Confirming Pathway

It’s important at the beginning of each advisement appointment to confirm the student’s pathway choice. Confirming pathway includes ensuring that the student’s pathway is aligned with both the degree program at MCC the student wishes to pursue as well as aligned with their goals for after MCC. A quick check with the student on what Degree Works says their pathway is, whether that’s still their goal, and how they are feeling about their goal is usually a great place to start your advisement session.

Some reasons that the student pathway may need to be updated include:

• The student has changed their mind about their goals, but they haven’t yet submitted a request.
• The student was not admitted to their program of choice, but for some reason their pathway was not updated correctly.
• The student selected the MCC pathway that they thought aligned with their post-MCC goals, but they were mistaken in the best path to follow to reach their ultimate goal.

See Request a Change of Pathway, Program, and/or Major for instructions on how to submit a pathway change for your advisee.

Choosing Pathway

Sometimes, students may want to change their pathway but may need help in deciding the best route for them. Although faculty advisors may be well-equipped to have this discussion with the student, don’t forget that there are many resources on campus to assist with the process.

Some questions to ask in a conversation with the student about their pathway choice:

• What attracted you to your initial pathway choice?
• What made you decide that your current pathway isn’t the right fit?
• What do you feel are your strengths? What areas of your current pathway have you found challenging?
• What are the most important aspects to you about a future career?
• Do you plan to transfer to a four year institution after MCC?

Resources to help a student through process of choosing a pathway:

• Career Coach: An online tool that offers a brief career assessment, search by career or MCC program, and data on various careers and the job market in the greater Rochester area. May be accessed via the public-facing MCC website or by clicking here.
• Career Services: MCC’s career office offers many resources to help students choose their future career goal, and by extension, their pathway at MCC. Encourage students to make an appointment with Career Services to help them in their selection process. Contact for Career Services can be found at https://www.monroecc.edu/depts/careercenter/career-services/.
• Transfer Counselor: Depending on the student’s transfer goals, they may want to select the best pathway at MCC to help them meet those goals. Students can make an appointment with a Transfer Counselor in Advisement and Transfer Services by calling 292-2400.
• School Specialist: For students who know their general area of interest, aligned with their MCC School, but not the specific pathway, they may wish to discuss the different pathways their school has to offer with their School Specialist. Any student can make an appointment with their School Specialist via Starfish.

LAS Pathways

Along with the shift to sorting programs and pathways into Schools, MCC’s guided pathways reforms have also shifted the way that we categorize and discuss our Liberal Arts program. Rather than just selecting a general Liberal Arts degree, students now choose a Liberal Arts pathway in one of MCC’s seven schools. These are coded as LAS#, with each number 1-7 representing a different school. LAS students are advised by their School Specialist. Students generally select an LAS pathway for one of two reasons:

LAS as Exploratory Major

If a student is undecided on the major that they want to pursue, they are encouraged to select a broad focus area to start. By selecting a Liberal Arts pathway in the School that they are most interested in, undecided students can become part of an academic community and learn more about the choices in that school from faculty, staff, and peers. For example, if a student knows they are interested in business, but they truly aren’t sure whether business administration, international business, or accounting is the right pathway for them, they would select an LAS1 pathway, which is the Liberal Arts code for the School of Business and Entrepreneurism.

That student would then work with their School Specialist to select courses that will give them a taste of the different programs they are most interested in, and generally count toward any one of the possible programs. After a semester as an LAS1 pathway student, this student should be able to select a pathway with confidence.

LAS to Tailor Coursework

If a student wishes to pursue an academic goal that doesn’t clearly align with one of MCC’s established program, they may select an LAS pathway for this reason. For instance, students who wish to pursue a degree at a four-year institution that does not align with an MCC program or articulation agreement may select an LAS pathway closest to their discipline of choice, then work closely with a Transfer Counselor or School Specialist to carefully tailor their coursework for the smoothest transfer to the four-year institution.

Commonly Confused Schools & Pathways

Navigating careers and major selections can be challenging for students. Sometimes, students will be in one School when they are actually pursuing a career that falls within a different School.

This chart shows common career interests organized by the School. As an advisor, it is important to help guide students to the correct pathway and School of Health Science and Physical Wellness versus the School of STEM. A good rule of thumb is, if the career requires post-baccalaureate study, the student would be best served in a School of STEM program.

There are also connections between the School of STEM and the School of Applied Sciences and Technologies. For example, sometimes students will select STEM when they are actually interested in a computer-related profession, which is housed in the School of Applied Sciences and Technologies. In general, most pathways in the School of STEM are more theoretical and are targeted toward transfer after MCC, whereas many pathways in the School of Applied Sciences and Technologies are more hands-on and targeted toward entering the workforce after MCC. For more information on which pathways are housed in which School at MCC, visit Listing of Schools and Pathways.

Social Work is another career choice with multiple pathway options. Students may reach this goal via Social Sciences & Global Studies (LAS5 pathway with a focus on Sociology), Community Engagement & Development (HU10 pathway), or HSPW (Health Studies – Clinical pathway). The advantage of the HU10 pathway is that this program includes field work experiences. If a new student is interested in Social Work, they are typically directed to HU10.

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