Requirements & Credits

Graduation from Northfield Mount Hermon involves fulfilling both academic and nonacademic requirements. Effective planning of an academic program necessitates an understanding of all requirements, including the school’s credit system. To this end, students work closely with their advisors on long-range planning and specific course selection.

The Northfield Mount Hermon school year is divided into two semesters. NMH students must be in residence throughout their career at the school; exceptions will be made for students participating in programs sponsored or approved by the school. Seniors are required to be enrolled for the entire school year even though they may have fulfilled subject graduation requirements before the spring semester.

Graduation Requirements
Graduation requirements are summarized in an overview chart, but the following is the official statement of these requirements.

A. Credit Requirements

• minimum total credits earned: 22
• minimum credits passed senior year at NMH: 5
• credits attempted per year at NMH: 6*
• credits attempted in each semester at NMH: 3*

*In exceptional cases a one-half credit reduction or increase to the number of credits per semester may be approved by petition to the Dean of Faculty.  The credit load may not be less than 5.5 credits nor exceed 7 credits per year. A student may take a maximum of 3.5 credits (not 4) per semester. Auditioned music group credit does not affect the credit totals per semester. The Dean of Faculty will consult the appropriate persons before making a decision on each petition. A student may take an overload only if space permits and if the other NMH requirements are schedulable (work program, athletics and physical education, co-curriculars, etc.). A W will appear on the transcript if a student withdraws from a course outside of the add/drop period.

B. Subject Requirements
It is important to distinguish between absolute graduation requirements and specific grade-level requirements. A graduation requirement (e.g., Algebra II) is one that is required of all students, regardless of how many years they are enrolled at NMH. A grade-level requirement (e.g., Humanities II) is required only of those students who are at NMH for that grade.

English: A student must earn at least four credits in English and take at least one full-credit English course per year.

English as a Second Language: New students whose first language is not English attend a required orientation to academic life at NMH in the fall they enroll. During this orientation their English language proficiency is assessed and they are placed in either ESL or English classes. Their placement in ESL or English determines which graduation requirements need to be met and when. ESL students must pass a minimum of one major course in non-ESL English at the 400 level (an approved senior English).

Mathematics: A student must pass Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. Most NMH students take courses beyond this minimal requirement.

World Languages: The graduation requirement is the successful completion of a second-level course.  The majority of  NMH students take courses beyond this minimal requirement. Students whose native language is not English have fulfilled the NMH foreign language requirement provided they have successfully completed at least one year of formal study of their own language at the secondary school level. Students whose English skills require enrollment in our ESL program are exempt from the NMH foreign language requirement.

Science: The graduation requirement is one credit in biology, and two credits in lab science (one of which may be biology). Most NMH students take courses beyond this minimal requirement.

History and Social Science: The graduation requirement is two credits, one of which must be in US history; one-half credit may be in social science. Most NMH students take courses beyond this minimal requirement. A ninth-grade US history course taken prior to arriving at NMH does not satisfy the US history requirement. All three or four year students are required to take HIS 211, topics in world history, as part of Humanities II.

Religious Studies: Students must complete requirements as follows:

• four-year students must earn two credits; one full-credit course is included in the required Humanities I program. Students may earn the additional credit either in the sophomore year through the Humanities II program or take the additional required credit in either junior or senior year.  
• three-year students must earn one and one-half credits; entering sophomores earn one full-credit religious studies course as part of the required Humanities II program. The remaining half-credit course must be earned as an elective during the junior or senior year.
• two-year students must earn one credit; students entering as juniors fulfill the prescribed credit requirement with elective courses.
• one-year students must earn one-half credit; entering seniors and postgraduates fulfill the prescribed credit requirement with elective courses.
• Religion requirement for ESL students: ESL students are required to fulfill the religious studies requirement that matches the number of full years they are NOT enrolled in ESL. For example, a four-year senior who is in ESL classes for two years and whose junior year is the first year with no ESL course, must satisfy the same religious studies requirement as a student enrolled at NMH for two years.

The Arts: Art, Music, Theater, and Dance Students must complete requirements as follows:

• four-year students take one of the ninth-grade Arts Foundations courses(either performing or visual arts); in addition, they must take one half-credit major course or two cocurricular courses in the arts.
• three-year students must take two half-credit major courses or one half-credit major course plus one cocurricular course in the arts.
• two-year students must take one half-credit major course in the arts.
• one-year students must take one half-credit major course or one cocurricular course in the arts.

