Career-Connected Experiences (CCE)

At UMass Lowell (UML) a Career-Connected Experience (CCE) provides an applied opportunity that intentionally connects academic learning to career development and demonstrably aligns with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Career Readiness Competencies (communication, teamwork, professionalism, technology, leadership, critical thinking, equity and inclusion, career and self -development).

The CCE attribute may be applied to a course that includes an experiential learning element and meets the CCE framework. The attribute CCE is the umbrella attribute for all types of career-connected experiences.

Under the CCE attribute umbrella, courses may add a more specific attribute-value. See the Definitions of Attribute-Values further below.

Examples include internships, co-ops, faculty-mentored research, service-learning with reflection, credit-bearing global placements, and on-campus employment with defined outcomes. Research experiences such as Emerging Scholars, faculty-led lab work, and honors research may also qualify when paid or credit-bearing and meeting supervision, reflection, and learning outcome criteria.

To Request the CCE Attribute

To request the CCE attribute for a career-connected experience, use the relevant Curriculog form, as described below.

• New Course - If your course does not yet exist in the catalog, use the form titled "COURSE - Add a New Course to the Catalog" and include in your proposal a request for the CCE attribute.
• Change Course - If your course already exists in the catalog, and you are requesting other changes to the course in addition to the CCE attribute, use the form titled "COURSE - Change an Existing Course in the Catalog".
• CCE Attribute short form - If your course already exists in the catalog, and your only request is the CCE attribute, use the form titled "ATTRIBUTE CCE - Request the Career-Connected (CCE) attribute for an existing course".

All forms are located in Curriculog. Login to Curriculog and click the "+ New Proposal" button to start a proposal.

CCE Attribute Criteria: Quality Standards

The following Quality Standards will be used to assess requests from faculty to apply the CCE attribute to a course. A successful proposal needs to satisfy the first two standards, and at least two of the remaining standards.

1. Career Readiness Alignment: the course develops at least four NACE competencies and provides broader impact beyond the students' personal learning and development.
2. Impact Beyond Self: through the experience in the course, the student intentionally has a broader impact beyond their personal learning and development. For the remaining four criteria, at least two must be demonstrated:
3. Structured Supervision: the course incorporates oversight by faculty/staff/professional with feedback.
4. Reflective Practice: the course facilitates guided reflection during or after the experience.
5. Academic or Career Relevance: the course connects to the student's program or goals.
6. Defined CCE Learning Outcomes: the course demonstrates how these are articulated and assessed.

Below please find further information about each of the Quality Standards.

Quality Standard 1: Career Readiness Competencies (required)

Students in any Career Connected Experience (CCE) course must demonstrate knowledge of at least four of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) competencies noted below. You will be asked to check all applicable competencies that student work will demonstrate and will be assessed.

• Career and Self-Development
• Communication
• Critical Thinking
• Equity and Inclusion
• Leadership
• Professionalism
• Teamwork
• Technology

You will also be asked to briefly describe the course content and/or assignments that develop the identified competencies.

Quality Standard 2: Impact Beyond Self (required)

CCE courses must intentionally provide students the opportunity to use their learning for the benefit of others. You will be asked to briefly describe how the course will enable students to contribute to society, industry, or a body of knowledge beyond their own personal and professional development.

For the remaining four criteria, at least two must be demonstrated.

Quality Standard 3: Structured Supervision

The course incorporates oversight by faculty / staff / professional with feedback. You will be asked to briefly describe the structured supervision provided. Responses should answer the questions: How is oversight structured? Who will serve as the supervisor? If the faculty is not the supervisor, how will expectations be shared? In what format, how often, and by whom will feedback be given?

Quality Standard 4: Reflective Practice

The course facilitates guided reflection during or after the experience. You will be asked to demonstrate how students will practice critical reflection. Responses should answer the questions: What types of reflection will be required? What format will the reflection take, and how will it be assessed? How will the course ensure that students have the tools for critical reflective practice?

Quality Standard 5: Academic or Career Relevance

The course connects to the student's program or goals. The student will have firsthand engagement with the tasks required in a given career or with the application of academic program learning outcomes. You will be asked to demonstrate how the course provides practice of career-relevant tasks and decision making. Responses should answer the questions: What firsthand engagement with the career tasks will students have? How will the course engage synthesis of career skills and academic knowledge?

