The Schools@MCC

At Monroe Community College, students have access to seven Schools or clusters of academic programs. Each School offers a variety of programs from which students can choose. The purpose of the Schools at MCC is to provide clear pathways to every student so they know they are on track to completing college and achieving their goals and dreams.

Key Terms

School: MCC academic programs are clustered into related interest groups or Schools. Each School provides students with an academic home and allows for purposeful outreach and strategic support.

School Specialists: School Specialists are staff members who assist faculty and staff and respond to student needs. The School Specialist maintains the School’s “home office” and provides School-specific programming and advisement. One specialist is assigned to each School. Students can contact their School Specialist if they have questions about their School or Pathway. The Specialists connect students to appropriate resources around the College.

Pathway: Refers to a student’s intended program. The pathway you choose will determine which of the 7 Schools @ MCC you are matched with.

Program: MCC academic programs refer to the requirements leading to a specific degree or certificate. MCC offers over 100 degree and certificate programs.

Major: Your major is the academic discipline you commit to as an undergraduate student, or an area you specialize in, such as accounting, chemistry, criminology, archaeology, digital arts, or dance, each major contains core courses and electives. When you applied to Monroe Community College you selected a major, and that major belongs to one of the seven Schools at MCC.

During your first semester, you’ll want to check the major listed in your Degree Works to be sure it is correct. Then you’ll want to take some time to map out the classes needed to complete the major. Information about how to do those important tasks is offered later in this chapter.

Your major is important because it’s a defining and organizing feature of your academic career. Ultimately, your major should provide you with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors you need to fulfill your college goals and objectives When you successfully complete the required courses in your major, you qualify for a degree.

Liberal Arts Majors

The purpose of a Liberal Arts degree is to ensure that students receive a well-rounded education. Liberal Arts coursework provides students with skills and knowledge that cut across all majors, such as written and oral communication, ethical decision-making, and critical thinking, which are necessary for all careers.

There are several reasons students choose Liberal Arts as a major, including to explore a variety of disciplines and/or to transfer to a 4-year institution. If a student’s ultimate career goal is not offered at MCC—pharmacy or forestry for example—then a focused liberal arts track in one of MCC’s Schools is an appropriate major for them. Liberal Arts options are available for each of the seven Schools.

Sometimes students don’t place at the mathematics or English level required for immediate admittance into their desired major, but their School and pathway are recorded so they can make progress towards their desired degree. These students may temporarily be placed in a Liberal Arts track until they complete the necessary coursework for entrance into their desired degree program.

How to Select Your College Major (if you haven’t already)

Some students have difficulty declaring a major, so MCC offers two short-term options: undeclared and undecided. An undecided student has chosen a School but has not yet decided upon a program within that School; an undeclared student has not chosen a School. Students are strongly encouraged to declare their major as soon as possible, and assistance is available to help them do so before they complete their first 15 hours of coursework.

Selecting your major is one of the most exciting tasks you are asked to perform in college. Although many decisions are tied to choosing a major, if you have good guidance, patience, and enthusiasm, the process is easier.

The video below offers the following five tips to assist students with that process:

1. Seek inspiration
2. Consider everything
3. Identify talents and interests
4. Explore available resources
5. Investigate career options

https://youtu.be/8I_Qw2NfSq0

Career Development (CDL) Courses

MCC offers Career Development, or CDL, courses for undeclared and undecided students, as well as those who are still unsure of their career pathways even after taking a college success course and following the steps described throughout this chapter. Additional inventories designed to help you choose your major are offered in Chapter 4 Activities. If you’re still unsure about choosing a major after taking them, a CDL course may be an appropriate next step.

ROAD MAP TO SUCCESS

As mentioned above, one of the purposes of Schools@MCC is to help students get on an academic path that is appropriate for them and to support them to stay on that path until they complete their course of study. The following guide provides a road map for students to help them identify important benchmarks to achieve along their path to graduation:

During your first semester . . .

• Connect with your assigned faculty advisor
• Reaffirm your PATHWAY in DegreeWorks
• Review your semester-by-semester course plan in DegreeWorks
• Explore career and transfer plans
• Connect to academic, financial, and personal resources
• Read the Daily Tribune every day (in your MyMCC portal https://mymonroecc.edu)
• Check your MCC email often
• Watch for early alert messages through Starfish (in your MyMCC portal https://mymonroecc.edu)
• Join a student club
• Attend FYE events
• Attend a Schools event (listed in your MyMCC portal https://mymonroecc.edu)
• Register for the next semester

During every subsequent semester . . .

• Connect with your assigned faculty advisor
• Reaffirm your PATHWAY in DegreeWorks
• Review your semester-by-semester course plan and track your progress in DegreeWorks
• Refine graduation, transfer, and career plans
• Continue to connect to academic, financial, and personal resources
• Attend Schools and campus events
• Consider leadership in a student club or student government organization
• Update your resume and attend a workshop event in the Career Services Office