Physical Education and Athletics (PE/A): Ninth- and tenth-grade students participate in at least one athletic activity each year. Any term that a ninth or tenth grader is not in an athletic activity, he or she will take a physical education class. Juniors, seniors, and postgraduate students participate in one athletic activity and take two physical education classes in the other two terms or participate in two athletic activities with no physical education class required the third term. Students must earn a passing grade in all but one term of participation and must pass the spring term of the senior year. Grades for PE/A classes are determined by skill, knowledge, attitude, and attendance. Students who are members of a performing dance company or who take dance classes fulfill their physical education obligation for the terms during which they are enrolled in those programs. Participation in the outdoor education program satisfies the physical education requirement for juniors, seniors, and postgraduates for those terms during which they are enrolled.

C. Cocurricular Requirement
The cocurricular requirement supports student involvement beyond the challenges of their major academic courses. Most qualifying activities fall into five broad categories:

• athletics and outdoor education
• performing and visual arts activities
• outreach activities
• significant school leadership opportunities
• activities that represent the school.

Participation requirements are specific to the student’s grade level, as described below. Students can meet the requirement in a term either by taking one full cocurricular activity or two half cocurricular activities. Students may opt to participate in more activities as their interests and schedules allow.

For ninth- and tenth-grade students: In each of the three terms students will meet the cocurricular requirement, choosing an athletic team commitment in at least one of the three terms.

For 11th-grade, 12th-grade and postgraduate students: In two out of the three terms, students will meet the cocurricular requirement, choosing an athletic team commitment in at least one of the two terms.

D. Work Program Requirement
Students must participate in the program and fulfill a work requirement with a passing grade each semester they are in residence at NMH. Work program supervisors rely on the grading system described on page 6 for the evaluation of a student’s attitude, dependability, performance, and punctuality at the job site. For example, students merit a grade of “satisfactory” when they are rarely absent or late and perform tasks adequately with minimal supervision. However, a student who receives a grade of “unsatisfactory” for any semester, including spring semester of the senior year, must correct this deficiency in accordance with the conditions listed in a current version of the Work Program Guidelines.

Credits
A. Academic Credit
A full-credit course is equivalent to a year’s work in a traditional system and earns one academic credit. Some courses are half-year equivalents that are completed in one semester and earn one half credit. Students generally take courses totaling three credits each semester.

B. Prior Credits
The registrar evaluates previously earned high school credits as they relate to the subject area requirements described above. In sequential disciplines such as mathematics, language, and the fine arts, credit for previous courses will be reviewed by each department for placement.

Special Programs at NMH
A. NMH Summer Session
NMH Summer Session offers academic courses, many of which are full-year equivalents and earn one credit.

B. International Studies
NMH is committed to having our students understand a variety of world cultures. To that end, international programs are a very important part of the NMH curriculum. The Center for International Education oversees programs that travel to China, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Turkey, and Uruguay. Each program is not offered every year. The Center for International Education posts specific program availability in late February or early March. More detailed descriptions about the programs are available on page 25. The Center for International Education also oversees the special option of the Humanities II curriculum, which travels to Brazil, India or South Africa (depending on the year). This special Humanities II option is available to new and returning students and is described on page 15.

C. Apprenticeships
An apprenticeship is defined as an off-campus work experience monitored and evaluated by an on-site mentor, and it involves a reporting (i.e., writing) component that is evaluated by an NMH faculty advisor (the “off-site” mentor).

An apprenticeship is possible in the spring semester of the senior year and may earn academic credit depending on the nature of the project and the time commitment. A full-time apprenticeship requires 40 hours per week and earns three academic credits. Students on full-time apprenticeships do not live on campus during the apprenticeship but must pay full tuition, room, and board for the semester they are away. They are expected to pay for any expenses, including transportation, housing, and meals, associated with the apprenticeship. The application for a full-time apprenticeship must be completed and approved before the end of the spring semester of the year preceding the proposed apprenticeship. One-year seniors and postgraduates are not eligible for full-time apprenticeships.

Final approval for an apprenticeship proposal by the academic dean is contingent upon three factors: first, the securing of a faculty advisor with expertise related to the apprenticeship; second, the successful completion of an application packet by the specified deadline; third, the construction of a syllabus in which the student specifies the academic work to be completed during the apprenticeship.

D. Off-Campus Study
On rare occasions, students wish or need to complete academic work for credit outside the parameters of NMH Summer Session, international studies, or apprenticeship programs. If a student is considering such an endeavor, certain requirements must be met. Applications may be requested from the Academic Office. A proposal must be submitted in writing to the Academic Dean. This proposal must include detailed plans for completing all graduation requirements and a complete description of the program or curriculum. If the plan includes enrollment in a formal program, appropriate documentation should be included. The parents must submit a statement of approval acknowledging possible implications for the college application and acceptance process. If the student is seeking NMH credit, the approval of the appropriate department chair(s) is required. The completed application must be submitted to the Director of Studies for approval during the academic year preceding the one in which off-campus study is planned. Families should be aware that the school requires the payment of NMH tuition while a student is away from campus during part of the academic year. Seniors are required to be enrolled at NMH for the entire school year.