Degree Requirements

Students who matriculated at Cape Cod Community College follow the requirements in the catalog under which they originally matriculated.

Cape Cod Community College is authorized to award the Associate in Arts, Associate in Applied Science, and Associate in Science degrees. Degree requirements and academic standards, subject to modification, apply to all students.

Associate in Arts Degrees

The Associate in Arts degree is designed for students planning to transfer to a Baccalaureate (4-year) institution. Use the information that follows along with guidance from your advisor, and college or university catalogs and/or web sites to plan your curriculum at Cape Cod Community College.

Associate in Arts Degree Requirements
For the Associate in Arts degree the student must:

Have a minimum cumulative average of 2.0,
Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 60 credit hours, at least 24 of which must be earned from Cape Cod Community College, excluding developmental education courses,

Select 35 general education credits as follows:

ENL101 English Composition I	3 credits
ENL102 English Composition II	3 credits
Humanities and Fine Arts	9 credits
Behavioral and Social Sciences	9 credits
Natural or Physical Science	8 credits
Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning	3 credits
Total Credits	35

Refer to General Education courses.

Select the remaining 25 credits as required in the student's concentration.

Please note the following:

Students who are recommended to enroll in developmental courses in reading, writing, or mathematics should do so during their first semester.
Students should complete ENL101, ENL102 and any mathematics requirements within the first 30 credits since communication and quantitative skills are essential for success in many college courses.
All students graduating with an Associates in Arts degree automatically satisfy MassTransfer. An associate degree is MassTransfer eligible when the curriculum includes the MassTransfer block.

Your academic advisor can assist you in selecting a program that meets your career and educational goals. If you do not have an academic advisor, please contact the Advising and Counseling Center.

Students required to take developmental coursework may need an additional semester(s) to complete their degree requirements.

Students must apply for graduation at the beginning of their final semester at 4Cs. See your academic advisor to complete the form.

Any student taking online courses or courses with online components is responsible for having reliable access to both the Internet and a computer running Chrome or Firefox. Please visit Online & Blended Learning for more information detailing online course requirements.

The Associate in Arts degree is MassTransfer eligible. Students who plan to transfer to a particular college should consult with a Cape Cod Community College transfer advisor, the receiving institution's office of admissions, the relevant college catalog, and plan on the appropriate course of study.

Associate in Applied Science

The Associate of Applied Science Degree programs provides students with course work in general education and a curriculum preparing graduates to seek careers in highly technical fields immediately upon graduation in areas such as aviation maintenance.

The Associate in Applied Science programs are intended to prepare people for employment and thus a majority of the coursework involved may be directly related to occupational skills (Board of Regents of Higher Education Final Report: The Undergraduate Experience, 1989, page 17).

Associate in Applied Science Degree Requirements
For the Associate in Applied Science degree the student must:

Have a minimum cumulative average of 2.0,
Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 60 credit hours, at least 24 of which must be earned from Cape Cod Community College, excluding developmental education courses,

Select 20 general education credits as follows:

ENL101 English Composition I	3 credits
Humanities and Fine Arts	3 credits
Behavioral and Social Sciences	3 credits
Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning (or) Natural or Physical Science	3/4 credits
General Education Elective	7/8 credits
Total Credits	20

Refer to General Education courses.

Complete the professional education credits required by a particular program as outlined in this catalog.

Each Associate in Applied Science program has specific course requirements listed on the program pages.

To graduate with an Associate in Applied Science degree, a student must follow the curriculum as they appear in the program pages. To graduate, all of those courses must be taken although not necessarily in the order listed. Many of these courses have prerequisites, and some courses are not offered each semester.

Your academic advisor can assist in the scheduling of your classes. If you do not have an academic advisor, please contact the Director of Advising and Counseling Services.

Students who are interested in continuing their education at the baccalaureate level can refer to the list of articulations and are encouraged to speak to their advisor, the 4Cs transfer advisor, the receiving institution’s office of admissions, and/or relevant college catalogs or web sites.

Students must apply for graduation at the beginning of their final semester at 4Cs. See your academic advisor to complete the form.

