North Central Missouri College (NCMC) follows all guidelines and policies concerning credits, program length and tuition as established by the Higher Learning Commission and the Missouri Coordinating Board of Higher Education.

Credits and Course Length
Course credit is awarded in semester hours as recorded on the academic transcript.  The fall and spring semesters are 16-weeks in length.  The summer session consists of either one eight-week session or two four-week sessions.  NCMC also offers two intersessions, which occur between semesters. Each intersession is affiliated with the semester immediately following the intersession and consists of 4 weeks. Course delivery consists of traditional on-ground, online, as well as the blended format which allows for reduced in-class instructional contact plus an online component. 

NCMC calculates credit hours by semester based on the standard Carnegie unit. The semester credit hour is the unit of measure used to determine college-credit course work.  A credit hour is defined as one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester of credit. Thus, a unit of credit equates to three hours of student work per week (1 hour lecture plus 2 hours of homework OR 2/3 hours of lab/activity) for 16 weeks. Lecture courses are considered to be one hour of lecture class time and two hours per week of homework. For the typical three-unit class, a student spends three hours per week in class and should be prepared to complete six hours per week of homework. A unit of a laboratory/activity course is equal to two/three hours per week. In order to earn credit hours, students must also meet institutional and state learning outcomes at a satisfactory level.

NCMC meets and/or exceeds the minimum course length requirement set by the Federal Student Aid Program (FSA) regulations. At NCMC, one credit hour is granted for 750 minutes of contact lecture time. Credits at NCMC are awarded based on the number of minutes a lecture class meets per week as well as, if the students successfully meeting the stated learning outcomes. One credit is awarded for each 55 minute session for a 15 week semester or 750 minutes per credit. Labs must meet additional instructional time, as required by state regulations. NCMC courses exceed the minimum class time required and meet 55 minutes for three day courses, 110 minutes for two day courses and 165 minutes for one day courses for a minimum of 2250 minutes per semester.  These standards are adhered to when developing class schedules each semester.

The foundation for online/blended courses is to ensure that students are meeting the same learning outcomes as those delivered in traditional on ground coursework. Students are expected to spend comparable amounts of time in achieving the course objectives.  However, because learning cannot be quantified in terms of minutes and hours in online and blended courses, emphasis is placed upon successfully achieving competencies and additional evidence of student learning. For a course to be able to be offered online faculty must follow the process for curriculum proposals. In addition, the online/blended courses must include information about the estimated work time needed for students to satisfactorily complete assignments; incorporate a measured student outcome within the first week of the course offering to help verify all students are enrolled and engaged in the learning process; and propose an instructional platform that significantly engages the student weekly in some manner that is instructor initiated.

North Central Missouri College utilizes the following sessions to provide students with a variety of program lengths:

• Fall and Spring Semesters: variation of 16, 10 and 8 week sessions (depending on subject matter and program)
• Winter Intersession: approximately four-week session
• Spring Intersession: approximately four-week session
• Summer: typically two four-week sessions or one eight-week session

The following degree programs and certificates are offered by the College:

• Academic Degrees:  Associate in Arts, Associate in Arts in Teaching, Associate in General Studies
• Occupational Degrees (Associate in Applied Science):  Accounting, Agriculture & Natural Resources, Applied Technology, Business Management, Business Technology, Criminal Justice, Dental Hygiene, Early Childhood Development, Emergency Medical Technology-Paramedic, Health Care Management, Health Information Technology, Industrial & Energy Systems Technology, Medical Assistant, Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Paraprofessional & Substitute Teaching, Pharmacy Technology, Radiologic Technology, Surgical Technology
• Occupational Certificates:  Accounting/Business Technology, Accounting/Clerk, Accounting/Professional, Agriculture & Natural Resources, Business Management, Business Technology, Criminal Justice, Industrial & Energy Systems Technology, Marketing Management, Medical Assisting, Medical Insurance & Billing Specialist, Medical Transcription, Nursing

*The Missouri Department of Higher Education has established a statewide articulation agreement that guarantees 42 general education hours to transfer to any Missouri public or private institution in the state which has signed on to the agreement. The 42-Hour General Education Core also fulfills all lower-division requirements for transfer.

Tuition
NCMC’s tuition and fee rates are established by the Board of Trustees adopted each year. Tuition and fees are posted on the NCMC website. Some courses have an additional course fee, also approved by the Board of Trustees. The following chart indicates the adopted tuition and fee schedule for FY2011-2012:
Tuition for Academic Year 2011-2012

Students are responsible for any course-related fees, depending on specific classes/programs.

Other Fees

Student Development Fee - $10 per credit hour and is required for all students.
Facilities Use Fee - $10 per credit hour and is required for all students, except for dual credit courses.
Laboratory Fees - charged for certain courses, especially in the computer, science and vocational areas.
Nursing Fees – link to the NCMC Allied Health Sciences Pre-Admission Data Packet for LPN and RN Programs.
Testing Fees - charged for the administration of tests, including those given to obtain credits or waivers for courses through examination. This would include such tests as CLEP, challenge exams, and placement exams.
Degree Completion Fee - charged to all candidates for graduation. Those graduating with two degrees or certificates pay an additional fee.
Dual-Credit In-District Tuition - $90.00 per credit hour.
Dual-Credit/Out-of-District Tuition - $90.00 per credit hour.
Course By Arrangement - $175.00 per credit hour (includes Student Development and Facility fees).