Graduation Requirements for Online Degree Completion Students
PLAN Requirements, Purpose, and Double Counting
(for Online Degree Completion Program Students)
Note that CNCT 101CD is recommended for all students to take in their first semester, but other PLAN requirements can be taken any year during the student's time at Simmons.
Plan Requirement
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Purpose
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Double Counting
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CNCT 101CD, 3 credits
LDR 201CD, 4 credits
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Communication essential capability
Engagement with Simmons Communities; academic skill-building
Leadership, teamwork
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CDA 201CD, 6 credits
CNCT 201CD, 1 credit
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Interdisciplinary and integrative learning
Post-graduation support/ planning; careers, graduate school
Academic skill-building; 3D planning
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3D (Design Across Diverse Disciplines)
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Interdisciplinary and integrative learning
3 courses that are topically connected
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Each 3D course may count as a KCA.
One 3D course may count in each major/minor course of study.
3D courses must be drawn from different disciplines.
Two 3D courses may have been taken during the first or second year.
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Capstone
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Expertise in student’s field of study
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The Capstone is in the major for some majors; other majors utilize a shared capstone.
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Key Content Areas (4 courses)
Aesthetic, Literary, and Artistic (ALA)
Global Cultural (GC)
Scientific Inquiry (SCI)
Social and Historical (SH)
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Exposure to content across disciplines
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Each KCA may be fulfilled in a major/ minor course of study (if applicable).
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Quantitative Literacy (1 course)
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Critical thinking and problem solving; literacy in numeric systems
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The QL requirement may be fulfilled through a course in a student's major/minor course of study (if applicable).
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Language and Culture Requirement (2 additional GC KCA courses)
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Cultural skill development
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Math Competency Requirement
Students will be required to demonstrate competency in mathematics in one of the following ways before they are able to take a Quantitative Literacy course:
- Pass the mathematics competency exam administered by the Office of Undergraduate Advising no later than the end of their first term at Simmons;
- Successfully complete MATH 101CD or a higher level mathematics course at Simmons. (Note: enrolling in a higher level course at Simmons without taking the placement exam will require the consent of the instructor and may require other proof of mathematical achievement - e.g. AP exam scores);
- Present evidence of satisfactory completion at another accredited college of a mathematics course at the level of MATH 101CD or above to the Registrar's Office.
Students who do not pass the mathematics competency placement or who do not meet the math requirement in one of the other ways described above must take MATH 101CD in the first semester it is available.
Language and Culture Requirement
Online Degree Completion students must take two additional Global/Cultural KCA courses to satisfy this PLAN requirement.
Quantitative Literacy Requirement (QL)
Quantitative Literacy (QL) is a “habit of mind,” competency, and comfort in working with numerical data. Courses in this area will develop a student’s ability to reason and solve quantitative problems from a wide array of authentic contexts and everyday life situations. QL courses will develop the skills necessary to understand and create sophisticated arguments supported by quantitative evidence, and to clearly communicate those arguments in a variety of formats (using words, tables, graphs, mathematical equations, etc., as appropriate).