Here’s why dual credit makes sense

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 - 3:36 pm

Purdue University Calumet is partnering this fall with Crown Point High School to enable 315 qualified high school students to get a head start on their college education in a low cost manner.

Under the tutelage of several of our professors, Crown Point High School faculty are teaching a trio of three-credit hour Purdue Calumet courses to CPHS juniors and seniors identified by their guidance counselors as college capable.

By satisfactorily completing the courses—Mathematics 159 (pre-calculus), Communication 114 (speech) and Chemistry 115 (general chemistry)—the students can earn both high school and Purdue Calumet credit. In fact, the credit will be transferable to most Indiana colleges and universities.

Thanks to a $50,000 Indiana Department of Education grant, the students pay a substantially reduced fee of $15 a credit hour ($45 per class) for the opportunity to earn college credit.

We believe this dual credit program is a good idea for several reasons.

• Certainly the low cost entry into higher education makes sense.
• So does the opportunity to get a jump start on higher education and develop a foundation for more challenging courses when high school students get to campus.
• Because the offerings are actual Purdue Calumet courses, complete with the same syllabi, expectations and requirements used by our faculty to teach our students, the high school learners gain a revealing look into the world of higher education.
• By interacting with our faculty, Crown Point High School teachers derive a better understanding of what we expect from Purdue Calumet students and the preparation necessary for high school students to succeed in higher education.
• Finally, such a program can fuel a seamless, transparent road to educational success in which students become more motivated to focus on their future.

Sincerely,

Howard Cohen
Chancellor

Posted in Chancellor’s Message |