Quality Standard 6: Defined CCE Learning Outcomes

The course demonstrates how these are articulated and assessed. You will be asked to state the learning outcomes for the CCE. You will be asked to describe how students and supervisors will contribute supplemental outcomes. Consider how the explicit learning outcomes will establish a shared understanding of expectations between the student, faculty, and any supervisor(s) and guide mutual feedback.

⁠Catalog Attribute and Attribute-Value Definitions (short version)

Below is a list of attribute-values. These will supplement the "CCE" attribute to identify in the catalog the specific type of experiential learning the course provides, for example: CCE-INTERN for an internship course. In the Curriculog form you will be asked to select the attribute-value that best describes the course. Multiple attributes may be chosen.

Expanded Attribute-Value Definitions for Course Design

As the Career-Connected Experience Committee (CCEC) works through proposals, they will refine these definitions and add examples to aid faculty in designing CCE courses.

Internship (CCE-INTERN)

An internship involves work experience relevant to the students' academic program or career interests. Students may either design, deliver, manage, or evaluate a specific project as part of their work experience or partake in and contribute to the regular day-to-day activities of the workplace. Internships are typically part-time (less than 30 hours per week). UMass Lowell (UML) internship courses range from a minimum of 60 to 120 hours per semester, as determined by the academic department.

Co-op (CCE-CO-OP)

A co-op involves work experience relevant to the students' academic program or career interests. Students may either design, deliver, manage, or evaluate a specific project as part of their work experience or partake in and contribute to the regular day-to-day activities of the workplace. Co-ops are full-time (30 or more hours per week) for 12-20 weeks.

Practicum (CCE-PRACTICUM)

A practicum involves work experience under the supervision of an experienced registered or licensed professional (for example: preceptor) in any discipline that requires practice-based work experience for professional licensure or certification.

Career Development Course (CCE-CAREER-DEV)

A Career Development Course is a credit or non-credit course that proactively develops a student's awareness of self, career, or career planning, rather than applied work. For a credit or non-credit course to be considered for this attribute-value, it must meet at least one of the following criteria:

1. Self-awareness - The student develops knowledge about and understanding of their own personal development. In a career context, it involves an understanding of what they bring to the world.
2. Opportunity awareness - The student develops an understanding of the world of work, including career possibilities and alternative pathways.
3. Decision-making and planning - The student develops an understanding of how to make career decisions and an awareness of pressures, influences, styles, consequences, and goal setting.
4. Implementing plans - The student develops the appropriate skill level in a range of areas to be able to translate job and career planning into reality. Areas may include resumes, LinkedIn, networking, cover letters and other job search correspondence, interviewing, job search strategies, and job, graduate school, military or service applications.

Community Service Learning (CCE-SERVICE)

Community Service Learning (CSL) integrates meaningful community service with classroom instruction and critical reflection to enrich the learning experience and strengthen communities. In practice, students work in partnership with a community-based organization to apply their disciplinary knowledge to a challenge identified by the community.

Community and Industry Research and Projects (CCE-PRTNR-PROJ)

In Community and Industry Research and Projects, students are engaged in research that contributes primarily to workplaces, including consulting projects, design projects, and community-based research projects.

Study Abroad (CCE-ABROAD)

In study abroad experiences, students engage in academic and cultural immersion experiences that expand global perspectives and understanding.

Entrepreneurship (CCE-ENTREPREN)

An entrepreneurship course allows a student to leverage resources, space, mentorship and/or funding to engage in the early-stage development of business start-ups and/or to advance external ideas that address real-world needs for academic credit.

Creative Endeavor (CCE-CREATIVE)

A creative endeavor allows a student to create artistic, written, or performance-based projects with the intent for the project to be available to the public and aligned to professional norms.

Faculty-led Research, Scholarship, or Creative Endeavor (CCE-RESEARCH)

A faculty-led research, scholarship, or creative endeavor allows a student to pursue novel research, scholarship, or a creative endeavor under the direct supervision of a faculty member.

Career-Connected Experience Policies

• College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (FAHSS) policy catalog page
• Manning School of Business policy catalog page

Support Resources

• Career-Connected Work and Experiential Learning
• Transformative Internships and Engagement (TIE) Hub

Updated July 13, 2026.