Special College Programs

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College Offerings That May Interest Your Child

Many colleges offer much more than a degree—they also offer special programs that allow students to tailor their education to fit their needs. Here's a sampling of the offerings that might be available to your child:

Accelerated Program: Does your child want to earn a bachelor's degree in three years, rather than four? This is a program students may complete in less time than is normally required, usually by attending summer classes or by carrying extra courses.

Cooperative Education: This program allows students to alternate between semesters of full-time study and related paid full-time work. It takes five years to receive a bachelor's degree under this plan, but your child will get a year's practical experience, too.

Distance Learning: Students take courses for credit broadcasted via public or cable stations or the Internet.

Double Major: Students complete the requirements of two majors, concurrently.

Dual Enrollment: Students enroll in college courses for credit while still in high school.

English as a Second Language (ESL) program: With this program, international students can improve their English skills.

External Degree: Students earn credits towards a college degree through independent study, college courses, proficiency exams, and personal experience. Minimal (or no) classroom attendance is required.

Honors Program: This is an opportunity for educational enrichment, independent study, acceleration, or some combination of these.

Independent Study: Students complete some of their college program by studying independently, instead of attending scheduled classes and completing group assignments.

Internship: This is any short-term supervised work experience, usually related to a student's major, which earns them academic credit.

Semester at Sea: Students live for part of a semester on a ship, frequently a research vessel.

Student-Designed Major: Students construct a major field of study not formally offered by the college. Often nontraditional and interdisciplinary in nature, the major is developed with the approval of a designated college officer or committee.

Study Abroad: Students complete part of the college program studying in another country. A college may operate a campus aboard or it may have a cooperative agreement with some other American college or an institution of the other country.

United Nations Semester: Students take courses at a college in the New York City metropolitan area while participating in an internship program at the United Nations.

Urban Semester: Students spend a semester in a major city, such as Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Denver, San Francisco, London or Athens, experiencing the complexities of an urban center through course work, seminars, and/or internships related to their major.

Visiting/Exchange Student: Students study for a semester or more at another college without extending the amount of time required for a degree.

Washington Semester: Students participate in an internship program with a government agency or department in Washington, D.C., Paris.

Weekend College: Students take a complete course of study and attend classes only on weekends. These programs are generally restricted to a few areas of study at a college and require more than the traditional number of years to complete.

Your child can find out which colleges offer these programs by using online College Search Tools.