Messina College
Messina College is the newest undergraduate college of the University. It offers Associate's degrees in four majors that prepare students for specialized careers in education, business, health, and STEM fields. Students are also well-positioned after earning their Associate’s degree to pursue bachelor’s degree studies either at Boston College or another 4-year institution.
Career discernment and preparation are built into the Messina curriculum. At Messina College a student's program consists of a First-Year Discovery Seminar, required Core courses, intensive study in a major field, and an internship (or clinical rotations for Health Science majors) with a 3-credit internship seminar course.
Messina College provides its students with a strong foundation in a Jesuit liberal arts education, along with the major skills required to succeed in either direct entry into the workforce or to pursue additional higher education.
Core
The Messina College Core consists of a subset of the University Core required of all BC four-year undergraduate students. Messina’s Core provides introductory exposure to the various disciplines that define a liberally educated individual in today's world. All Messina students must complete Core requirements in the Arts, Cultural Diversity, History, Literature, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Philosophy, Social Sciences, Theology, and Writing. The Theology and Philosophy course has a service component that helps students apply and integrate these disciplines into a student's own intellectual discovery. By completing 11–12 of the BC Core requirements, grade-eligible Messina students are well-positioned to enter their 3rd year at Boston College and complete their remaining Core courses within the next two years. If students decide to pursue a bachelor's degree at a peer institution, Core courses often align with the general education requirements at other 4-year schools.
Major
All students at Messina College must select a major field of study from one of the four majors offered in the college. These majors align with coursework in Boston College’s four bachelor’s degree schools:
- Applied Data Science: Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences
- Applied Psychology and Human Development: Lynch School of Education and Human Development
- General Business: Carroll School of Management
- Health Sciences: Connell School of Nursing
Academic work in the major includes experiential learning opportunities to enable students to directly apply their coursework to career exploration. Courses are designed to develop critical and analytical thinking, professional and presentational skills, and an appreciation for the complexity of an area of study beyond the introductory level. A major generally consists of at least 18 credits in a field. Some of these are sequentially organized required courses. A list of the required courses for each major is available on the Majors page. While most of the courses are taught on the Brookline campus, Messina students in their second year of the program will attend at least one major course per semester with peers on the Chestnut Hill campus to ensure that Messina students benefit from interaction with the faculty and students in BC's other undergraduate schools and colleges.
Program Requirements
To graduate from Messina College, students must take at least 60 credits over four semesters and two summer sessions. Summer sessions are required for all Messina College students.
The requirements for the program include:
- 36 credits in the Core Curriculum
- At least 18 credits in a major concentration
- An internship
- A public speaking course
- A first-year seminar
Students who complete all requirements with at least a cumulative 3.4 grade-point average will be eligible for an internal transfer to one of the four-year undergraduate day schools or colleges at Boston College.
Internships
Internships, or clinical rotations for students studying Health Sciences, will take place during the fall semester of students’ second year. Students will simultaneously take a 3-credit seminar course to help them connect their internship experience to their academic and professional goals, and reflect on and articulate the professional skills they are gaining.
In addition to the accompanying course, students will work closely with a Boston College Career Center coach throughout the internship process. The Career Center coach will help students prepare for their internship experience, navigate any challenges, and serve as a resource for on-site internship supervisors.
Academic Regulations
Satisfactory Academic Progress and Credit Deficiencies
Students should average 12 credits per semester in fall and spring, and 6 credits each summer, with a target of completing 30 credits in the academic year. In a student's first year, the fall semester is based on 9–11 credit hours, depending on the program of study.
Given Messina College's cohort-based model, students are not permitted to overload.
To remain in good standing at Messina College, you must maintain a cumulative GPA of 1.667 or higher. Students who receive below a 2.0 GPA in a semester will be required to meet with the Associate Dean and make a plan for satisfactory academic progress.
If a student falls below the 1.667 GPA requirement, they will be academically withdrawn from the College beginning the semester immediately following the one in which the student failed to meet the requirement.
Messina College Academic Probation and Dismissal
Students who are academically withdrawn from Messina College will have the option to submit an appeal in writing to the Dean.
If the appeal is granted and the student is reinstated, they will be placed on academic probation for one semester. Students on academic probation must demonstrate their ability to continue by successfully completing at least 6 credits in graded courses during the probationary semester (i.e., you can't have any Incompletes or missing grades) and achieve a GPA of at least 2.0 (equivalent grades of C) for those 6 credits.
A plan for making up the deficient credits will be created with the Associate Dean.
Probationary semesters may count as an extra semester to make up courses and not as a regular semester (one of the required semesters at Messina College). As a result, students on probation may have their graduation date pushed back by one semester.
If students fail to meet the terms of probation, they will be academically withdrawn from Messina College. Probation will not be extended to a second consecutive semester. Students may not have more than two probationary semesters in total.
Grade Grievances
Grade changes are normally only made in the case of a clerical error. If a student wishes to file a formal appeal of a course grade, the request should be made no later than the sixth week of the following semester. In making a formal appeal, a student files a written statement with the Dean. The Dean will then request written responses from both the instructor and the Associate Dean and submit the case to the Educational Policy Committee. The committee will review the case thoroughly and make a recommendation on the resolution to the Dean. The Dean's decision will be final.
Students are strongly encouraged to work with their instructors before beginning this formal process and should reflect on the merits of the case.
Retaking a Course
Students who fail to complete the intended credits per semester will incur credit deficiencies and may be required to make up credits before being allowed to continue at Messina College. To make up for a credit deficiency, students may take summer courses offered at Boston College.
Students can take summer courses to make up for a past failure or withdrawal. Students can take a maximum of two courses per summer. Students must earn a passing grade (i.e., D-) on a summer course to receive course credit.
Students must take summer courses offered by one of the Undergraduate day schools (Morrissey, Connell, Lynch, Carroll) in order to make up for a failed or withdrawn course. Online courses from one of these schools are accepted. The Dean or Associate Dean of Messina College must pre-approve summer retakes to ensure alignment with a student’s program of study.
If a student wishes to retake a course at another institution, that course must be pre-approved by the Dean.
Internal Transfer
Students at Messina College with a 3.4 GPA can make an internal transfer into any of the Undergraduate Day schools with the approval of both the Dean of Messina College and the receiving Undergraduate Day school deans. Eligibility for transfer does not guarantee admission into all programs of study. In some cases, students will need to apply for admission into a particular program (i.e., Connell School of Nursing) due to capacity limitations.
Time to Complete a Degree
Messina College follows a cohort model for its programs of study. If a student falls outside of their cohort due to medical or personal circumstances, such as an approved leave of absence, the Associate Dean will outline a course of study for completion when possible. Housing, however, cannot be guaranteed outside of the student's intended graduation cohort.
A student who is unable to complete a program of study in a timely manner (not to exceed three years) despite a revised program of study as outlined by the Dean's Office may be asked to withdraw from the program and advised to transfer to another degree program in the Woods College of Advancing Studies or to an external institution.