STEM Starter Academy

Select students have the opportunity to participate in the STEM Starter Academy Coaching Program. The program provides you with a STEM Coach who serves as a consistent point-person during your time at MassBay. Your Coach will either help you directly or connect you with someone who can in areas including: course selection, transfer planning, accessing STEM resources and support services, applying for internships, jobs, scholarships or REU’s, and more.

“My STEM Coach has been a pillar of support and has been the person that I go to when I have nowhere else to go. Any issue with a class or teacher, she would be there to help me figure out a solution. Since I have been in the world of STEM, I have realized how grateful I am to have a STEM Coach. She was a major reason in the success that I have had at MassBay.”
  — A.S., Computer Information Systems, Cybersecurity Certificate student

STEM students can take advantage of a variety of mentoring opportunities available through MassBay or external programs. You will be matched with a mentor who is working in a field that is closely related to your STEM major at MassBay.  Mentors can be helpful with academic planning, study skills, executive functioning, career and transfer planning and much more.

STEM students have a dedicated STEM Academic Advisor who helps you develop your academic plan, register for classes, connects you with necessary resources and assists you with the transfer process if your goal is to transfer to a 4-year college or university. The STEM Academic Advisor has specialized expertise in the STEM Associate Degree and Certificate programs and collaborates with the Deans of Advising and STEM to align semester course schedules with student needs.

“I am truly grateful for the invaluable guidance and support my Academic Advisor has provided throughout my academic journey. Their expertise and encouragement have been instrumental in shaping my academic pursuits. Their insightful advice and mentorship have not only enhanced my academic experience but have also empowered me to overcome challenges and strive for excellence. From transfer meetings to long calls to the college board to get my AP scores from their archives, they have always been attentive and available while inspiring me to double major in Computer Science and Math and establish my own club, STEM For All.” – A.S. Computer Science and Math student

STEM students have access to a dedicated STEM Career Development
Counselor who meets with you individually to help you develop short and long-term career goals and implement steps to achieve them. The Career Advisor will help you create a technical resume and a LinkedIn profile as  well as connect you with internal and external resources and programs that best match your interests, academic program, and career aspirations. Most STEM students who complete their program at MassBay graduate with at least one experiential learning opportunity.

”While the entire staff and faculty at MassBay have been exceptional, the one person who has been instrumental in my success has been my MassBay SSA Career Counselor! She has helped me immensely through all aspects of my program—guiding me in course selections, coordinating with my professors, assisting me in finding and getting my final internship approved, resume, and providing me with resources and references for placement post-graduation. I will always appreciate her mentorship and her
constant efforts and commitment towards the success of her students.”
  — A.S., Cybersecurity student

SSA plans and facilitates STEM Forums and Events throughout the academic year to supplement the learning you receive in the classroom. These programs are live, hybrid, or virtual and take place on different days/times to accommodate varying schedules. Examples of recent programs include: “STEM Careers in the Environmental Arena”; “Opportunities for STEM Students in the Summer”; “How to Make a Biologic Drug”; “Cybersecurity Student Panel”; “STEM Careers in the Public Sector”; “Four-Year Transfer Workshop”; and “Speed Networking”. You will also have the opportunity to go on field trips to companies and four-year colleges and universities. Recent trips included visits to Ginkgo Bioworks, the U.S. FDA Winchester Engineering and Analytical Center, MathWorks, and Google.

1. To help you review and sharpen your math skills before the start of school and to potentially place you into a higher-level fall math class
2. To provide you with college success programming on topics such as stress and time management, career and transfer planning and understanding the resources available at MassBay
3. To help you acclimate to campus and introduce you to STEM and other college staff and faculty as well as like-minded STEM students