Graduation Policies

Commencement
Formal commencement (graduation) ceremonies are conducted once a year in late May or early June. Specific Commencement details are announced each spring.

Commencement Honors
Commencement Honors are awarded to students who have completed degree or certificate requirements with a cumulative college-Level GPA of 3.30 or higher according to the following scale:
3.30 - 3.69 qualifies a student to graduate cum laude
3.70 - 3.89 qualifies a student to graduate magna cum laude
3.90 - 4.00 qualifies a student to graduate summa cum laude
In addition, those graduating with honors are required to have earned at least 50% of their required credits in residence at North Shore Community College. Grades of ‘FN’ will be calculated into the College-Level GPA for purposes of determining honors eligibility.

Graduation Requirements
The above associate degree and/or certificate requirements must be met and students must demonstrate proficiency in communications and mathematics in order to graduate. A graduation application form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar in advance. This should be done after the completion of 45 college level credit hours for degrees, or 50% of the required college level credits for certificates. Forms are available in the Student Support and Advising Centers.

Program Requirements
Students are judged for graduation on any set of active program requirements that were in effect at the time of or subsequent to their matriculation during the pursuit of their degree or certificate; whichever set best facilitates their graduation. The review is based on the completion of courses aligned to the student’s degree audit report.

In all programs, career and transfer, students should follow their program’s guided pathway sheet as closely as possible. These documents are listed on your academic program’s web page. Students are advised to complete those courses in the order they are listed, so that prerequisites for advanced courses are met prior to registration. If questions exist, students can always check with their academic Pathway advisor, an academic counselor in the Student Support and Advising Center, an enrollment center staff member or a faculty advisor before registering for a course.

Degrees Granted
Students who successfully complete the requirements for the Liberal Arts (transfer) curricula are awarded the Associate in Arts degree. Successful completion of certain transfer degree programs in the technical and mathematical curriculum results in the awarding of the Associate in Science degree. Successful completion of two-year career programs results in either the Associate in Science degree or the Associate in Applied Science degree. Successful completion of a one-year program results in a Certificate. NSCC offers many stackable certificates on route to earning the associate degree. Stackable certificates are recommended to be awarded at least prior to the term before the student anticipates completing their degree. Students will not be awarded certificates and degrees for the same program in the same semester. Students may be awarded multiple credentials in the same semester if the course content of the credentials is substantially different.

Certificates
A certificate is earned after completion of a series of courses in a particular occupational subject, typically between 24- 30 credits. Students often earn certificates to get a step ahead in the professional field of their interest, and these certificates are often the first step of achieving key incremental skill sets on route to earning a degree. Certificates that are 24-29 credits in length require a minimum of 3 general education credits. Meanwhile, certificates that are 30 credits or more in length require a minimum of 6 general education credits.

Associate degrees
Associate degrees are undergraduate degrees that can be completed in two years and require students to complete a minimum of 60 semester credit hours. There are two general categories of associate degrees: transfer and occupational.

Associate of Arts
The Associate of Arts degree is granted to a student who completes the Liberal Studies program and is intended to be a transfer degree. The degree requires a minimum of 34 general education credits and is aligned to the core requirements of the MassTransfer Block.

Associate of Applied Science
The Associate of Applied Science degree is an occupational degree intended to lead to employment in a technical field and is typically a terminal degree. The degree requires a minimum of 16 general education credits. Often times technical programs leading to an AAS degrees do have the ability to earn a “stackable credential or certificate” on route to completing the associate degree.

Associate of Science
The Associate of Science degree is also a transfer degree typically granted in science and math fields. The degree requires a minimum of 20 general education credits.

Associate Degree Requirements
To be eligible for a degree, a student must have: earned at least 60 hours of credit with Cumulative College Level Grade Point Average (CCLGPA) of 2.00 or higher; completed at least 25% of program coursework at North Shore; fulfilled all requirements in the applicable active program (including specific grading requirements); met all other College requirements, including achieving communication and mathematics proficiency and general education requirements.

Certificate Requirements
To be eligible for a certificate, a student must achieve communication and mathematics proficiency and complete all course requirements, including general education requirements with a Cumulative College Level Grade Point Average (CCLGPA) of 2.00 or higher. At least 25% of the college-level coursework must be completed at North Shore Community College.

Reverse Transfer Policy
Students who are close to graduation with an NSCC Associate’s degree, but choose to leave prior to earning that degree, may participate in the MassTransfer Reverse Transfer program.

Degree and Certificate Conferral Processing & Credential Disbursement
Degree and certificate conferral processing takes place on the following schedule:

Fall Semester First Friday in January; conferral date is final day of Fall classes
Spring Semester Thursday before Memorial Day; conferral date is Commencement
Summer Semester Last Friday in August; conferral date is final day of Summer classes

For students in special cohorts not earning credentials on the above schedule, processing takes place on an appropriate date determined by the Registrar.

All earned credentials are distributed by mail.