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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.
If any of these special programs interest you, use College Search to make sure the colleges to which you're applying offer them.
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