Special College Programs

College Offerings that May Interest You

Did you know that colleges offer more than a degree? They also offer special programs that allow you to tailor your education to fit your needs. Here's a sampling of the offerings:

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

Cooperative Education: Sometimes called work study, this program allows you 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 you get a year's practical experience, too.

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

Double Major: Complete the requirements of two majors, concurrently.

Dual Enrollment: 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: 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: Complete some of your 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 your major, that earns you academic credit.

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

Student-Designed Major: 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: 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: Take courses at a college in the New York City metropolitan area while participating in an internship program at the United Nations.

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

Visiting/exchange student: Study for a semester or more at another college without extending the amount of time required for a degree.

Washington semester: Participate in an internship program with a government agency or department in Washington, D.C.

Weekend college: 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.