Associate in Science Degrees

The Associate in Science programs provide students with general education and professional skills coursework to enter the workforce in their chosen profession. The Business Administration and Early Childhood Education-Transfer Compact Programs are also designed for transfer.

Associate in Science Degree Requirements
For the Associate in Science degree the student must:

Have a minimum cumulative average of 2.0,
Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 60 credit hours, at least 24 of which must be earned from Cape Cod Community College, excluding developmental education courses,

Select 21–23 general education credits as follows:

ENL101 English Composition I	3 credits
Humanities and Fine Arts*	3 credits
Behavioral and Social Sciences	6 credits
Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning (or) Natural or Physical Science	6–8 credits
General Education	3 credits
Total Credits	21–23

Refer to General Education courses.

Complete 37–39+ professional education credits required by a particular program.

*Programs will, in most cases, include both ENL102 and COM103 resulting in a minimum of 24 General Education credits.

Each Associate in Science program has specific course requirements. To graduate with an Associate in Science degree, a student must follow the curriculum as they appear in the Program. To graduate, all of those courses must be taken although not necessarily in the order listed. Many of these courses have prerequisites, and some courses are not offered each semester.

Your academic advisor can assist in the scheduling of your classes. If you do not have an academic advisor, please contact the Director of Advising and Counseling Services.

Students who are interested in continuing their education at the baccalaureate level can refer to the list of articulations and are encouraged to speak to their advisor, the 4Cs transfer advisor, the receiving institution's office of admissions, and/or relevant college catalogs or web sites.

Students must apply for graduation at the beginning of their final semester at 4Cs. See your academic advisor to complete the form.

Prerequisites

Cape Cod Community College is committed to students’ academic success. Prerequisite courses are established to assure students have the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed in a course. Students are required to complete (or be currently enrolled in) prerequisites prior to registering for the next level course.

Integrity of Credit

A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally and contractually established equivalency which reasonably (is) not less than:

One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
At least an equivalent amount of work as required for other activities, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading toward the award of credit hours.

Explanation
For example:

1-credit course = 50 (50 minute hour) minutes/week in direct contact with learning activities and an additional 100 (50 minute hour) minutes in additional course related work each week for 15 weeks.
3-credit course = 150 (50 minute hour) minutes/week in direct contact with learning activities and an additional 300 minutes in additional course related work each week for 15 weeks.
4-credit course = 200 (50 minute hour) minutes/week in direct contact with learning activities and an additional 400 minutes in additional course related work each week for 15 weeks

Transfer to Cape Cod Community College

The College will consider and accept credits, subject to its standards, from other accredited institutions. Refer to Transfer to 4Cs.

Intent to Graduate

All students must file a Declaration of Intent to Graduate form with the Registrar by the priority date of the semester in which they expect to complete their requirements.

To graduate in May, the priority date to submit the Request for Graduation form is February 1.
The priority date for August graduation is June 1.
The priority date for January graduation is October 1.

It is the responsibility of the student to originate this request and failure to do so may delay his or her graduation. The responsibility for satisfying requirements rests with the student.

The graduation requirements have been established to enable the graduate of Cape Cod Community College to lead a productive and satisfying life, to function in and contribute to society, and to possess those abilities necessary for further personal and career development. In addition to specific content knowledge, communication skills, critical and creative thinking skills, ethical and civic engagement practices, multicultural and global awareness, quantitative and computational skills, and technological literacy have been integrated throughout the curriculum. Students must complete the requirements as stated in the Associate in Arts, Associate in Applied Science or Associate in Science Degree Requirements.

Second Associate Degree Policy

A second Associate degree shall be awarded to students who have:

Met all specific degree requirements of the program from which a second Associate degree will be granted. (Note: Only one Associate in Arts degree may be earned and in the Associate in Science degrees with multiple concentrations, the student can complete the requirements for only one concentration.)
Completed the specific courses, as identified and approved by the appropriate individual or committee and at the institutional level, needed to complete the second degree.
Completed a minimum of fifteen (15) credit hours beyond the first degree requirements. In no case (other than this 15-hour minimum) should it be mandatory for the student to take more credit hours than necessary to meet the requirements of a second degree.