college level course work

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Your Guide to Conquering College Coursework

Getting good grades in college can be a lot tougher than in high school. For many students, it requires building new skills and establishing new habits. Learning those skills now—before starting college—will help make your transition as easy and as successful as possible.

Mary Sharp Emerson

The transition from high school to college is a big one. Meeting new friends, living on your own, and creating your own schedule are just some of the new, exciting challenges that await you.   

In the excitement of starting a new life on campus, college coursework can sometimes become a second priority.

However, adjusting to college coursework is often the biggest challenge of all. Even the best students may be surprised at how difficult college courses are. The subject matter is more complex. The workload is larger. And instructors’ standards are higher.

Mastering college-level courses requires a new level of independence, advocacy, engagement, and time management.

You can prepare yourself to succeed before you even get to campus. Identifying the skills you need, and building those skills into established habits, will help make your transition to college academics, and college life, easier, less stressful, and more successful.

Be engaged in your college coursework

College courses require your full attention and active participation.

And the more you engage with your teachers, teaching assistants, and classmates both in and out of the classroom, the easier it will be for you to succeed in that class.

The importance of active listening

Active listening is one of the most critical parts of engaging in a course, according to Gina Neugebauer, assistant director of Harvard Summer School’s Secondary School Program.

“Professors and teaching assistants can tell if you’re actively listening. They notice if you’re taking notes and making eye contact. They also notice if you’re distracted by your phone or computer,” notes Neugebauer.

Active listening means not checking your social media accounts or texting friends during class.

It also means really giving the instructor and your classmates your full attention.

It sounds easy in theory but it takes practice. It can be tough to not think about all the work you have or your next party. But the more you work on actively listening, the easier it will be to not get distracted and miss important information in class.

Different ways to actively participate

Beyond active listening, there are many ways to participate in a course. And you can tailor your level of engagement to your personality and comfort level.

“It’s all about gauging what you’re comfortable with,” says Neugebauer.

“You may not be the person who raises their hand all the time but you actively respond to online discussion posts, for example. You may not feel comfortable talking in front of hundreds of students in a large lecture hall but you take advantage of TA office hours and email the instructor with questions.”

But don’t be afraid to push yourself if you aren’t someone who usually speaks up in class.

It’s ok to start small. Work on raising your hand in small seminars or discussion sections. As you gain confidence, you’ll find it gets easier to answer questions and share your opinions.

Build independence and advocate for yourself

In college, you are responsible for your own success. You will need to advocate for yourself and know when—and how—to ask for help. That requires a level of independence that you may not have needed in high school.

The good news is that instructors and teaching assistants want to help you.

“Instructors, on the whole, enjoy hearing from you. And they’d rather hear from you right from the start, rather than have you struggle on your own for three weeks,” says Neugebauer.

If you have a question about an assignment, send your instructor an email. Are you upset about a grade you got on a recent test? Visit your instructor or TA during office hours to discuss what went wrong and how you can improve.

But remember, says Neugebauer, professors are busy and you are only one of many students.

“Your email should include your full name, what course you’re taking, and a brief description of your question or concern. And you cannot expect an answer at 2 a.m. because that’s when you’re studying. When you reach out to an instructor, give them 24-48 hours to respond.”

And remember, always be respectful and non-confrontational.

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Don’t be afraid to seek help

If you have excelled in high school without extra help, you might be tempted to persevere on your own.

In college, Neugebauer points out, asking for help is the norm.

“Once you get into your undergraduate program, you’ll find that almost everyone has, at some point, asked a TA for extra tutoring, gone to a tutoring center, or a writing or math center for extra help. It’s part of the learning process of an undergraduate program,” Neugebauer says.

Colleges have a variety of support systems in place to help you succeed.

TA office hours are a great place to start if you find yourself struggling with a specific concept or assignment. Peer tutoring programs enable you to learn from students who have been through the course themselves. Academic coaches can help with more general study tips or exam-related stress.

The key is seeking out help proactively, before you get too far behind. As the courses become more difficult, catching up becomes increasingly difficult.

Build time management techniques

Balancing everything that comes with life on a college campus can be difficult for many incoming college students.

“The biggest challenge we see facing high school students who are trying to adapt to college life is overcommitment. Students want to engage in every activity, a full course load, and even sometimes a part-time job. They don’t schedule enough time for self-care, quiet time, doing laundry, and plenty of study time. All those things take time,” Neugebauer says.

Good study habits and time management are key to avoiding the stress that comes from getting overcommitted.

Neugebauer recommends getting into the habit of keeping an accurate and up-to-date calendar.

“The best thing I can recommend is a calendar, such as Google Calendar. Use it to schedule everything: your class, your lunch time, time at the gym. It may seem counterintuitive, but work on scheduling literally everything, even sleep.”

Be sure to include assignments, tests, and other deadlines, as well as office hours for your instructors, TAs, and academic coaches.

Use your calendar to block off dedicated study time. And once you schedule it, stick to it! Avoid the temptation to procrastinate or use that time to hang out, play video games, or scroll on your phone.

Your calendar should also include dedicated time for self-care.

Regular mealtimes, good exercise habits, and a full night’s sleep are not only critical for your physical and mental health. You’ll also be surprised at how much they contribute to your academic success.

Challenge yourself as you engage in college coursework

Getting outside your comfort zone is a critical part of preparing yourself for the exciting challenges that await you in college.

“Being uncomfortable allows for growth. It means saying to yourself, ‘this is new. I want to try it. I want to see how it feels.’ This is all about adapting to a new environment but also examining yourself as a person,” says Neugebauer.

Taking on a new challenge—regardless of the ultimate outcome—builds resilience, mental toughness, and confidence, all of which you will need to succeed in your college courses.

But, warns Neugebauer, it’s also important to know your limitations.

“That uncomfortable feeling should be manageable. It should be a challenge but not so challenging that you feel panicked and wake up in cold sweats every night. It should be something that gets you a little nervous but also excited about what you’re involved in every day.”

However you decide to challenge yourself, it’s never too early to start if college is in your future. The sooner you start identifying and mastering the skills you need in college, the better prepared you’ll be to succeed right from day one.

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About the Author

Digital Content Producer

Emerson is a Digital Content Producer at Harvard DCE. She is a graduate of Brandeis University and Yale University and started her career as an international affairs analyst. She is an avid triathlete and has completed three Ironman triathlons, as well as the Boston Marathon.

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From Associate to Doctorate: A Complete Guide to College Degree Levels

Genevieve Carlton

Contributing Writer

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Updated April 12, 2024

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Are you ready to discover your college program?

Considering a college degree? First, you'll have to understand the types of degrees and college degree levels.

Different degrees prepare you for different career paths. For example, you can't become a psychologist with just a bachelor's degree — you'd need a master's or doctorate in psychology. And you usually can't become an engineer without at least a bachelor's degree.

Typically, as your university degree level rises, your earning potential increases, and the unemployment rate decreases. That's one more reason it's important to understand the different types of degrees.

What Types of Degrees Are There in College?

There are many types of degrees you can earn in college. College degree levels can be broken down into two categories: undergraduate degrees and graduate degrees.

Here are the college degrees in order, from lowest ranking to highest:

• Associate degree (undergraduate)
• Bachelor's degree (undergraduate)
• Master's degree (graduate)
• Doctoral degree (graduate)

While a doctorate is the highest education level, some fields may stop at a master's. The phrase "terminal degree" refers to the highest degree in a field.

A professional degree is a type of graduate degree — often a doctorate — that prepares you for a professional career in fields like law and medicine.

Popular Online Programs

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

Associate Degree

• Typical Program Length: 1-2 years
• Typical Number of Credits: 60

Most associate degrees prepare you to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation. These programs can be found at community and technical colleges and typically last 1-2 years.

An associate degree can also serve as the foundation for a bachelor's program. You may even be able to transfer some of the credits you earned for your associate degree toward a four-year degree.

Some associate degrees require you to complete an internship or practicum in addition to taking classes. This is particularly common among healthcare and tech degrees.

To apply for an associate degree program , you'll need a high school diploma or equivalent, like a GED certificate. Some schools may require you to submit standardized test scores, such as the ACT or the SAT, as well.

Featured Associate Programs

What can you do with an associate degree.

An associate degree prepares you for vocational, allied health, and support roles. For example, you can become a medical assistant , paralegal , or vet tech with an associate degree.

The highest-paying careers with an associate degree pay over $80,000 per year. See the table below for salary information on other popular associate degree jobs.

Source: BLS

Types of Associate Degrees

Colleges can offer three kinds of associate degrees:

• Associate of Arts (AA)
• Associate of Science (AS)
• Associate of Applied Science (AAS)

Arts, humanities, and creative fields typically offer an AA, whereas social sciences and natural sciences fields often award an AS. Many applied and vocational programs offer an AAS degree.

The type of degree matters if you're planning to transfer into a bachelor's program. Colleges normally offer fewer transfer credits for an AAS degree.

Popular Associate Degrees

• Business Administration
• Business Management
• Computer Science
• Criminal Justice
• Cybersecurity
• Early Childhood Education
• Graphic Design
• Healthcare Management
• Information Technology
• Medical Assisting
• Medical Billing and Coding
• Pre-Nursing
• Social Work

Bachelor's Degree

• Typical Program Length: 4 years
• Typical Number of Credits: 120

A bachelor's degree prepares you for many career paths. You'll generally spend four years earning a bachelor's degree at a college or university. You'll take general education classes and courses in your major . You can also choose a minor.

Some colleges offer accelerated bachelor's programs , which take less time — often 2-3 years. Degree-completion programs can also speed up the timeline by awarding you credit for previous college coursework.

You can earn your bachelor's degree online as well. An online degree from an accredited college meets the same standards as that of an in-person degree.

You'll need a high school diploma for admission and may also need to submit SAT or ACT scores.

Featured Bachelor's Programs

What can you do with a bachelor's degree.

In diverse industries like business, tech, and education, a bachelor's degree can prepare you for many entry-level careers. Some of the highest-paying jobs with a bachelor's degree include roles in finance, management, and tech.

Graduates with a four-year degree can also benefit from high demand in many lucrative fields, like software development and engineering. The table below introduces some popular jobs with a bachelor's degree.

Types of Bachelor's Degrees

You can earn a bachelor's degree in many fields. Some of the most common types of bachelor's degrees you'll see include:

• Bachelor of Arts (BA)
• Bachelor of Science (BS)
• Bachelor of Applied Arts (BAA)
• Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS)
• Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.)
• Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
• Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

The two most popular degrees are a BA and a BS. These degrees cover all arts and sciences majors and some education and engineering degrees.

