This section contains descriptions of the College’s approved credit courses. Developmental courses use numbers below 100 and will not be used to fulfill associate degree or certificate requirements and grades earned from developmental course will not be used in calculating grade point average; introductory level and first-year courses use numbers 100-199; intermediate level and advanced level courses use numbers 200-299.

In accordance with NECHE standard 4.35, GCC "offers required and elective courses as described in publicly available print and digital formats with sufficient availability to provide students with the opportunity to graduate within the published program length." GCC will make every effort to adhere to the periodicity listed within the catalog. However, each semester's offerings will be scheduled in accordance with enrollment trends and students' needs in mind. If a course offering is not able to be run within the periodicity listed, students' advisors will work with them to make appropriate adaptations to their programs in order to keep them on track. GCC is constantly updating and improving programs to meet students' needs and help them achieve their degree goals.

NOTE: The College does not offer all courses every semester. The course descriptions indicate how often a course is offered, for example: every fall, every other summer, spring in odd numbered years, periodically. Work with your advisor to map out the semester-by-semester plan for program completion. Visit gcc.mass.edu/schedule to determine whether a course labeled periodic is offered in a given term.

Course contact time is established in compliance with the federal definition in NECHE’s Policy on Credits and Degrees. NECHE has adopted the federal definition of a credit hour: an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is consistent with commonly accepted practice in postsecondary education and that reasonably approximates not less than

1. 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 trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
2. At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

In determining the amount of work associated with a credit hour, the institution may take into account a variety of delivery methods, measurements of student work, academic calendars, disciplines, and degree levels.