Degree & Certificate Programs
ASSOCIATE IN SCIENCE
ASSOCIATE IN ARTS
*TSEP: Technical Service Education Program
DEGREE PROGRAMS: ASSOCIATE IN SCIENCE
This program offers students the opportunity to explore a variety of interests and choices while completing a broad background of study through MassBay’s core science and advanced technology competencies.
General Studies: Bioinformatics
General Studies: Lab Animal Care
Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary science that includes calculus, biological sciences-based courses complemented by computer science and programming courses. Graduates of the program are very versatile and knowledgeable in acquiring scientific results, computational approaches, and applying such information.
The Bioinformatics program prepares students for 21st century science and beyond. Graduates are prepared to enter the rapidly growing field of bioinformatics as technicians in biotechnology companies, the pharmaceutical sector, research facilities, and academic institutions. Courses are designed to accommodate students seeking to enter the workforce or to transfer to four-year institutions upon completion of their degree. This program involves traditional teaching methods and research-based courses that enhance students' academic experience.
Upon successful completion, the Associate in Science Degree in General Studies with a concentration in Bioinformatics is awarded.
This program teaches students techniques and training required to care for animals used in all aspects of biomedical and biological research. It offers scientific lessons and hands-on experience in the field of Lab Animal Care through academic and research-based study. Courses are taught in our state-of-the-art laboratories, and in off-campus veterinary clinics that further enhance students' experience.
The Massachusetts Society for Medical Research estimates biomedical and biological research to be a $3.6 billion a year industry. Graduates of this program are prepared to enter this growing field as technicians in Lab Animal Care, supporting scientists and other specialists in their research facility.
Upon successful completion, the Associate in Science Degree in General Studies with a concentration in Lab Animal Care is awarded.
This program prepares students for transfer to a four-year institution so they may pursue a baccalaureate degree in computer science. Students learn object-oriented and modular programming techniques, including the use, design, and analysis of data structures and associated algorithms. Students practice developing larger applications and study computer architecture and operating systems.
Computer Information Systems
This program is designed to prepare students for employment in the computer information industry or to transfer and pursue a baccalaureate degree in computer information or any related field. Computer courses give students a sound background in computer programming, data modeling and database design, computer networks, web design and development, accounting, and financial skills.
Information Systems Technology and Management
In the Information Systems Technology and Management Program, students acquire the skills to solve information and management problems using computer hardware and software. Computer courses give students a sound background in Windows, database design, computer networks, web page design, and various software applications. Second-year courses will also provide a strong emphasis on business and management-related applications; students will participate in an internship during their second year.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
This comprehensive program provides an overview of the electrical and computer engineering field. Students will explore such areas as computer hardware, digital electronics, computer science, and engineering.
Enhance your interest in the math and science fields by pursuing a career in engineering. Our core curriculum emphasizes mathematics, physics, and chemistry, the foundation of all engineering projects. Your studies will be complemented with courses in engineering design, engineering mechanics, and engineering physics.
Designers translate the ideas, sketches, and specifications of engineers into workable plans and models. Students will develop skills and techniques by using the most modern equipment and software, such as AutoCAD®, Pro/ENGINEER®, SolidWorks®, and MS Project®. Instruction is given in mechanical, electrical, electro-mechanical, architectural, and multimedia design. Students will use the acquired computer and manual drafting skills from various courses to complete projects in the areas of their interest. Graduates may seek positions as detailers/designers/schedulers.
Get the foundation you’ll need to enter the exciting field of electronics technology. You’ll gain expertise in electronics, electrical and electronics design (CAD), computer science, digital electronics, digital computer systems, printed circuit design, and semi-conductor devices. With a strong commitment to hands-on training, the program will prepare you for entry-level positions in the high-tech industry.
Mechanical engineers are active in all engineering functions of a product, including creative design, research and development, production and management. Energy, airplanes, automobiles, space vehicles, machinery, earth-moving equipment, and medical hardware are but a few examples of the infinite number of products that mechanical engineers have produced through their use of the basic laws of physical sciences.