Popular Bachelor's Degrees

• Civil Engineering
• Communication
• Computer Programming
• Health Informatics
• Health Sciences
• Human Resources
• Mathematics
• Organizational Psychology
• Political Science
• Public Policy
• Supply Chain and Logistics

Master's Degree

• Typical Program Length: 1-3 years
• Typical Number of Credits: 30

A master's degree can help you gain specialized skills and qualify for higher-paying roles. As a graduate student, you'll work closely with experts in your field to explore advanced topics.

While a master's degree typically takes two years, some universities offer accelerated one-year master's programs. You can also enroll in a bachelor's-to-master's program to earn both a bachelor's and master's degree in less time.

Most master's programs require a minimum of 30 credits. Admission and graduation requirements vary depending on the program. For example, many arts and sciences master's programs require GRE scores , while business programs typically require GMAT scores .

Featured Master's Programs

What can you do with a master's degree.

With a master's degree, you can qualify for management-level careers and specialized roles in industries like healthcare, research, and social services. The highest-paying master's degrees include MBAs and nurse practitioner degrees.

Learn more about the earning potential and demand for popular master's degree jobs below.

Types of Master's Degrees

Here are some of the most common types of master's degrees you can earn:

• Master of Arts (MA)
• Master of Science (MS)
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• Master of Education (M.Ed.)
• Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
• Master of Laws (LL.M.)
• Master of Public Administration (MPA)
• Master of Public Health (MPH)
• Master of Public Policy (MPP)
• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
• Master of Social Work (MSW)

An MA and an MS are among the most popular master's degrees. Humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences fields typically award an MA or an MS. Other popular options include an MBA and an M.Ed.

Popular Master's Degrees

• Creative Writing
• Data Science
• Engineering
• Healthcare Administration
• Library and Information Science
• Network Security
• Public Health
• Supply Chain Management

Doctoral Degrees

• Typical Program Length: 2-10 years
• Typical Number of Credits: Varies

A doctorate represents the highest degree you can get in academia. There are a few types of doctoral degrees you can get.

Professional doctorates train you for a professional career. For example, law school and med school are two common professional paths. A Ph.D., on the other hand — by far one of the most common types of doctorates — emphasizes theory and research.

In a doctoral program, you'll take graduate-level seminars and courses, take comprehensive exams, conduct original research, and defend a dissertation in front of a faculty committee.

Most applied doctorates take 3-5 years, while a Ph.D. typically requires 4-6 years of coursework. In certain fields, you can earn your doctorate online.

Some doctoral programs require a master's degree for admission, whereas others admit applicants with just a bachelor's degree. You may need to submit standardized test scores depending on the program.

Featured Doctoral Programs

What can you do with a doctorate.

If you want to become a physician , professor , or lawyer, you'll need a doctorate. In many fields, a doctorate translates into higher salaries. Lawyers, pharmacists , and physicists all report median salaries of over $125,000 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The following table shows the earning potential and demand for popular doctoral degree jobs.

Types of Doctoral Degrees

A doctorate is the highest education level, but there are still several types of doctoral degrees. Here are some of the most common you can get:

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
• Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
• Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
• Doctor of Medicine (MD)
• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
• Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)
• Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)
• Juris Doctor (JD)

A Ph.D. is the most popular doctorate. You can earn a Ph.D. in many arts and sciences fields. Other doctorates take their names from the career path associated with the degree.

Popular Doctoral Degrees

• Curriculum and Instruction
• Educational Administration
• Educational Leadership
• Human Services
• Legal Studies
• Organizational Leadership
• Public Administration

Frequently Asked Questions About College Degree Levels

What are the four types of college degrees.

The four types of college degrees are associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees. Colleges classify associate and bachelor's degrees as undergraduate degrees and master's and doctoral degrees as graduate degrees.

Within those categories, you can earn many types of degrees. For instance, at the bachelor's level, you could earn a bachelor of arts (BA), a bachelor of science (BS), or a bachelor of fine arts (BFA) degree.

What is a four-year college degree called?

A four-year college degree is called a bachelor's degree. Another term for this degree type is a baccalaureate degree.

Many careers require a bachelor's degree for entry-level roles. For example, most careers in business require you to hold a bachelor's degree. Many roles in tech, education, the public sector, and engineering also require you to have a four-year degree.

Some career paths require a specific major. In many states, you'll need a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) to become a registered nurse . In other fields, your specific major matters less than the quality of your skills.

What is the highest degree?

The highest degree is a doctorate, also called a doctoral degree. In terms of university degree levels, both master's and bachelor's degrees rank below doctorates.

You can earn a doctorate in a wide array of fields, including the social sciences, business, the humanities, education, engineering, and healthcare.

In some fields, however, a master's degree represents the terminal, or highest, degree. For instance, a master of fine arts (MFA) is the terminal degree for creative writing.

What is the hardest college degree?

Most would agree that the hardest college degree is a doctorate. As the highest education level, a doctorate requires significant expertise in the field.

Many Ph.D. programs take six years or more and require you to write a book-length dissertation based on original research.

Because a doctorate represents the top of the university degree levels, it's a relatively uncommon degree. Only around 2% of U.S. adults held a doctorate in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau .

What is the quickest degree?

The fastest degree you can get is either a one-year associate degree or a one-year master's degree. While other types of degrees typically take a minimum of two years, you can earn a master's degree in one year with an accelerated or fast-track program.

You can sometimes add a master's degree to your bachelor's through a 4+1 program, also known as a bachelor's-to-master's program. In this case, some of your coursework counts toward both your undergraduate and graduate degrees, meaning you'll spend an additional year in college to leave with a master's degree.

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What Are College-Level Courses?

What Are College Preparatory Courses?

You can get a jump start on earning college credits in high school by taking college-level courses, like Advanced Placement courses, or in some communities, courses at local colleges or universities that are open to qualified high school students. The advantages of taking college-level courses in high school are that they can save you time and money and prepare you for the more advanced work you'll encounter once you are in college.

Taking AP courses in high school provides motivated students with three main benefits: the opportunity to tackle college-level coursework and delve deeply into a subject area while still in high school; the chance to earn credits that will later apply to college course placement or degree requirements, through taking AP exams; and evidence of their readiness to do college-level work when it comes time for the college admissions process. At the time of publication, AP courses and exams are available in 34 subject areas, but not all high schools offer AP courses and not all colleges and universities accept AP credits. Students should check with their guidance counselors as part of their exploration into taking these courses. The College Board's website provides complete information on how to enroll in AP courses and register for the exams.

Courses at Colleges or Universities

Often, a community college or university will open certain introductory-level courses to qualified high school students. Students who feel ready to take on more challenging work should talk to their teachers and guidance counselors about available options at local institutions. Students can apply credits they earn in such courses to a degree if they go on to matriculate at a college or university. When it comes to college applications, previous college course experience shows that a student can handle higher-level material, boosting her chances for admission.

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Betsy Beacom is a writer and editor with experience in education, marketing, Internet content, social media, the performing and visual arts, literature and more. She holds bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in literature, has taught English at Yale University and has more than 20 years' experience writing and editing.

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College & Careers

A guide to earning college credit while in high school.

The paths include Dual Enrollment, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate. Each has benefits and challenges.

May 8, 2023.

Emma Gallegos

An increasing number of students in California are graduating from high school with college credits under their belt. The main three ways to do this are through Advanced Placement courses, dual enrollment or International Baccalaureate.

This guide aims to give high school students and their families an overview of college-level coursework in California for young students and how it could affect them in college and their career.

Please click below questions to view text.

What is the purpose of earning college credit early?

The main reason students take college-level coursework during high school (and sometimes middle school) is to get a jump on college credits.

Even a handful of college credits earned in high school can save valuable time and tuition dollars later on. This means potentially earning a bachelor’s degree much faster, enabling students to begin their careers and start earning sooner.

Many dual enrollment programs will enable students to graduate with a full associate’s degree as a high school student. That allows students to begin college as juniors. The rise of the community college baccalaureate has opened up the possibility of graduating from college one year after high school graduation. Students at McFarland High can graduate with a bachelor’s degree in industrial automation from Bakersfield College just one year after high school .

Coming into college with credit could also give students flexibility to take on other opportunities they might not otherwise have had time for, such as an internship or study abroad program.

Some students take these courses to burnish their college applications. Taking college-level courses demonstrates to selective college admissions offices that a student is ready for the intellectual rigor of college. Some college-level courses taken through high school are given extra weight, which can boost a student’s grade point average and class ranking.

Many advocates see these courses as a way to encourage college attendance among students who may not be college-bound, such as first-generation college students. Exposure to college-level coursework can help students develop the study habits and critical thinking key for success in college.

“It helps them to build confidence, and I think that that’s really key,” said Michelle Whittingham, Associate Vice Chancellor and Interim Director of Undergraduate Admissions for UC Santa Cruz. “Because sometimes students, for many different reasons, aren’t sure if they’re college material.”

What is dual enrollment?

This simply means that a high school student is enrolled in a college course. Most dually enrolled students in California take courses through local community colleges, though some four-year colleges and universities also allow high school students to enroll.

In 2015, California made an effort to expand dual enrollment options to students who may not be high-achievers or who are historically underrepresented in college. College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) makes it easier for students to take courses on their high school campus, either during the regular school day or after school.

Many offerings count toward general education credits required for a bachelor’s degree. However, many dual enrollment programs in California also include career training in areas, such as health care, computer technology or education. This aims to give students entry into a career after high school or a headstart in college.

Dual enrollment, because it is an actual college course, does not count toward that minimum amount of time students are required to spend each day in high school. That limits the number of courses a high school student can take. Students at early college and middle college high schools are exempt from this, enabling students to enroll in more college courses.

What is Advanced Placement?

Since the 1950s, the nonprofit College Board has operated college-level curriculum and exams for high school students. The offerings today include 38 Advanced Placement (AP) courses that typically cover the span of introductory-level liberal arts courses, including art, history, math, science, economics, political science, language and literature courses.

Students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses aiming for college credit take a final course exam in May. Students are graded on a scale of 1 to 5. A 3 or higher is considered a passing score for which many colleges grant credit. Pass rates last year varied from 48.6% in U.S. Government and Politics to 86.6% in 2-D Art and Design.

What is the International Baccalaureate?

As its name suggests, the International Baccalaureate is a program offered and accepted in countries all over the world. Its curriculum ranges from early education through high school.

