Lower-Division Courses (100-200-Level)
All of the college level courses MCC offers are considered lower-division courses. Lower-division courses generally focus on foundational theories, concepts, perspectives, principles, methods, and procedures of critical thinking in order to provide a broad basis for more advanced courses. The primary intent of lower-division coursework is to equip students with the general education needed for advanced study, to expose students to the breadth of different fields of study, and to provide a foundation for specialized upper-division coursework in professional fields. Such courses have one or more of the following four purposes:
- To acquaint students with the breadth of (inter) disciplinary fields in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, and to the historical and contemporary assumptions and practices of professional fields.
- To introduce essential skills of literacy (e.g., information gathering, reading, and writing), language, (e.g., oral communication, language, and culture other than English), numeracy, and sciences to prepare for continuing work in any field of higher education.
- To develop specific occupational skills designed to lead directly to employment based on a two-year program of study.
- To lay the foundation for upper-division coursework and to begin development of analytical thinking and theoretical application.
- Upper-division courses are specialized, in-depth, and advanced, and emphasize problem-solving, analytical thinking skills, and theoretical applications. These courses often build on the foundation provided by the skills and knowledge of lower-division education. Upper-division courses may require the student to synthesize topics from a variety of sources. Upper-division courses may also require greater responsibility, or independence on the part of the student.
Supporting Information: Ad Hoc Committee on Upper/Lower-Division Course Criteria Approved by APASC, January 1998; Confirmed by MCC Curriculum Committee, December 2012.
Pre-College Studies
The Pre-College Studies program offers several opportunities for students including Adult Basic Education (ABE), General Education Development (GED), English Language Acquisition (ELA), and Transitional Studies (TRE/TRM) courses. For additional information, see Pre-College Studies and/or call MCC Connect .
Special Topics Courses (099, 199, 299)
Courses that allow for pilot testing and special topics at the zero, 100, 200 levels as well as workshops or seminars designed to enhance, upgrade, retrain, or meet educational or professional skills. These courses will remain active for four academic semesters (fall/spring semesters only). Special topics courses may not be as transfer friendly as other courses; acceptance of a special topics course is determined by the receiving institution.
Zero-Level Courses
Zero-level courses are pass/fail (S/U) graded courses and are not intended for college transfer. They do not count toward degree or certificate requirements and are not part of the grade point average calculation. However, zero-level courses may be required prior to enrollment into a course(s) needed for graduation. This would be determined by assessment testing and degree/certificate requirements.
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Course Descriptions
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