Degree-Completion Agreement with McHenry County College (MCC)

Memorandum of Degree Completion Agreement Between McHenry County College (MCC) and the  College of Applied Social Sciences at Dominican University (DU) in Legal Studies

Introduction

This Degree Completion Agreement is simultaneously entered into by MCC and DU in order to create a smooth and seamless process by which eligible MCC students will ultimately be able to complete a Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) degree in Legal Studies at DU.  This agreement requires the completion of an Associate of Applied Science in Paralegal Studies at MCC.

As part of this Degree Completion Agreement, DU will automatically accept, in its entirety, an Associate of Applied Science degree in Paralegal Studies earned at MCC. Completing the aforementioned Associate of Applied Science degree at MCC is required for students to enter DU under the terms of this agreement. The Legal Studies major has seven (7) concentrations in the following areas: Criminal Justice, Disability Advocacy, Labor Relations, Law and Social Justice, Paralegal Studies, Public Administration, and Sustainability Studies.  MCC students may consider up to two (2) concentrations in their pursuit of this bachelor’s degree. 

Participating MCC students may contact the Director of Transfer and Adult Admission for more specific information concerning the degree requirements. The duly appointed representatives from the aforementioned parties will also govern all policies and procedures of this Degree Completion Agreement.

Student Eligibility

Students may apply to DU at any time during their attendance at MCC; it is recommended that students apply for admission to DU at least one semester prior to completing the AAS degree at MCC. Students must meet all applicable admission requirements at DU to remain eligible for this degree completion program; a minimum GPA of 2.5/4.0 is required for admission. Students’ eligibility for continued study at either MCC or DU will be governed by each institution’s policies on enrollment of probationary, dismissed, and re-entering students.

At any time before the completion of the aforementioned Associate of Applied Science degree at MCC, students may officially rescind the stipulations of the Degree Completion Agreement and transfer to DU, or any other institution of higher education, under the usual procedures.

Student Enrollment

Under this agreement, a student is exclusively enrolled at DU once the student has completed the aforementioned Associate of Applied Science degree at MCC and has been accepted to DU via the admission criteria above. After matriculation at DU, the student’s subsequent progress toward the bachelor’s degree is governed solely by DU’s academic standards. MCC students must request a final, official transcript to be sent to DU after completing the aforementioned Associate of Applied Science degree at MCC for final verification.

Residency Requirement

DU will accept a maximum of sixty-eight (68) semester hours from a community college specifically towards a bachelor’s degree.  If a student exceeds sixty-eight (68) hours, DU will accept the most useful courses from the official transcript, not to exceed sixty-eight (68) semester hours towards the 120 minimum hours required for the bachelor’s degree.

Correspondence and Advising

The College of Applied Social Sciences at DU will provide participating students with the advising materials, including model plans of recommended study and coursework specific to the Legal Studies major at DU. The articulated coursework in the addendum of this Degree Completion Agreement will be reviewed and updated annually. The Director of Transfer and Adult Admission at DU will inform MCC of any changes to the Legal Studies core or major curricula that may affect the integrity of this agreement. Moreover, MCC will also inform DU of curricular changes that would alter the nature of this agreement.

Addendum

Program Requirements

The details of this agreement between the Associate of Applied Science in Paralegal Studies at MCC and the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Legal Studies at DU are as follows:

BPS in Legal Studies

Upon completion of the aforementioned degree program at MCC, a maximum of sixty-eight (68) semester hours of credit could transfer from MCC to DU. The sixty-three (63) hours of the Paralegal Studies degree at MCC will be applied to the total hours required for the Legal Studies degree at DU. Thus, students would need to complete thirty (30) additional hours specifically in the Legal Studies core and major at DU, and a minimum total of fifty-seven (57) hours for the bachelor’s degree. 

Suggested Curriculum for the Associate of Applied Science in Paralegal Studies at MCC in conjunction with the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Legal Studies at DU. DU requirements marked with an asterisk (*) may also be completed at MCC as long as the student does not exceed sixty-eight (68) hours in transfer.

Learn more about the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Legal Studies

ACCELERATED DEGREE OPTIONS

Bachelor of Professional Studies/Master of Arts in Mediation and Conflict Resolution

High-achieving undergraduates can apply for the Bachelor of Professional Studies/Master of Arts in Mediation and Conflict Resolution (MMCR) accelerated degree option. Students admitted to this option can enroll in MMCR courses before completing the baccalaureate degree and have up to nine (9) MMCR credit hours apply to both their undergraduate and graduate degrees. Additional information is available through the College of Applied Social Sciences (CASS) advising office.

Learn more about the Master of Arts in Mediation and Conflict Resolution