The capstone is the IB Diploma Programme for upperclassmen in high school. One requirement is passing courses in six subject areas that include art, science, language, literature, mathematics and social science. Passing requires a final examination, and exam scores are what may earn a student college credit. The highest score on an IB test is 7, and 5 is considered a passing grade.

How does a student earn college credit?

Students in dual enrollment courses receive credit the same way any other college student does: by completing the coursework, which may include assignments, quizzes and tests. Passing a course requires at least a C.

However, credit for AP or IB courses hinges entirely on how well a student performs on a single — and what some students see as high-pressure — exam. Some AP students pass their coursework but fail the exam, receiving no college credit.

Which is the best option?

Admissions officers generally don’t prefer one kind of course.

“The key for us is that students are challenging themselves within the opportunities they have available,” said Whittingham.

A student whose school offers little or no college-level courses won’t be disqualified for what they couldn’t take.

Scheduling is a consideration. Dual enrollment courses aren’t always offered during the regular school day, which can make it tough for students with after school commitments, such as sports, a job or caregiving duties. An AP or IB course might be offered during a time that conflicts with a student’s favorite elective.

Admissions officers consider this, too. The measure of a student isn’t simply their academics, but their passions, their extracurriculars and the unique challenges they face in life, said Whittingham.

Some students like the intensity of test-centric AP courses. Others prefer dual enrollment courses, so that their college credit is not completely determined by one test in May.

Do I need to come into college with credit?

An increasing emphasis on getting college credit early and graduating from college early might worry those who are entering college with no credits.

“I never want the student to worry,” Whittingham said. “They can be a senior or junior and not have any dual credit and that’s OK.”

Will my college or university accept this credit?

That depends largely on which college or university a student plans to attend and what they plan to major in. The only way to know for sure is to reach out to an individual college or university.

But for the vast majority of California students, the answer is yes. Community colleges, CSUs and UCs all accept passing AP scores of 3 and better, IB scores and dual enrollment college credit. These are the schools that approximately 85% of college-going California high school students attend . Most out-of-state schools and many private institutions give credit for these scores or courses as well.

Some selective universities cap the credit obtained ahead of their undergraduate education. Stanford, for example, caps credit for incoming freshmen at the equivalent of one year. A few highly selective universities, such Caltech , do not accept any of these programs’ credit at all. However, these elite schools prefer candidates who have taken the most rigorous coursework offered by their high school, which are typically dual enrollment, AP or IB courses.

Will this class count for high school credit?

This depends on the high school. Generally, students taking AP or IB courses receive credit in high school, and it counts toward their GPA. Many dual enrollment courses — especially those taken during the regular school day — count toward high school credit and grades.

How will these courses affect my GPA?

Many high schools will weigh college-level courses with an extra point. Even if a high school doesn’t, a college or university might. UC will award an extra point up to eight courses for AP, IB or dual enrollment courses. CSU will do the same .

Who teaches the course?

Typically, high school teachers teach AP or IB courses.

Dual enrollment courses in California work differently. These courses must be taught by instructors who meet the minimum requirements in their field of study set by the state . Typically, this is a master’s degree in that particular discipline, though in career and technical education, several years of experience in the field of study may be sufficient.

Many college professors, particularly part-time adjunct faculty members, teach these courses. Some high school teachers may be qualified to teach these programs, but many do not.

Expanding the pool of instructors will require “upskilling” high school teachers. There are efforts in the Central Valley to support high school English and math teachers getting a master’s degree.

Can students who are homeschooled or studying independently get college credit?

Students can self-study for AP exams, which makes AP a good option for those who are homeschooled or otherwise independently studying.

IB is currently rolling out an option for students to take courses toward the IB Diploma Programme online, which opens the courses up to students who are not enrolled in an IB-certified school.

Whittingham said UC Scout is an underutilized option for high school students who can’t find the high school class they’re looking for in their own local schools. UC Scout offers remote options for A-G options that are free to public school students. It includes AP courses.

How much does it cost?

Dual enrollment courses taken through a high school are generally free to students: covering the cost of tuition, fees and even books and other materials required for courses.

The College Board currently charges $97 per AP test and reduces the fees for low-income students to $53. School districts in California may also use local control funds to pay test fees for its students.

IB charges schools $119 per exam , and schools can choose whether to pass those fees along to students.

What is available for me?

Offerings vary widely by region. The best way to learn about options is to reach out to a high school counselor or a local college or university.

Who is eligible to take these courses?

Theoretically, any high school student who is ready to do the hard work that comes with college-level courses should be eligible. There are options for students in continuation schools, juvenile detention and adult schools.

High school counselors may dissuade students from taking coursework if they feel a student is not academically prepared or emotionally mature. At some schools, college-level courses may be reserved for students who are on an honors track and college-bound.

The expansion of dual enrollment courses on high school campuses is intended to open up college-level coursework to students beyond high achievers.

In practice, some dual enrollment courses or pathways can be extremely competitive, and some types of students may be dissuaded from taking these courses. An EdSource analysis found that Black and Latino students were underrepresented in dual enrollment courses in most college districts.

Some high schools reserve slots for students who do not have high GPAs. Middle College High School in San Bernardino keeps 80% of its slots available to students with GPAs between 1.89 and 3.49. Some schools set minimum requirements and hold lotteries for all eligible students to keep access equitable.

When is it time for a student to start thinking about college-level courses?

Particularly precocious middle school students can take college-level courses, but so can high school seniors who hadn’t given the idea any thought until their final year.

Many college-level courses can be taken without prerequisites.

However, some dual enrollment pathways begin in a student’s freshman year. Students who are interested may have to apply as early as middle school.

Some of these courses build on skills that begin as early as middle school. This is especially true for subjects such as math that require taking a sequence of courses. Taking calculus, for instance, requires that students have taken algebra, geometry and pre-calculus.

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Tim Taylor 12 months ago 12 months ago

Great resource Emma…thanks so much for this!

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4.2 Planning Your Degree Path

Questions to Consider:

• What types of college degrees or certifications can I pursue?
• What is the difference between majors and minors?
• How do preprofessional programs differ from other majors?
• Do some majors have special requirements beyond regular coursework?

To set goals for your academic and career path, you must first have an understanding of the options available for you to pursue and the requirements you will need to meet. The next section provides an overview of academic programs and college degrees that are common among many colleges and universities in the United States. Please note that each institution will have its own specific options and requirements, so the intention of this section is both to help you understand your opportunities and to familiarize you with language that colleges typically use to describe these opportunities. After reviewing this section, you should be better able to formulate specific questions to ask at your school or be better prepared to navigate and search your own college’s website.

Types of Degrees

Whereas in most states high school attendance through the 12th grade is mandatory, or compulsory , a college degree may be pursued voluntarily. There are fields that do not require a degree. Bookkeeping, computer repair, massage therapy, and childcare are all fields where certification programs—tracks to study a specific subject or career without need of a complete degree—may be enough.

However, many individuals will find that an associate’s or bachelor’s degree is a requirement to enter their desired career field. According to United States Census data published in 2017, more than one-third of the adult population in the country has completed at least a bachelor’s degree, so this may be the degree that is most familiar to you.

Not every job requires a bachelor’s degree, and some require even higher degrees or additional specialized certifications. As you develop your academic plan, it is important to research your field of interest to see what requirements might be necessary or most desirable.

To distinguish between the types of degrees , it is useful to understand that courses are often assigned a number of credits, sometimes called semester hours as well. Credits relate to the calculated hours during a course that a student spends interacting with the instructor and/or the course material through class time, laboratory time, online discussions, homework, etc. Courses at all degree levels are typically assigned a value of one to six credits, although students often need to complete a developmental education course or two, often in English or math. These requirements, which cost as much as typical college courses but do not grant college credit, are meant to provide some basic information students may have missed in high school but that will be necessary to keep up in college-level coursework.

The minimum or maximum number of credits required to graduate with different degrees varies by state or institution, but approximate minimum numbers of credits are explained below. Keep in mind that although a minimum number of credits must be completed to get a certain degree, total credits completed is not the only consideration for graduation—you must take your credits or courses in particular subjects indicated by your college.

To determine your best degree option, it might make sense to do some research to determine what kind of career you’re most interested in pursuing. Visit your campus career center to meet with a counselor to guide you through this process. These services are free to students—similar services can be pricey once you’ve graduated, so take advantage. There are other tools online you can investigate.

Get Connected

These free, online self-assessments help you narrow down your choices.

• MyPlan identifies your motivations by having you rank different aspects of work, then creating a ranked list of different possible jobs.
• MAPP Test helps you determine what you love to do and what you don’t love to do and then creates a list of jobs that might be a good fit for you.
• The Career Cluster Interest Survey is a quick tool to let you create career clusters based on personal qualities and school subjects and activities you especially enjoy.

Associate’s Degrees

To enter an associate’s degree program, students must have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Associate’s degree programs may be intended to help students enter a technical career field, such as automotive technology, graphic design, or entry-level nursing in some states. Such technical programs may be considered an Associate of Applied Arts (AAA) or Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees, though there are other titles as well.

Other associate’s degree programs are intended to prepare a student with the necessary coursework to transfer into a bachelor’s degree program upon graduation. These transfer-focused programs usually require similar general education and foundational courses that a student would need in the first half of a bachelor’s degree program. Transfer-focused associate’s degrees may be called Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS), or other titles, depending on the focus of study.

An associate’s degree is typically awarded when a student has completed a minimum of 60 credits, approximately 20 courses, meeting the requirements of a specific degree. Some technical associate’s degrees, such as nursing, may require additional credits in order to meet requirements for special certifications. You may find that your college or university does not offer associate’s degrees. Most associate’s degrees are offered by community or junior colleges, or by career and technical colleges.

What to Ask

If you’re planning your associate’s degree, here are some specific questions you may want to research.

If you intend to enter a technical career that requires special certification:

• Does your college prepare you to take a certification exam, or will you be meeting those requirements through your courses?
• Does your college have any special internship or employment placement arrangements with employers to help you gain experience or get started in the field?

If you intend to transfer upon graduation:

• Is your college regionally accredited?
• Does your college have any special transfer agreements for guaranteed transfer of credits or perhaps for discounted tuition?
• Does your state have special transfer agreements or requirements that make it easier to transfer to colleges or universities within the same state?

