more information, contact the Pathways Center Director at 978-322-8411, visit the Pathways Center in Lowell (Cowan Center, Rm #306), or visit us on the MCC website: www.middlesex.mass.edu/pathwayscenter 

The mission of the Program for Asian American Student Advancement (PAASA) is to offer a holistic support system with a dedicated staff that advises, mentors and provides leadership-development opportunities for Asian American students. For more information about PAASA, visit: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/paasa

Asian American Connections Center - To ensure student success, PAASA’s Asian American Connections Center offers programs and activities that engage students and create a community. It is a place for students to meet, socialize and study. The center also provides students access to computers. Visit the Asian American Connections Center on the Lowell campus (Cowan Center, ground floor) or call 978-656-3447 for more information.

Service-Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities, according to the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse.

At Middlesex, Service-Learning is a credit-bearing academic experience. Students participate in an organized service project or activity that meets identified community needs. The academic portion of the project comes in the form of reflection assignments created by and assigned by the professor.

Service-Learning has been shown to provide students with further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility. The service and the learning are designed to be valuable for both the student and the community partner. For further information, please visit the Service-Learning website: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/servicelearning         

Located on the Lowell campus, MCC’s World Language Institute (WLI) offers a range of credit courses that emphasize student-centered learning with a focus on second-language acquisition. All 16 languages offered are taught using creative, interactive methods to promote language learning. There is some flexibility in recognizing student self-pacing and freedom to progress.

WLI courses are suitable for beginners and/or heritage learners thanks to their family’s linguistic background. Languages offered include: Arabic, Chinese, Finnish, French, German, Classical Greek, Modern Greek, Modern Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Khmer, Latin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. For further information about the World Language Institute, visit: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/worldlanguageinstitute, contact the WLI coordinator at 978-656-3350 or 781-280-3934, or stop by the Institute, located on the fourth floor of the Cowan Center (LC-406A), Lowell campus.