Middlesex Community College: MCC Offers Students A High-Quality And Affordable Education

Press release from the Middlesex Community College:

Caitlin Buckley

5/12/2021

Throughout the pandemic, Middlesex Community College has continued to offer high-quality and affordable education to its diverse population of students. Featuring a variety of flexible course options for the Fall 2021 semester – including in-person, online and hybrid courses – Middlesex helps students choose options that fit best into their schedules at a price they can afford.

MCC understands that in these challenging times, many students are facing financial struggles brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. To help students get an education and reach their goals, Middlesex has frozen tuition and fees for the Fall 2021 semester.

“Our students have had to face many challenges due to the pandemic that have prevented them from continuing on their academic paths,” said Dr. James C. Mabry, MCC’s President. “At Middlesex, we are doing all we can to make an education affordable and achievable, and freezing our tuition and fees is just one way of making this possible. Understanding that the college will play a key role in reviving the Massachusetts’ economy going forward, we will continue to educate well-prepared graduates.”

As the Fall 2021 semester approaches, MCC also has a plan in place to offer a variety of accessible instructional methods that will meet students where they are academically and based on their comfort level, according to Dr. Jennifer Bauer, MCC Communication Department Chair.

“Though this past year has been difficult for everyone, it has helped us revolutionize and expand our pedagogical approaches,” Dr. Bauer said. “We are so excited to be able to welcome students back on campus who want in-person instruction, while also maintaining a great range of hybrid and online courses for those who either aren’t comfortable coming back to campus or have found online is more convenient for them.”

MCC’s Fall 2021 semester will use six course delivery formats. Each format is specially assigned to courses depending on what works best for student learning and safety. These include Online and On-Campus Lecture, Online and On-Campus Lab, Lecture, Lecture and Lab, Online with Class Meeting Times, and Online with No Class Meeting Times.

In blended Online and On-Campus Lecture courses, classes combine on-campus and online instruction. Students in Online and On-Campus Lab courses, receive online instruction and attend on-campus labs. On-campus Lecture courses follow the traditional on-campus format of face-to-face classes, which meet weekly on campus with students and instructors. On-campus Lecture and Lab courses also use the traditional on-campus face-to-face course and lab format, which meet weekly on campus with students and instructors.

In Online with Class Meeting Times courses, the fully online class format with scheduled meeting days and times means students must be online during scheduled meeting times. Students in Online with No Class Meeting Times classes follow a fully online class format with no scheduled meeting days or times. Lectures, lessons and exercises are completed online, over the course of the semester.

Students coming to campus will be in a controlled setting, following MCC’s strict safety practices, including social distancing and mask wearing. Middlesex will continue following guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and Governor Baker to ensure that the MCC community remains healthy and safe when visiting the Bedford or Lowell campus.

The Fall 2021 semester begins on Wednesday, September 8. For more information and to register for classes, visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/registration/ or call 1-800-818-3434.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, MCC has been a proven leader in online education for more than 20 years. We educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners, offering more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!

This press release was produced by the Middlesex Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.