Bachelor’s Degrees

When someone generally mentions “a college degree,” they are often referring to the bachelor’s degree , or baccalaureate degree. Because it takes four years of full-time attendance to complete a bachelor’s degree, this degree is also referred to as a “ four-year degree .” Similar to an associate’s degree, to enter a bachelor’s degree program a student must have completed a high school diploma or its equivalent. Both associate’s degrees and bachelor’s degrees are considered undergraduate degrees , thus students working toward these degrees are often called undergraduates . A student with an associate’s degree may transfer that degree to meet some (usually half) of the requirements of a bachelor’s degree; however, completion of an associate’s degree is not necessary for entry into a bachelor’s degree program.

A bachelor’s degree is usually completed with a minimum of 120 credits, or approximately 40 courses. Some specialized degree programs may require more credits. (If an associate’s degree has been transferred, the number of credits from that degree usually counts toward the 120 credits. For example, if an associate’s degree was 60 credits, then a student must take 60 additional credits to achieve their bachelor’s degree.)

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BS), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) are the most popular degree titles at this level and differ primarily in their focus on exploring a broader range of subject areas, as with a BA, versus focusing in more depth on a particular subject, as with a BS, BSN, or BFA. Regardless of whether a student is pursuing a BA, BS, BSN, or BFA, each of these programs requires a balance of credits or courses in different subject areas. In the United States, a bachelor’s degree comprises courses from three categories: general education courses, major courses, and electives . A fourth category of courses would be those required for a minor, which we will discuss in more detail in the section on majors and minors.

General Education

General education , also called core curriculum , is a group of courses that are often set as requirements by your state or by your individual college. These courses provide you with a foundation of knowledge across a breadth of fields and are also intended to help you further develop college-level critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities. You may be able to select courses from a general education menu of courses available at your institution. More than half of your bachelor’s degree program is likely made up of general education courses.

Major Courses

Major courses are courses in your field of interest and provide you with the foundational knowledge required for further study in that field or with the skills necessary to enter your career. Some schools may refer to these as career studies courses. Major courses often have a series of prerequisites , or courses that must be taken in sequence prior to other courses, starting with an introductory course and progressing into more depth. Major courses usually make up about a fourth or more of a bachelor’s degree (30 credits, or approximately 10 courses). A BS or BFA degree may require more major courses than a BA degree. Colleges and universities usually require students to select a major by the time they’ve completed 30 total credits.

Electives are free-choice courses. Though you may have a choice to select from a menu of options to meet general education and major requirements, electives are even less restricted. Some students may be able to take more electives than others due to their choice of major or if they are able to take courses that meet more than one requirement (for example, a sociology course may be both a major requirement and a general education social science course). Some colleges intentionally allow room for electives in a program to ensure that students, particularly those students who are undecided about their major, are able to explore different programs without exceeding the total number of credits required to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. In other cases, students may have taken all of their major courses and fulfilled their general education requirements but still need additional credits to fulfill the minimum to graduate. The additional courses taken to meet the total credit requirement (if necessary) are considered electives.

Graduate Degrees

According to United States Census data published in 2018, 13.1 percent of the U.S. adult population have completed advanced degrees. 3 Whereas associate’s and bachelor’s degrees are considered undergraduate degrees and require high school graduation for entry, advanced degrees called graduate degrees require prior completion of a bachelor’s degree. Some professions require graduate degrees as a minimum job qualification, such as pharmacists, lawyers, physical therapists, psychologists, and college professors. In other cases, students may be motivated to pursue a graduate degree to obtain a higher-level job or higher salary, or to be more competitive in their field. Some students are also interested in learning about some subject in greater depth than they did at the undergraduate level. Because graduate degrees do not include general education or free elective courses, they are very focused on career-specific knowledge and skills. Graduate degrees include master’s, doctoral, and professional degrees. Master’s degrees often require 30–60 credits and take one to two years of full-time attendance to complete. Some master’s degrees , like those for counselors, require supervised job experience as a component of the degree and therefore require more credits.

Doctorate and professional degrees are the highest level of advanced degrees. Approximately 3.5% of the U.S. adult population has completed a doctorate or professional degree. Very few careers require this level of education for entry, so fewer individuals pursue these degrees. Doctorates are offered in many subjects and primarily prepare students to become researchers in their field of study. This in-depth level of education often requires an additional 90–120 credits beyond the bachelor’s degree, and may or may not require a master’s degree prior to entry. (A master’s degree as an entry requirement may reduce the number of credits required to complete the doctoral degree.)

Professional degrees are a specific type of doctorate-level degree that focus on skills to be applied in a practical , or hands-on, career rather than as a researcher. The most common professional degrees are Doctor of Medicine (MD) for aspiring medical doctors, Juris Doctor (JD) for aspiring lawyers, Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) for aspiring pharmacists, and Doctor of Education (EdD) for aspiring school and college or university administrators. If the career you are pursuing requires a graduate degree, you should keep this end goal in mind as you plan for the timeline and finances required to meet your goals. You may also want to inquire about special agreements that your college or university may have to expedite admission into or completion of graduate degrees. For example, some universities offer 4+1 master’s programs , wherein students take both bachelor’s and master’s level courses during their last year as an undergraduate to accelerate the completion of both degrees.

Other Post-Baccalaureate Credentials

Post-baccalaureate refers to structured learning experiences pursued after a bachelor’s degree is achieved. While some such activities are structured into graduate degrees as described in the sections above, other fields value continuing education credits, competency badges, and additional certifications. These post-baccalaureate credentials may need to be completed prior to entering a career field, may be obtained as an option to gain competitive advantage for hiring, or may be achieved during the course of an individual’s career to stay current, maintain qualification, or be promoted. To determine if your field requires post-baccalaureate credentials , you may want to speak with an established professional in that career, review the qualifications section of related job descriptions, or visit with a career counselor on your campus. In a world that changes as rapidly as ours, engaging in lifelong learning is advisable regardless of the specific requirements of any particular career choice.

Draft an Education Timeline

Use the Bureau of Labor Statistics online Occupational Outlook Handbook to search for occupations that interest you, and note the level of education that these jobs require. Refer to your college’s academic catalog (frequently located on the college’s website) or curriculum maps to see the suggested sequence of courses for majors that relate to your career or careers of interest.

Select three interesting jobs and sketch a timeline for each, starting with your first semester of undergraduate study (whether you’re getting an associate’s or a bachelor’s) and ending with the point when you will meet the minimum requirements to be qualified for that job. Keep in mind that the timeline of students attending full-time may differ from those who are attending part-time.

Majors and Minors

One of the most common questions an undergraduate college student will be asked is “What’s your major?” As we already noted, your major is only one part of your undergraduate (associate’s or bachelor’s) degree, but it is the part that most demonstrates your interests and possible future goals. At some point during your studies you will be asked to decide on, or declare , a major. You may also be able to select a minor or additional concentration. Whereas a major comprises approximately 10–12 courses of a bachelor’s degree program and is required, a minor is usually 5–8 courses, is often optional, and may count toward or contribute to exceeding the total number of credits required for graduation. Rather than take elective courses, some students will select courses that meet the requirements for a minor. When selecting a major and possibly a minor, you’ll want to consider how the knowledge and skills you gain through those fields of study prepare you for a particular career. Majors and minors can be complementary. For example, a major in business might be well-matched with a minor in a foreign language, thus allowing the student to pursue a career in business with a company that hires bilingual employees. It is important to research careers of interest to you when selecting your major and/or minor to determine what will best help you to meet your goals.

Preprofessional Programs

Some undergraduate degrees are specifically designed to prepare students to later pursue professional degrees (such as the MD or PharmD) at the graduate level. Such programs are called preprofessional programs , preprofessional majors, or preprofessional tracks. The most common preprofessional programs are premed, prelaw, and prepharmacy, but you may see other offerings. Although some preprofessional programs are structured as majors that you can declare, many preprofessional programs are a sequence of recommended courses and activities that a student can follow alongside a related major. While following a preprofessional program may not guarantee your admittance to a professional program, it does increase the likelihood of acceptance to and preparation for a graduate professional program.

Consider Loretta’s story as an example of how a student might be on a preprofessional track. Loretta has decided that she would like to become a medical doctor. She has declared biology as her major and is taking the courses required to graduate with a bachelor of science degree in biology. Her university does not have a premed major, but it does have a premed track. She informs her academic advisor of her career goals, and her advisor provides her information about the premed track. The premed track includes a list of courses that students should take to prepare for the medical school entrance exams, called MCATs. Some of these courses are biology courses that overlap with Loretta’s biology major, while others are higher-level chemistry courses that are not required for her major. She can take these chemistry courses, and any other premed-track courses, as her elective courses. The premed track at Loretta’s university includes opportunities to attend MCAT study workshops and premed student club meetings. It also provides recommendations for summer volunteering and internships that will strengthen Loretta’s resume and application to medical school following the completion of her bachelor’s degree.

Special Requirements of Majors

While preprofessional programs prepare students for entrance into graduate professional degree programs, some undergraduate majors involve special requirements beyond the usual courses and classroom experience to prepare students for entrance to their career. Such requirements provide students practical experience or prerequisites for licensure necessary for a particular job. When requirements are major-specific, it is often because the requirement is state-mandated for that job. Majors that often include state-mandated special requirements are education, social work, and nursing. Some colleges and universities may require all students to participate in additional experiences beyond their regular coursework. You will want to ask your college about details specific to your major or institution. In this section we will generally discuss four such special requirements and experiences: fieldwork and internships, clinicals, student teaching, and service learning.

Fieldwork and Internships

Fieldwork and internships may also be referred to as practicums and field experience. These requirements provide hands-on work experience in a career, or field . When fieldwork or internships are required for your major, such as with a social work major, it is often listed as a course requirement among your major requirements. In other words, you usually receive credits for your fieldwork as you would for a lab or lecture course. Your fieldwork instructor will likely ask you to reflect on and report on your experiences. They will likely confer with a supervisor at your fieldwork site , the place where you are working, to help assess your hands-on learning. Fieldwork and internships provide students with opportunities to practice the skills they’ve learned in the classroom while also introducing them to the values and culture of the organizations and communities in which they hope to be employed. It is important to note that fieldwork and internship experiences are often available to students even if they are not required for their major. You may want to inquire with your academic advisors, faculty, or career services office to determine what opportunities might be available for you to gain this type of experience in your field of interest.

