Grace Young, dean, Academic Support Services, Articulation and Transfer.

Northern Essex Community College is now offering a new degree, one that students can customize, based on their career goals.

The new general studies: individualized option degree will prepare students for transfer into programs that aren’t currently offered at Northern Essex from architectural design to plant and soil sciences to pre-vet.

“Students in this program will work one-on-one with an academic advisor to create their own associate degree,” said Grace Young, dean, Academic Support Services, Articulation and Transfer.   “They’ll take a combination of core transfer courses and courses specific to their own career and transfer goals and, after they graduate from Northern Essex, they can transfer into a bachelor’s degree in their program of choice.”

An interior design major, for example, would take English, math, science, social sciences, and other electives at Northern Essex along with art history, two and three dimensional design, drawing, CAD, and statistics courses.  After receiving a degree from Northern Essex, they can transfer to bachelor’s degree programs in Interior Design at colleges such as Mt. Ida or Endicott. 

This new degree will allow students to pursue degrees in Architectural Design, Exercise Physiology, Funeral Home Management/Directors, Plant and Soil Sciences, Communication Disorders, Fashion Design, Interior Design, and Pre-Veterinary, among others. 

“This program is perfect for students who know what they want and are interested in starting out at their local community college,” said Young.  “It’s a way of saving money without compromising goals.”

Anyone interested in NECC’s new associate degree in General Studies: Individualized Option can contact Young at gyoung@necc.mass.edu or 978 556-3449.