Degree Requirements

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Associate of Arts Degree (A.A.)

Programs leading to this degree provide students with continuous education, career mobility and full participation in community life. The Associate of Arts degree offers the equivalent of the first two years in a four-year Baccalaureate program. The program is consistent with the objectives to provide an educational background that is broad enough for the student to continue their education and training according to their and society’s changing needs and to provide an educational experience that ensures flexibility of occupational choice. It also serves students who plan on directly entering the workforce or enhancing their career mobility. The degree provides a planned sequence of arts and sciences courses that give students the core competency skills required by today’s businesses, as well as the ability to learn how to learn, thereby enhancing their ability to retrain for new and unanticipated application of knowledge and skills. The Associate of Arts Degree program requires a minimum of sixty (60) credits from the following distribution. Remedial and developmental work does not count toward degree completion.

Liberal Arts Core Requirements: Every AA degree program shall have a general education core consisting of a minimum of 37 credits in programspecific courses. Specific course requirements are defined by individual programs. The following categories must be included and have the minimum number of credits as listed:

  • English Composition 3-4 credits
  • English Electives 3 credits
  • Foreign Language / Humanities / Fine Arts 9 credits
  • Science (including one lab science) 7-8 credits
  • Quantitative Reasoning / Mathematics 6-8 credits
  • Social Science 9 credits

AND EITHER

  • Electives in Specialized Major Field 20-24 credits

or

  • Liberal Arts Electives (from list above) 12-15 credits

AND

  • Open Electives 9 credits

Totaling a minimum of 60 credits

Associate of Science Degree (A.S.)

The minimum number of credits for the Associate of Applied Science is 60. Remedial and developmental work does not count toward degree completion. The degree emphasizes specific outcomes designed to meet competencies required for direct entry into employment and to provide a basis for transfer, at a minimum, of the general education component of the curriculum.

The following categories must be included and have the minimum number of credits as listed:

  1. 30 credits from program or major specific courses
  2. 20 credits in Liberal Arts courses including a minimum of three credits in each of the following:
    • English Composition
    • Foreign Language / Humanities / Fine Arts
    • Quantitative Reasoning / Mathematics
    • Science
    • Social Science
      The remaining credits can be from Foreign Language / Humanities / Fine Arts, Quantitative Reasoning / Mathematics, Science or Social Science
  3. 10 credits as deemed appropriate by faculty.

A student may be automatically awarded a credential if all criteria is met.

Associate of Applied Science Degree (A.A.S.)

Although Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree programs are designed for direct entry into the workforce, they cannot be considered terminal. In addition to the necessity for lifelong learning due to rapidly changing technologies, students can expect to make several career changes during their lifetime. A.A.S. programs do not have a directly related occupational-specific curriculum upperdivision component. It should be noted, however, that some bachelor’s degree institutions have developed upper-division programs to recognize this degree for transfer purposes.

The following categories must be included and have the minimum number of credits as listed:

  1. 30 credits from program or major specific courses
    • 15 credits in Liberal Arts courses including a minimum of three credits in each of the following:
    • English Composition
    • Foreign Language / Humanities / Fine Arts or Mathematics
    • Science
    • Social Science

The remaining 15 credits to reach the required minimum total of 60 credits may be assigned in any subject area, as deemed by the faculty to be appropriate to the curriculum.

Dual Associate Degrees

Students may earn additional associate degrees either by concurrent completion of the requirements of the several degrees or by subsequent study after the first degree is received. The requirements for earning additional degrees are as follows:

  1. Complete all requirements of each program of study, including general education requirements not in common with the additional program(s)
  2. Earn a minimum of fifteen (15) additional credits at the college, beyond those required for the first and subsequent degrees, excluding Credit by Examination, Credit for Experiential Learning, College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and Transfer Credit

Professional Certificate Requirements

To earn Diploma or Professional Certificate from any CCSNH college, a student must:

  • Successfully complete at least thirty (30) credits in college-level coursework designed to meet defined competencies in an occupational field (excluding remedial or developmental coursework/credits – i.e., those identified as being “for institutional credit only”); the thirty (30) credits must include ten (10) credits of general education coursework.
  • Earn at least eight (8) credits or 25% of total program credits, whichever is larger, in coursework offered by and under the control of the college awarding the degree.
  • Achieve a Cumulative Grade Point Average (cGPA) of 2.0 or higher in all courses in the Diploma or Professional Certificate program (only) taken at the college awarding the degree.

Certificate

To earn a Certificate from any CCSNH college, a student must:
     a. Successfully complete all program credits in college-level coursework
     designed to meet defined competencies in an occupational field (excluding
     remedial or developmental coursework/credits – i.e., those identified as being
     “for institutional credit only”).
     b. Earn at least six (6) credits or 25% of total program credits, whichever is larger,
     in coursework offered by and under the control of the college awarding the
     degree;
     c. Achieve a Cumulative Grade Point Average (cGPA) of 2.0 or higher in all
     courses in the Certificate program (only) taken at the college awarding the
     degree.
Colleges reserve the right to automatic conferral of certificate programs.

Micro-Credentials

CCSNH adopts the UNESCO definition of a micro-credential.

  1. A micro-credential:
    • Is a record of focused learning achievement verifying what the learner knows, understands or can do;
    • Includes assessment based on clearly defined standards and is awarded by a trusted provider;
    • Has stand-alone value and may also contribute to or complement other micro-credentials or macro-credentials, including through recognition of prior learning; and meets the standards required by relevant quality assurance.
  2. To earn a micro-credential from an CCSNH college, a student must successfully complete the program of study published and adopted by the granting institution.

Directed Study

Under certain circumstances, a matriculated student may take a course in a semester when the course is not offered. A directed study allows a matriculated student to pursue the learning objectives/outcomes for a course independently under the guidance of a qualified faculty member. A matriculated student must have a minimum CGPA of 2.0 to be eligible.

The student must provide compelling reasons why the course could not be taken in a subsequent semester or was not taken in the semester when it was originally offered. Barring exceptional circumstances, a directed study will not be granted for a course currently offered.

Independent Study

Opportunities for credit-bearing Independent Study (IS) are available to matriculated students to explore areas of a discipline not covered in the normal curriculum but related to the student’s program. IS is not available to nonmatriculated students. Students must have a minimum CGPA of 2.0 to be eligible. The intent of the IS is to expand a student’s learning experience beyond the normal program curriculum. Typically undertaken for 1-2 credits, an IS may not be done in lieu of any course in MCC’s catalog.

Residency Requirement

To establish residency at Manchester Community College, the following is required:

  • For an associate degree, a minimum of 16 semester credits must be completed through MCC. At least eight credits must be taken in advanced level courses in the student’s major. Advanced courses carry a course number of 200 or higher. Students may not test out of courses in order to fulfill their residency requirement.
  • For a Professional Certificate, a student must complete at least nine credits or 25% of the credits, whichever is larger, required for the Professional Certificate at MCC.
  • For a Certificate, a student must complete at least six credits or 25% of the credits, whichever is larger, required for the Certificate at MCC.

Changing Course Requirements

MCC is constantly reviewing and upgrading the content of programs to ensure that each graduate receives adequate knowledge and training to perform competently in a chosen technical field. To accomplish this, the college reserves the right to modify course requirements based on its educational and professional objectives and the needs of its students.