Clinicals are a type of fieldwork specifically required of nursing students. Clinicals may take place in hospitals, nursing homes, or mental health facilities. They provide nursing students who are nearing the end of their degree programs with the opportunity to practice nursing skills that cannot be learned in a regular classroom. During clinicals, students will interact with real patients to conduct physical examinations, draw blood, administer medicine, and provide other care as necessary. Because of the risk to patients, students participating in clinicals are more closely supervised by experienced professionals than those in other types of fieldwork experiences. Thus, clinicals function very much like a real-world classroom and progress to more independent work through the semester. Before undertaking clinicals, nursing students will need to complete certain coursework and pass a physical examination and background check. Because clinicals are often much longer than a class meeting, students will need to work with staff from the program to plan their schedule. It may not be feasible to work at another job while completing clinicals, so if you must work while you’re in college, it’s important to discuss this with nursing staff or academic advisors and to plan ahead.

Student Teaching

Student teaching is a specific type of fieldwork undertaken by students who plan to teach at the preschool, elementary, or middle and high school levels. Education students are often required to complete a student teaching experience in order to obtain a teaching license in their state. Students must often complete core education coursework prior to student teaching and must complete a background check prior to placement in a school setting. During their student teaching experience, students are usually paired one-on-one with an experienced teacher and have the opportunity to observe that teacher, get to know the students, understand the classroom culture, and participate in lessons as a teaching assistant as needed or appropriate. Much like nursing clinicals, this highly supervised fieldwork experience usually progresses to more independent work when the student teacher is asked to deliver and reflect on a lesson plan of their own design. Keep in mind as you plan for student teaching that unlike other fieldwork experiences, student teaching is limited to fall or spring semesters and cannot be completed in the summer because most schools are closed during the summer terms. Also, it may not be feasible to work at another job while completing your student teaching experience, so if you must work while you’re in college, it’s important to discuss this with your program staff or academic advisors and to plan ahead.

Service Learning

While service learning may not be required of a specific major, you may see this special requirement for a course or as a general graduation requirement for your college or university. It’s also an excellent opportunity to try out something that interests you, something that could lead to or be part of your eventual career.

Service learning is very much like volunteering or community service. The purpose of service learning is to interact with and meet the needs of your local community. Service learning does differ from volunteering in that it is more structured to meet specific learning goals. For example, if you were engaging in service learning for an environmental science course, your activities would likely be focused on local environmental issues. Or, if you were engaging in service learning for a sociology course, you would likely be working with local community groups or organizations not only to assist these organizations, but also to observe how groups interact. Like fieldwork, service learning provides you an opportunity to observe and apply concepts learned in the classroom in a real-world setting. Students are often asked to reflect on their service learning activities in the context of what they’ve been learning in class, so if you’re engaged in service learning, be thinking about how the activities you do relate to what you’ve learned and know.

What Students Say

• Fieldwork, internships, and/or student teaching
• Other (write in)
• Part-time job
• Full-time job
• Study Abroad
• The advice of friends and/or family
• The practical, hands-on experiences I’ve had outside of the classroom
• The knowledge and skills I’ve learned in class
• The advice I’ve gotten from mentors, advisors, or college faculty

You can also take the anonymous What Students Say surveys to add your voice to this textbook. Your responses will be included in updates.

Students offered their views on these questions, and the results are displayed in the graphs below.

Does your major have any special requirements that must be completed outside of the classroom?

While in college, which of the following do you think you are most likely to do?

What has influenced your academic and career plan the most?

• 2 Minimum degree qualifications may vary by state.
• 3 United States Census Bureau. (2019, February 21). Number of People with Master’s and Doctoral Degrees Doubles Since 2000. Retrieved from: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/02/number-of-people-with-masters-and-phd-degrees-double-since-2000.html

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Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/college-success/pages/1-introduction

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• Publisher/website: OpenStax
• Book title: College Success
• Publication date: Mar 27, 2020
• Location: Houston, Texas
• Book URL: https://openstax.org/books/college-success/pages/1-introduction
• Section URL: https://openstax.org/books/college-success/pages/4-2-planning-your-degree-path

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Dual Enrollment: What You Need To Know

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As a college-bound student, it may be worthwhile to try and earn some college credit while you’re still in high school. You can do that by taking AP classes and/or higher-level IB courses, but you have to pass certain exams in order to get college credit from those courses. You could also take some classes at a community college over the summer or even during the school year, but you will probably have to pay to take those classes.

Dual enrollment, on the other hand, is a way for you to gain college credit without any of those other constraints. What are dual enrollment courses? Where do you take them? How does it work? For those answers and more, read on.

What is Dual Enrollment?

Dual Enrollment, also sometimes referred to as Dual Credit, is a program in which a student can earn college credit by taking college-level classes in high school. Though it differs by state, Dual Credit classes will likely be offered via a partnership with your school and a local community college. These courses will be specially marked on all course enrollment forms.

Most of the time, you will be able to take Dual Enrollment courses either at your high school or online. Sometimes, however, you may have to go to the local community college to take the course, in which case you may have to take time outside of school hours to take a dual enrollment course.

Each school will have different dual enrollment courses that they offer, but they’re usually introductory college courses that you will need to take while you’re in college anyway. Many colleges will accept dual enrollment courses as a waiver for the corresponding college introductory course.

What are the Requirements?

In order to enroll in dual enrollment courses, a student has to meet certain standards. Each state has a different set of requirements and guidelines for their dual enrollment students, so you’ll need to check and see what the requirements are for your state. To see the comprehensive breakdown of the dual enrollment requirements by state, click here.

Most states allow 10-12th graders to enroll in dual enrollment courses, and they usually require that the student meet a minimum GPA requirement, usually around 3.0 or higher. Other than that, the course requirements vary.

Where Do You Take Dual Credit Courses?

The simple answer is: it depends. It depends on what your state mandates and what your high school/community college has arranged. Some schools allow dual enrollment courses to be taught at the high school itself. This way, a dual enrollment course could become part of your normal school schedule.

However, some courses require you to commute daily to the local community college, usually before or after normal high school hours. You may also be able to take a dual enrollment course online. Check with your high school counselor to see which of these options is offered by your school.

Why Should You Enroll in Dual Credit Courses?

There are many benefits to enrolling in dual credit courses, including:

• Dual Credit Courses are real college classes, so students get a sense of what real college classwork is like
• Some unique classes may only be available through the dual enrollment program
• Most in-state colleges will likely accept your dual credit courses as college credit, provided that you meet a certain grade standard
• These courses are a way to show colleges that you are capable of handling college-level coursework.
• If there is no tuition involved with taking dual credit courses at your school, these will be by far the cheapest way to gain college credit.
• Unlike AP classes, you don’t have to take a test to gain college credit through dual enrollment classes.

Can You Earn a Degree?

Probably not. There simply aren’t usually enough classes offered in a specific academic field through the dual credit program to allow students to earn even an associate’s degree. There may be other programs available at your local community college that would allow a student to get a degree while in high school, but the dual enrollment program almost never has that option.

However, it is worth noting that while you can’t earn a degree through dual enrollment classes, you can use those classes to help you decide what academic discipline you would like to major in during college. These college-level courses are going to be your best indicator of whether you’d enjoy studying a certain subject in the future, so really try to be introspective while you’re taking these courses and think about whether you could really delve into each particular subject for four years.

Any Downsides?

Overall, the Dual Enrollment Program is a slam dunk logistically and financially. However, in order to make an informed decision, there are a few potential drawbacks that you should be aware of:

• Colleges do not universally accept dual enrollment courses, especially for an out-of-state student.
• Sometimes, dual credit courses require you to travel to a community college early in the morning or late at night. You might be spending a lot of extra time at school beyond normal school hours.
• Dual credit courses are real college classes, which means that they have the rigor and intensity of real college classes as well. It may be too much to handle dual enrollment courses plus your regular high school course load and extracurricular activities.

How To Get Started

If you’re interested in the dual enrollment program, we at CollegeVine recommend that you make an appointment with your guidance counselor as soon as possible to discuss what your options are.

He or she will know what the requirements are, what types of classes are available, and how you would have to take them (i.e.online, at your high school, or at a community college). You can also try to find this information online, but you may not find information specific to your high school. Each school district’s dual enrollment course offerings tend to be a little bit different.

If you’re looking for the cheapest, potentially easiest way to earn college credit in high school, dual enrollment is a great option for you. You’ll get to experience college-level coursework while potentially earning college credit at the same time.

Be careful though: the dual enrollment program is not embraced by colleges as widely as the AP and IB program is. The colleges you may be hoping to apply to may not take give college credit for dual enrollment courses, in which case AP/IB classes would be your best bet. If you’re interested in taking dual enrollment courses, talk to your guidance counselor as soon as possible.

Want to learn more about earning college credit while you’re still in high school? Check out these previous blog posts:

Everything You Need To Know About Pre-AP Classes

Earning College Credit In High School: What You Need To Know

6 Tips For Succeeding In Your First AP/IB Class

How To Earn an IB Diploma

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So I'm considering taking some college courses while in high school. For anyone who's done this, what was your experience? Is it really beneficial when it comes to college admissions?

Absolutely! Taking college courses while still in high school can be a significant advantage for several reasons. Firstly, it demonstrates to college admissions committees that you're capable of handling college-level coursework, which is a big plus. This initiative often reflects well on your Academic Index, showing that your grades and rigor of courses are strong.

Moreover, it can also give you a feel for college academics and help you manage your time effectively—both useful skills for when you actually get to college. From experience, students who take college courses usually find the transition to college much smoother. They already know what to expect and how to manage the workload.

Just make sure that the subjects you choose align with your academic interests or proposed college major. Colleges like it when they can see a clear 'spike' in your interests and abilities, and college courses can help you develop that specialty area. All the best with your decision, and remember to balance your workload to maintain a healthy school-life balance!

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20 Interactive Classroom Activities for College Students [Plus: Free List of 45+ Activities]

Planning to use interactive classroom activities intentionally can really transform the learning dynamic. Here are 20 activities to get you started.

Top Hat Staff

How interactive are your classroom activities? Do you have less energy for class than you used to? Do you find student grades declining? And are the teaching methods you’ve always relied on not working as well as they once did? We spoke to two college instructors, Chris Merlo and Monika Semma. Their strategies for interactive classroom activities will energize your class and get the discussion moving again.

Table of contents

• Why are interactive activities important in college?

6 community-building activities

5 communication activities for college students, 3 motivational activities for college students.

• 6 team-building activities for college students

Interactive classroom activities, in short

Why are interactive classroom activities important.

Merlo, a computer science teacher, says that interactive classroom activities are not new to students, and one main reason why teachers have trouble connecting is that they fail to adapt to their students’ perspectives.

