Sunday, November 25, 2007

Brookhaven College partners with Carrollton-Farmers Branch and Dallas students to provide college credits

By Pegasus News wire

FARMERS BRANCH — More than 1,000 high school students are earning college credits without tuition costs due to new partnerships with Brookhaven College. This year, high school juniors and seniors in 10 area high schools are enrolled in a variety of subjects through the Brookhaven College Dual Credit Program. The duality is that students earn credit from two schools during the same semester, but in this case, the college tuition is free to the student.

This fall, students at Thomas Jefferson High School are earning both high school and college credit in Spanish while Garland Independent School District students are doing the same with radiologic technology courses. Dual credit courses can be offered at a high school or college to classes or individual students who choose to take courses at the college with their high school’s approval.

Partnerships with the Carrollton-Farmers Branch and Dallas Independent School districts allow hundreds of students to earn college credit while in high school. Brookhaven College has partnerships with Carrollton Christian, Usruline and American Heritage academies as well as Newman Smith, R.L. Turner, Creekview, Townview high schools in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District. Brookhaven College also offers courses at Thomas Jefferson and W.T. White high schools in the Dallas Independent School District.

In addition to free tuition, dual credit offers these students a chance to sample college-level work and get a head start on college completion.

“Juniors and seniors who want a challenging program should consider a dual credit course in high school,” says Marilyn Lynch, associate vice president for career and program resources at Brookhaven College. “The experience for students can be invaluable in that they can gain college credit without paying tuition and confidence to take on the challenges of colleges ahead of many of their peers.”

The school districts work with the college to coordinate programs and courses that meet both the college-required curriculum and the high school’s learning goals. Some high schools focus on offering vocational or technical programs in fields such as health care or automotive technologies. Students must be at least 16 years old, be a junior or senior in high school, meet testing requirements and have the approval of their counselor’s office or principal as well as their parent’s permission.

Enrollment in dual credit programs at Brookhaven College is growing. Approximately 600 students each semester earn dual credit in classes at the main campus. About half of the students take courses through partnerships between the college and their high school while the other half take courses individually.

For additional information about the Dual Credit Program, contact Vice President Lynch at 972-860-4181, or Tim Smithart, dual credit advisor, at bhcDualCredit@dcccd.edu or 972-860-4829.

Source: Brookhaven College

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