The Biotechnology (BT) Program at MassBay is internationally renowned and one of this nation’s most celebrated undergraduate science programs. This research-based and peer mentoring-intensive program was designed specifically for nontraditional students and uses highly relevant, hands-on instruction and unique internship experiences to confer a scientific prowess on students that is extensive in both depth and breadth. Its structure is that of a miniaturized doctoral curriculum and thus is unique among American undergraduate institutions. The Biotech program is exceedingly rigorous. Biotech students are trained through a research project (called the Grand Project) in which they investigate the genetic basis of prostate- and breast cancer in collaboration with a national consortium of investigators in oncology. MassBay’s Biotech students are considered scientific elite by the federal government and the BT industry worldwide and. For example, since its inception the Biotech Program has produced an unprecedented, for 2-year colleges, 17 Barry M. Goldwater Scholars (the Goldwater Scholarship is the nation’s highest undergraduate science award). The achievements of the Biotech Program and its students have gained national media attention over the years such as the CBS Evening News, New York Times, Boston Globe, Chronicle of Higher Education, FOX Television, and Washington Post.
The Biotech Program enjoys a 100 percent job placement rate, most before graduation. Approximately 50 percent of Biotech students pursue advanced science degrees through articulated partnerships and bridge programs with institutions worldwide.
Our biotechnology program is internationally renowned and offers exciting, hands-on and research-based study in this rapidly expanding scientific area. Through their participation in national research collaborations, students are trained in the scientific disciplines most in demand by the biotechnology industry and government laboratories, including recombinant DNA technology, mammalian cell culture, and chromatography with special emphasis on High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Biotechnology students intern at some of the most prestigious research institutions in the world, such as Dana Farber Cancer Institute (Boston), Boston Medical Center, the University of Edinburgh (Scotland), Moscow State University (Russia), University of the Amazon (Brazil), and the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivieres (Canada). Upon completion, the Associate in Science Degree in Biotechnology is awarded.
Biotechnology: Forensics DNA Science
The Forensic DNA program at Massachusetts Bay Community College is the first and only undergraduate program in this field in the world. Our students have hands-on, specialized training that enables them to excel in this new and exciting field. The Forensic DNA Science Program at MassBay Community College was the first degree program in DNA analysis in the world and remains the world’s only such undergraduate degree program. The scientific prowess of MassBay forensic students is refined by two consecutive years of exciting, hands-on forensic work in real criminal and anthropological cases. Students have the rare opportunity to work on actual criminal and anthropological forensic DNA cases with the Biotech Program Director, Dr. Bruce Jackson, who is a noted forensic DNA expert in the United States and abroad; cases such as:
- “Lady of the Dunes” cold murder case; identification of remains of unknown 1974 Massachusetts female murder victim via mtDNA analysis.
- The “Portsmouth, New Hampshire Slave Burial Ground Project”; determination of the ethnicity of the remains of 13 individuals accidentally exhumed from a 17th century NH slave burial ground via mtDNA analysis.
- President James Madison Lineage Case: Y-chromosome DNA analysis is employed to verify the paternal ancestry of an African-American family to President Madison who allegedly fathered a child with a slave.
The hands-on training of forensic students confers a mastery of allelic techniques such as: Profiler™, Identifiler Plus™ as well as amelogenin sex typing and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis of human remains. MassBay forensic students complete their degrees with rigorous internships with one of the program’s many renowned forensic partners, including: Armed Forces DNA Identification Labs (AFDIL), the FBI Forensic Labs, Czech Forensic Service, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Forensic Labs at Ontario.