“My six-year-old son doesn’t find iPads amazing; to him, they’ve always just existed. Similarly, to a lot of students today, experiences like team exercises and flipped classrooms, while foreign to many instructors are not new.

“If we care about reaching today’s students, who seem to have a different idea of student responsibilities than we had, perhaps we have to reach them on their terms.

“In my thirties, I could still find a lot of similarities with my twenty-something students. But now, in my forties? Not so much. What I’ve started to realize is that it isn’t just the little things, like whether they’ve seen Ghostbusters. (They haven’t.) It’s the big things, like how they learn.”

Semma, a humanities TA, found that the chalk-and-talk approach failed on her first day in front of a class. “It was a lot like parallel parking in front of 20 people,” she said. “I looked more like a classmate. I dropped the eraser on my face whilst trying to write my name on the board. One of my students called me ‘mom.’”

“I chalked it up to first day jitters, but that same quietness crept its way back into my classroom for the next tutorial, and the next tutorial and the next. While nearly silent in class, my students were rather vocal in the endless stream of emails that flooded my inbox. That way I knew they wanted to learn. I also knew that I had to find a way to make tutorials more engaging.”

From these experiences, Merlo and Semma now share some interactive classroom activities for students and for teachers that can turn a quiet classroom full of people unwilling to speak up to a hive of debate, making the student learning experience more collaborative for everyone.

Energize your college classroom and get discussions flowing. Download The Best Classroom Activities for College Courses to engage and motivate students.

1. Open-ended questions

Chris Merlo: Open-ended questions don’t take any planning. All they take is a class with at least one student who isn’t too shy. I remember a class a few semesters ago that started with nine students. Due to a couple of medical conditions and a job opportunity, three of the students had to drop the semester. The problem was that these three students were the ones I counted on to ask questions and keep the class lively! Once I was left with six introverted people, conversations during class seemed to stop.

By luck, I stumbled on something that got the students talking again. I said, “What has been the most difficult thing about [the project that was due soon]?” This opened the floodgates—students love to complain, especially about us and our demands. This one simple question led to twenty minutes of discussion involving all six students. I wasn’t even sure what a couple of these students’ voices sounded like, but once I gave them an open-ended opportunity to complain about an assignment, they were off to the races. A truly successful classroom activity.

2. What’s wrong with this example?

Chris Merlo: Students also love to find a professor’s mistakes—like me, I’m sure you’ve found this out the hard way. When I teach computer science, I will make up a program that, for instance, performs the wrong arithmetic, and have students find the bug. In a particularly quiet or disengaged class, you can incentivize students with five points on the next exam, or something similar.

If you teach history, you might use flawed examples that change a key person’s name, such as “King Henry VIII (instead of King John) signed the Magna Carta in 1215,” or match a person to an incorrect event: “Gavrilo Princip is considered to have fired the first shot in the Spanish Civil War (instead of World War I).” Beam these examples on the whiteboard, and let the students’ competitiveness drive them to get the right answer before their classmates.

3. Let students critique each other

Chris Merlo: This can go badly if you don’t set some ground rules for civility, but done well, classroom activities like this really help open up collaborative learning. One of my colleagues devised a great exercise: First, give students about half of their class time to write instructions that an imaginary robot can understand to draw a recognizable picture, like a corporate logo, without telling students what will happen later. Then assign each student’s instructions to a randomly chosen classmate, and have the classmate pretend to be the robot, attempting to follow the instructions and draw the same logo.

After a few minutes, introduce a specific student who can share their results with the class, then ask their partner to share the initial instructions. This method gives students a chance to communicate with each other (“That’s not what I meant!”) and laugh and bond, while learning an important lesson.

This exercise teaches computer science students the difficulty and importance of writing clear instructions. I have seen this exercise not only teach pairs of such students meaningful lessons but encourage friendships that extended beyond my classroom.

Get students participating with these 45 classroom activities

4. Pass the “mic”

Monika Semma: As an instructor, it’s amazing how much information you can gather from a student-centered review session. Specifically, if you leave the review in the hands of your students, you can get an easy and thorough assessment of what is being absorbed, and what is being left by the wayside. The more you encourage participation, the more you’ll see where your class is struggling and the more comfortable students will become with course material. Here’s how to transform a standard review into one of your more popular classroom activities:

• A week before the review, ask students to email you two to five key terms or theories that they feel they need to brush up on. Take all that data and compress it until you have a solid working list of what students want to review most.
• In class, provide students with visual access to the list (I found writing all the terms on a chalkboard to be most effective). Instruct the class to have their notes out in front of them, with a pad of paper or blank Word document at their fingertips, and encourage them to take notes as the review is in progress.
• A trinket of sorts (I highly recommend a plush ball), used as a “microphone,” helps to give students equal opportunity to direct the review without putting individuals on the spot too aggressively. The rules are simple: she or he who holds the “mic” can pick one term from the list and using their notes, can offer up what they already know about the term or concept, what they are unsure of, or what they need more elaboration on.
• Actively listen to the speaker and give them some positive cues if they seem unsure; it’s okay to help them along the way, but important to step back and let this review remain student-centered. Once the speaker has said their piece, open the floor to the rest of the class for questions or additional comments. If you find that the discussion has taken a departure from the right direction, re-center the class and provide further elaboration if need be.
• Erase each term discussed from the list as you go, and have the speaker pass (or throw) on the “mic” to a fellow classmate, and keep tossing the ball around after each concept/term is discussed.

Students will have a tendency to pick the terms that they are most comfortable speaking about and those left consistently untouched will give you a clear assessment of the subjects in which your class is struggling, and where comprehension is lacking. Once your class has narrowed down the list to just a few terms, you can switch gears into a more classic review session. Bringing a bit of interaction and fun into a review can help loosen things up during exam time, when students and teachers alike are really starting to feel the pressure.

5. Use YouTube for classroom activities

Monika Semma: Do you remember the pure and utter joy you felt upon seeing your professor wheel in the giant VHS machine into class? Technology has certainly changed—but the awesome powers of visual media have not. Making your students smile can be a difficult task, but by channeling your inner Bill Nye the Science Guy you can make university learning fun again.

A large part of meaningful learning is finding interactive classroom activities that are relevant to daily life—and I can think of no technology more relevant to current students than YouTube.

A crafty YouTube search can yield a video relevant to almost anything in your curriculum and paired with an essay or academic journal, a slightly silly video can go a long way in helping your students contextualize what they are learning.

Even if your comedic attempts plunge into failure, at the very least, a short clip will get the class discussion ball rolling. Watch the video as a class and then break up into smaller groups to discuss it. Get your students thinking about how the clip they are shown pairs with the primary sources they’ve already read.

6. Close reading

Monika Semma: In the humanities, we all know the benefits of close reading activities—they get classroom discussion rolling and students engaging with the material and open up the floor for social and combination learners to shine. “Close reading” is a learning technique in which students are asked to conduct a detailed analysis or interpretation of a small piece of text. It is particularly effective in getting students to move away from the general and engage more with specific details or ideas.

If you’re introducing new and complex material to your class, or if you feel as though your students are struggling with an equation, theory, or concept; giving them the opportunity to break it down into smaller and more concrete parts for further evaluation will help to enhance their understanding of the material as a whole.

And while this technique is often employed in the humanities, classroom activities like this can be easily transferred to any discipline. A physics student will benefit from having an opportunity to break down a complicated equation in the same way that a biology student can better understand a cell by looking at it through a microscope.

In any case, evaluating what kinds of textbooks, lesson plans and pedagogy we are asking our students to connect with is always a good idea.

Brainwriting

Group size: 10 students (minimum)

Course type: Online (synchronous), in-person

This activity helps build rapport and respect in your classroom. After you tackle a complex lecture topic, give students time to individually reflect on their learnings. This can be accomplished through guided prompts or left as an open-ended exercise. Once students have gathered their thoughts, encourage them to share their views either through an online discussion thread or a conversation with peers during class time.

Concept mapping

Collaborative concept mapping is the process of visually organizing concepts and ideas and understanding how they relate to each other. This exercise is a great way for students to look outside of their individual experiences and perspectives. Groups can use this tactic to review previous work or to help them map ideas for projects and assignments. For in-person classes, you can ask students to cover classroom walls with sticky notes and chart paper. For online classes, there are many online tools that make it simple to map out connections between ideas, like Google Docs or the digital whiteboard feature in Zoom.

Group size: Groups of 5–10 students 

Propose a topic or issue to your class. Group students together (or in breakout rooms if you’re teaching remotely) according to the position they take on the specific issue. Ask the groups of students to come up with a few arguments or examples to support their position. Write each group’s statements on the virtual whiteboard and use these as a starting point for discussion. A natural next step is to debate the strengths and weaknesses of each argument, to help students improve their critical thinking and analysis skills. 

Make learning active with these 45 interactive classroom activities

Compare and contrast

Group size: Groups of 5–10 students

Ask your students to focus on a specific chapter in your textbook. Then, place them in groups and ask them to make connections and identify differences between ideas that can be found in course readings and other articles and videos they may find. This way, they can compare their ideas in small groups and learn from one another’s perspectives. In online real-time classes, instructors can use Zoom breakout rooms to put students in small groups.

Assess/diagnose/act

This activity will improve students’ problem-solving skills and can help engage them in more dynamic discussions. Start by proposing a topic or controversial statement. Then follow these steps to get conversations going. In online classes, students can either raise their hands virtually or use an online discussion forum to engage with their peers. 

• Assessment: What is the issue or problem at hand?
• Diagnosis: What is the root cause of this issue or problem?
• Action: How can we solve the issue?

Moral dilemmas

Group size: Groups of 3–7 students 

Provide students with a moral or ethical dilemma, using a hypothetical situation or a real-world situation. Then ask them to explore potential solutions as a group. This activity encourages students to think outside the box to develop creative solutions to the problem. In online learning environments, students can use discussion threads or Zoom breakout rooms.

Conversation stations

Group size: Groups of 4–6 students 

Course type: In-person

This activity exposes students’ ideas in a controlled way, prompting discussions that flow naturally. To start, share a list of discussion questions pertaining to a course reading, video or case study. Put students into groups and give them five-to-ten minutes to discuss, then have two students rotate to another group. The students who have just joined a group have an opportunity to share findings from their last discussion, before answering the second question with their new group. After another five-to-ten minutes, the students who haven’t rotated yet will join a new group.

This or that

Course type: Online (synchronous or asynchronous), in-person

This activity allows students to see where their peers stand on a variety of different topics and issues. Instructors should distribute a list of provocative statements before class, allowing students to read ahead. Then, they can ask students to indicate whether they agree, disagree or are neutral on the topic in advance, using an online discussion thread or Google Doc. In class, use another discussion thread or live chat to have students of differing opinions share their views. After a few minutes, encourage one or two members in each group to defend their position amongst a new group of students. Ask students to repeat this process for several rounds to help familiarize themselves with a variety of standpoints.

6 team-building classroom activities for college students

Snowball discussions  .

Group size: 2–4 students per group

Assign students a case study or worksheet to discuss with a partner, then have them share their thoughts with the larger group. Use breakout rooms in Zoom and randomly assign students in pairs with a discussion question. After a few minutes, combine rooms to form groups of four. After another five minutes, combine groups of four to become a larger group of eight—and so on until the whole class is back together again.

Make it personal

Group size: Groups of 2–8 students

After you’ve covered a topic or concept in your lecture, divide students into small discussion groups (or breakout rooms online). Ask the groups questions like “How did this impact your prior knowledge of the topic?” or “What was your initial reaction to this source/article/fact?” to encourage students to reflect on their personal connections to the course concepts they are learning.

Philosophical chairs

Group size: 20–25 students (maximum)

A statement that has two possible responses—agree or disagree—is read out loud. Depending on whether they agree or disagree with this statement, students move to one side of the room or the other. After everyone has chosen a side, ask one or two students on each side to take turns defending their positions. This allows students to visualize where their peers’ opinions come from, relative to their own.

Get more interactive classroom activities here

Affinity mapping

Group size: Groups of 3–8 students 

Course type: Online (synchronous)

Place students in small groups (or virtual breakout rooms) and pose a broad question or problem to them that is likely to result in lots of different ideas, such as “What was the greatest innovation of the 21st century?” or “How would society be different if  _____ never occurred?” Ask students to generate responses by writing ideas on pieces of paper (one idea per page) or in a discussion thread (if you’re teaching online). Once lots of ideas have been generated, have students begin grouping their ideas into similar categories, then label the categories and discuss why the ideas fit within them, how the categories relate to one another and so on. This allows students to engage in higher-level thinking by analyzing ideas and organizing them in relation to one another. 

Socratic seminar

Group size: 20 students (minimum)

Ask students to prepare for a discussion by reviewing a course reading or group of texts and coming up with a few higher-order discussion questions about the text. In class, pose an introductory, open-ended question. From there, students continue the conversation, prompting one another to support their claims with evidence from previous course concepts or texts. There doesn’t need to be a particular order to how students speak, but they are encouraged to respectfully share the floor with their peers.

Concentric circles

Group size: 20 students (maximum)

Students form two circles: an inner circle and an outer circle. Each student on the inside is paired with a student on the outside; they face each other. Pose a question to the whole group and have pairs discuss their responses with each other. After three-to-five minutes, have students on the outside circle move one space to the right so they are standing in front of a new person. Pose a new question, and the process is repeated, exposing students to the different perspectives of their peers.

Making your classes more interactive should help your students want to come to class and take part in it. Giving them a more active role will give them a sense of ownership, and this can lead to students taking more pride in their work and responsibility for their grades.

Use these 45 classroom activities in your course to keep students engaged

A more interactive class can also make things easier for you—the more work students do in class, the less you have to do. Even two minutes of not talking can re-energize you for the rest of the class.

Plus, these six methods outlined above don’t require any large-scale changes to your class prep. Set up a couple of activities in advance here and there, to support what you’ve been doing, and plan which portion of your class will feature them.

The reality remains that sometimes, students do have to be taught subject matter that is anything but exciting. That doesn’t mean that we can’t make it more enjoyable to teach or learn. It may not be possible to incorporate classroom activities into every lecture, but finding some room for these approaches can go a long way in facilitating a positive learning environment.

And let’s not forget, sometimes even an educator needs a brief departure from the everyday-ordinary-sit-and-listen-to-me-lecture regimen.

Recommended Readings

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A 6-Step Exercise for Discussing AI In Education

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Five Principles for Reforming Developmental Education: A Review of the Evidence

This CAPR report synthesizes the evidence from more than 10 years of research into how innovations to developmental education can improve student outcomes.

Major Developmental Education Reforms

Corequisite Remediation

Colleges place students deemed academically underprepared into college-level courses and provide them with additional learning support, most commonly a paired extra-help course in the same subject area.

What We Know So Far

Corequisite remediation appears to help students pass college-level math and English at higher rates. One recent CCRC study looked at students on the margin of the college readiness threshold. Students placed into corequisite remediation were 15 percentage points more likely to pass gateway math and 13 percentage points more likely to pass gateway English within one year of enrollment than similar students placed into prerequisite remediation.

Math Pathways

Instead of requiring most students to take algebra, some colleges are offering sequences of developmental and college-level math courses that align with students’ academic and career goals—such as statistics for social science majors and algebra for STEM majors—and aiming to accelerate students' completion of math gateway courses.

A CAPR study  looking at the Dana Center Mathematics Pathways (DCMP) model found that math pathways students were 11 percentage points more likely to pass a college-level math course during their second semester and nearly 7 percentage points more likely to pass a college-level math class by the end of their third semester than students in traditional developmental math.

Key Findings

DCMP had a positive impact on students’ completion of developmental math and likelihood of taking and passing college-level math.

The impacts of DCMP appear to be greater for part-time students and students assessed as needing multiple developmental courses.

Startup and net ongoing direct costs to the colleges to implement and maintain DCMP were fairly low.

Multiple Measures Placement

Whereas colleges formerly often used a single test to place students into developmental or college-level courses, many are now using additional measures, such as high school GPA, to improve placement accuracy. Some systems allow students to consult with an advisor or faculty member to determine the most appropriate course given their goals and academic background through a process called directed self-placement.

Results from two experimental studies from CAPR indicate that student outcomes improve under MMA as compared to status quo placement based on test scores alone. In both math and English, at least 15% of students were bumped up into college-level courses and those students were more likely to complete college-level courses. A CAPR toolkit pulls together resources for planning and implementing an MMA system.

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Getting To & Through College: The Benefits of Taking Advanced Coursework

Colleges are the pipeline to good jobs and the middle class, yet for many students of color and students from low-income backgrounds, a higher education degree remains out of reach. High college costs are a major factor, but a lack of access to advanced courses is another all-too-common barrier. Advanced courses — such as algebra, biology, chemistry, physics, and high-level English/writing, and history classes, among others — help prepare students for a range of intellectual and professional endeavors, and research suggests that students who take college-level courses — via Advanced Placement, dual-enrollment, or International Baccalaureate programs — in high school are more likely to graduate, go on to college, and earn a degree. Unfortunately, as a new Ed Trust report reveals, not all students have equitable access to such courses. Students of color and students from low-income backgrounds are less likely to attend schools that offer them and are assigned to advanced classes at lower rates than their peers.

It’s time to close that gap and expand access to advanced classes. Those who have taken them cite a host of benefits, ranging from increased confidence; greater academic engagement and college readiness; and the chance to explore subjects and get a head start on higher ed, potentially cutting college costs and time to degree. I spoke with several high-school alumni with advanced coursework experience — all students of color and/or students from low-income backgrounds — about the value of such courses and how taking them has impacted their scholarly lives. Here’s what they said.

At UPCS, honors classes are standard, and Advanced Placement and college-level courses were options, even if you weren’t an ‘A’ student, he said:

“I was not a high-performing student, but UPCS still gave me an opportunity to take advanced classes and also made sure that I kept up with the group,” even though “it was tough for me to speak English correctly and also to write it.”

Andre was tutored by his AP English teacher, Daniel St. Louis (now the school principal), “to make sure my English was on par with everybody else’s,” but his teacher didn’t cut him any slack.

“He had us read a book and write a report every single week, which really furthered my ability to read and write,” Andre recalled.

In addition to AP English literature, Andre took AP government and college algebra. That early exposure to challenging courses — as well as UPCS’s laser focus on equipping all of its students to finish high school and go on to higher ed — helped him see college as a viable next step and gave him a feel for what it would be like.

“It made the idea of college a lot less intimidating and allowed me to sample classes to get a sense of what I might be good at or would like to study later,” said Andre, noting that “without that opportunity, I probably wouldn’t have gone.”

But go he did. Andre earned a bachelor’s in business administration from Worcester State University in 2015.

While he did not score high enough on his AP exams to earn undergraduate credits at Worcester State, Andre did well enough on the Accuplacer test to skip the math prerequisite and qualify for more advanced courses. What’s more, he was ready for whatever writing challenges came his way: “When I went to Worcester State, my English classes weren’t that hard because I was already used to writing three to five pages a week,” said Andre.

Best of all, Andre completed his bachelor’s degree in just three years.

“I shave[d] off a year of school because I was so used to taking advanced classes at UPCS that I didn’t shy away from taking six classes per semester at Worcester State, instead of the traditional four-class-per-semester load,” said Andre, who not only maxxed out his course load every semester, but took two classes every summer.

Shortening his time to a degree helped Andre to graduate debt-free before going on to grad school. He earned a master’s in public administration from Clark University in 2016 and now works for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

As a result, Jessica transferred 48 credits. So while she is technically a freshman at the University of Dayton — a private Catholic school that requires all first-year students to take religion and philosophy — she has a head start on many of her peers and enough credits to be classified as a junior this spring.

“It’s pretty nice,” she said, “because I have most of my gen-eds out of the way: I’m not taking English or math [first] semester because Dayton accepted many of my credits. And I’m in an upper-level child psychology course.”

Jessica feels poised to do well in college, having developed the study and writing habits in high school that will give her an edge going forward : 

“It’s really good to have had that practice before college because once you get more freedom and there isn’t a teacher yelling at you to submit the coursework, it’s all on you,” Jessica said.

She also knows what to expect, since at “Big Red’” — as her former high school is known — community college professors “came into the school to teach us.” Her favorite was Professor Stone, who taught two history classes. “His expectations were similar to those of the professors I’ve had here,” Jessica said, “so I feel like my college transition has been a lot easier because of that.”

And having in-depth exposure to a variety of challenging subjects in high school helped Jessica choose her major:

“ I’m grateful that I was able to take AP chem and AP bio early on because I went through different phases of thinking about what I might want to do,” she recalled. “I thought about becoming a doctor, but as soon as I started taking chemistry, I realized this is not for me.”