Biotechnology: Marine Biotechnology
MassBay’s Marine Biotechnology Program trains students in the scientific areas where marine biology and molecular biology intersect. The highly interdisciplinary training of Marine Biotech students occurs through two exciting and relevant “Grand Projects” and confers on students the sophistication to apply molecular methodologies to study marine problems. The first entails an exhilarating, ongoing, interdisciplinary research with an international consortium of scientists studying of the ecological impact of the active Souiffre Hills volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, West Indies (British Lesser Antilles). The geological records of Montserrat, spanning thousands of years, and its barren, moon-like landscapes of ash-covered terrain provide a mesmerizing and unrivaled site for interdisciplinary research on geological stress, environmental restoration and species adaptation. Montserrat captivates the scientifically uninitiated and excites the beginning undergraduate science scholar for the marine biotechnology. The second entails a genetic study of marine organisms of Boston Harbor.
The goal of the Marine Biotechnology option is to train individuals to work as technicians in sophisticated field and laboratory settings where multiple molecular disciplines converge to solve complex marine problems. The emphasis of this program, however, is to provide extensive and novel research experiences, career mentoring and academic bridging networks for the individual whose career goal is to work in the marine sciences as an independent, doctoral-level investigator. Marine Biotechnology applies technology and molecular biology to marine biology systems, living organisms (e.g., algae, fish, or plankton) or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use such as pharmaceuticals and food. Hence, the program’s training entails the integration of molecular biology and marine sciences.
Environmental Sciences and Safety
This program focuses on environmental science issues, such as air and water testing and analysis, industrial waste treatment, municipal wastewater treatment, and environmental law. In obtaining an understanding of the complex interrelationships that exist at the earth’s surface, you will learn how to interpret environmental stresses, such as ground and surface water contamination, pesticides, degradation, and solid waste disposal. You will also learn how to apply this knowledge to occupational safety and protection.
This program provides a solid foundation in biological sciences and liberal arts, which can translate into a number of exciting career opportunities. The program is designed to prepare you for transfer to a four-year baccalaureate degree program in biology or pre-med.
DEGREE PROGRAMS: ASSOCIATE IN ARTS
General Studies: Mathematics
If you are undecided about your educational goals and career choices, but know that you want a solid foundation in mathematics, this program allows you to explore a variety of interests and choices from all divisions, including economics, science, nutrition, and liberal arts. You’ll complete a course in career/life planning to help you assess your options and develop a degree plan to meet your individual needs.
Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
Students develop CAD skills and techniques by using the most modern equipment and software, such as AutoCAD®, Pro/ENGINEER®, SolidWorks®, and MS Project®. Instruction is given in mechanical, electrical, and architectural design. Students will use the acquired computer skills from various courses to complete projects in the areas of their interest. Graduates may seek positions as detailers/drafters/CAD operators.
This certificate is designed to prepare students with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to perform network and security technician jobs. Students will be able to administer and configure networks while applying cyber security best practices.
Students completing this certificate are encouraged to gain industry credentials by taking CompTIA’s Network+ and Security+ exams, as well as CISCO’s ICND1.
The world of Information Technology continues to grow and evolve, offering long-term job security. If you are interested in entering this field, but have little or no computer-related experience, this program offers a wide-ranging introduction. The curriculum focuses on business-related applications to provide you with the computer skills needed for a successful entry-level position in the Information Technology Field.
This certificate introduces students to client-side web technologies. Students learn to design and develop websites using professional authoring and scripting tools. The emphasis of this certificate is on content presentation. Students completing a web designer certificate will be proficient in the visual arts and creating the images and designs that capture and keep visitors’ interest. They will know how to present aesthetically-enticing designs that meet the requirements and preferences of their audience.
This certificate introduces students to client- and server-side web technologies. Students learn to design and develop database-driven websites. This certificate provides students with the basic skills in client- and server-side scripting to build dynamic data-driven web applications. Students completing a web developer certificate are proficient at creating website structure and interactivity. They know how to use database tools and custom applications to prepare the site for dynamic presentation of content to visitors.
This certificate introduces students to the web technologies required to understand how to create, manage, and host a website. Students completing a Web Master Certificate are proficient at blending the art of HTML coding with the visual arts to create pages that are content rich and visually pleasing. They are proficient at page layout, image creation and manipulation, interactivity, content creation, as well as project and business management.
to see a description of Math Courses and their Learning Outcomes