At the prompting of her high school English teacher, who was one of the College Credit Plus teachers, she joined a mock trial program. “That’s when I decided that I wanted to go into law, which then led me to criminal justice, which is my major,” she said.

“Taking AP bio opened up a whole world for me,” said Bianka, who is Mexican American and a first-year pre-med student at UCLA. “If I had taken a regular bio course, it wouldn’t have been as engaging, because we wouldn’t have done as many labs, and I wouldn’t have known that I’m really passionate about science.”

Her AP biology teacher shared internship and volunteer opportunities with the class, which led

Bianka to volunteer at Martin Luther King Jr. hospital the summer after her junior year into her senior year and allowed her to see firsthand what the medical field was like:

“I worked in an outpatient center with cardiologists and also in the general surgery department, so I was in the operating room and was exposed to the medical field at an early age,” she recalled. “I never would have known how much doctors actually collaborate with each other had I not experienced it firsthand. I really like that teamwork environment.”

She also volunteered at health fairs in south Los Angeles — where she helped teach people to eat nutritiously and maintain a healthy lifestyle — and at Charles Drew University’s Saturday Science Academy, where she served as a teacher’s assistant and talked to elementary school students about science. The latter gave her an opportunity to interact with local college students and learn more about universities in the area:

“Most of my colleagues there were students at UCLA or USC, so that gave me a glimpse of college life. Many of them were pre-med and they answered my questions about college, helped me with the application process, and told me what UCLA has to offer — including the diversity of pre-med majors. That’s one of the biggest reasons I came here,” said Bianka, who is majoring in human biology and society, which marries health and social science.

Bianka said her high school AP courses not only made for a smoother college transition — she placed out of writing and math prerequisites, on account of her strong AP test scores, and described her first biology midterm exam as “not too hard” because she’d seen the material before in AP bio — but made her a more motivated and resilient student. She noted, for example, that while she scored well on her AP calculus exam, the subject didn’t always come naturally.

“AP calculus was one of the hardest and most intimidating courses I took in high school,” said Bianka, who was failing it at first. But thanks to after-school study sessions with her math teacher and peers who supported and encouraged one another, and a ton of hard work on her part, she pulled through and eventually come out ahead. “I feel like I gained a lot of confidence from those AP courses because they helped me realize that even though I might feel overwhelmed at times, I’m capable of succeeding,” she said.

  In fact, self-assurance and persistence in the face of adversity may be the biggest benefits of advanced courses, according to all those I interviewed.

“She taught me how to think critically, how to argue, how to formulate and communicate an effective argument — all things one needs to be a successful litigator, which is what I do,” he said.

  Ms. Midgely also held him and all her AP students to a higher standard, he recalled, noting that “she was conditioning us for success” and did not tolerate failure or any effort below 110%. To punctuate this point, he described the time he threw together a writing assignment on Pride and Prejudice at the last minute:

  “I’d forgotten to do it. So, when she told us to ‘pass up your papers’ and started collecting them, I wrote some foolishness down on a sheet of paper. She took it, pulled out her pen and wrote a zero on it and handed it back to me then and there. She was like, ‘Look, if you’re going to be in this AP class, this is not acceptable.’”

  Two things never happened again, Henry said: “One, I have never seen any teacher or professor do anything more ‘gangster’ than that to this day — and I’m in front of judges who throw people in jail every day. And two, I never went into a class or situation unprepared again.”

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What Are College Placement Tests?

Find the right college for you..

After you’ve been accepted by a college, you may need to take placement tests. Colleges use placement tests in subjects like math and English to check the academic skill levels of entering students. Then the college can place each student in classes at the right level.

Placement tests are used to determine the academic skills of entering students. Based on the test results, the students will be placed in the classes that best match their current skills. Low test scores may mean taking developmental courses to improve your academic skills.

Do Placement Tests Matter for College?

Many colleges require all of their incoming first-year students to take placement tests to determine their academic skill level. Their scores are used to place them in the appropriate first-year math and English classes.

Who Uses Placement Tests?

Most two-year colleges and many public four-year colleges require new students to take at least one placement test when they first get to campus. Some private four-year colleges also use these tests.

Community colleges─most of which admit all students with a high school degree─tend to rely on these tests because their entering students can have very different skill levels.

What Do the Results Mean?

Your test results may mean that you can skip some introductory courses. Or they can show that you need more preparation before taking on college-level work.

If you need more preparation, a college may require you to take a developmental course. A number of four-year colleges and most community colleges offer developmental classes.

What Are Developmental Courses?

Developmental classes allow you to improve your skills in a subject so that you can take on college work in that area. If you find out that you need to take remedial classes in subjects like math and English, don’t get discouraged. These classes will show you your strengths and weaknesses so that you’ll know where you need to focus. They also will increase your chances of academic success in college.

What Are Placement Tests Like?

Colleges use several common placement tests. The tests usually measure skills in these subjects:

Some colleges also offer placement tests in foreign languages and areas of science. Because many institutions give placement tests on computers, you may get your scores as soon as you finish. Several states and individual colleges have developed their own placement tests.

Are College Placement Tests Online?

In most cases, college placement tests aren’t online. They must be taken in an approved testing location where test takers are supervised for the duration of the test. In some cases, virtual test-taking appointments can be made for students who are planning to attend an out-of-state college or live more than 45 minutes away from the college they plan to attend.

How Can I Prepare?

Placement tests measure skills you’ve already learned in high school, so taking them doesn’t require much preparation. To get ready for these tests, you can do the following:

• First, check with an admissions officer at your college to find out if you have to take a placement test.
• If so, find out what subjects the test will cover./li>
• Ask the admissions officer what you can do to get ready. Or check the college website for information about the test and ways to prepare for it.
• It's also wise to practice with sample placement exams before the test. For better preparation, try simulating the real testing experience by not using calculators or other resources to complete the practice exams

What Kind of Math Is on a Placement Test?

The topics on a math placement test may include linear equations and inequalities, exponents and polynomials, factoring, roots and radicals, quadratic equations, fractions, and order of operations. All of these topics must be sufficiently covered without the use of a calculator to pass the placement test.

Is the College Placement Test Multiple Choice?

The typical college placement test consists of 60 multiple-choice questions that must be completed in 90 minutes. There’s only one correct answer per question, and partial credit isn’t given.

What Happens After I Take the Test?

Once your test results are available, you may be assigned automatically to the course level that fits you best. Or you may have a meeting with your academic adviser to decide on your first-semester courses.

What Are Good College Placement Test Scores?

Tests and the scoring systems can vary from school to school. An adviser can tell you the scoring range and what you’d need to achieve based on your academic pursuits.

Can You Fail a Placement Test for College?

You can’t fail a placement test for college. If you receive a low score, you'll be placed in developmental classes for that subject to help increase your knowledge of the topic before you advance to more rigorous courses.

Related Articles

Higher Education: Types of Course Work

Types of course work.

• Awards & Degrees
• Distance Learning
• Preparation for College
• The College Application Process
• Find a College
• Financing College
• The Gap Year
• AFTER COLLEGE...

Included on this page...

• Discipline vs. Interdisciplinary
• Matriculated vs. Non-Matriculated
• [ ✔️ ]   Adult Education Courses
• ​ Joint / Combined Bachelor's and Graduate Degree

Discipline  - An academic area of study. Literature, history, social science, natural science, mathematics, the arts, and foreign language are disciplines; each discipline takes a certain approach to knowledge.

Interdisciplinary  - Programs taught by groups of faculty members from several departments.

Matriculated  - A matriculated student has been accepted for admission to the college, has registered in a major and is pursuing courses toward a degree or certificate.

Non-Matriculated  - Non-degree courses designed to allow any interested individual to attend college level courses without enrolling, declaring a major or seeking a degree, these courses are often taken for fun or to learn a specific skill.

✔️   Adult Ed ucation Courses  - Also known as Continuing Education or Professional Development courses. Classes can be completed in a year or less and are frequently offered in the evenings and on the weekends. The cost of training is usually moderate.  These cla sses will provide training for work and fulfill the requirements to obtain a General Education Development (GED) certification, which is the equivalent to a high school diploma.

Dutchess Community College  - Click on the Continuing Education tab to view course information.

Major / Minor

Major  - In layman's terms your major is the subject that you will take the most courses in and learn the most about. Your major is the area of study that your degree will be in, after you complete the required (or "core") courses.

Applied Majors  - Programs that prepare students for a specific career by giving the knowledge and skills needed in a particular line of work (ie: food science, landscape, architecture, finance, graphic design, special education, engineering, veterinary technology, forensic science, etc.). Applied majors also prepare students for special licensing, certifications and other credentials. The disadvantage of committing to an applied major is that there may be fewer job options once you graduate and you may have to worry about job cycles and economic slumps in your field, or the possibility of your education and training becoming outdated.

Academic Majors  - These majors don't provide specific job training and therefore, don't necessarily lead to specific careers. As a result, you may have to accept a job with a lower starting salary. Academic majors prepare you for graduate studies or for professions in which a wide range of skills and creative talents are valued including: the ability to communicate, understand people, read, think about the world, or work with numbers. Future employers should note that academic training helps enable a person to understand texts, express themselves verbally, and analyze and solve problems, which ultimately helps adapt to change.

Concentration  - Specialization in a certain area within a particular major (ie: a Business major with a concentration on Marketing). Concentrations are generally not available until grad[uate] school.

Double or Dual Major  - Completing course work for two majors at the same time. The two majors can be related or unrelated to each other, they can also combine an academic and an applied major (ie: Major in Art History and Fine / Studio Arts or, Anthropology and Native American Studies).

Minor  - A minor is course work in which you explore another field, but not as widely or as deeply as for your major. This is additional course work that is usually pursued at the same time as your Major. You might choose to minor in a subject that complements, or adds strength to your major (ie: a Minor in Business Administration with a Major in Public Relations). Or, you could minor in a subject that's not related but may exercise the opposite side of your brain.

Joint / Combined Bachelor's and Graduate Degree  - For many joint degrees you are accepted into both programs when you apply to college. A joint degree often includes three years of study for a bachelor's degree, then during the fourth year you begin the graduate program. The advantage is that you can complete both degrees in less time than it would take to earn the two degrees the traditional way (often saving a year).

Some colleges also offer their graduate master's and Ph.D. programs as joint degrees.

A Guide to Choosing Your College Major  [study.com] - Trends shift over time and with so many areas of study there really is no way to create an all-inclusive and completely objective resource. With that in mind, Study.com has compiled information that might be considered a spring board when beginning your research into college degrees.

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