Summer classes registration at Mississippi State University will begin April 1.
Summer Term has four options: Maymester, First Term, Second Term and 10-Week Term. Classes for Maymester begin May 9 and end May 27. First Term starts on June 1 and runs through June 28. Second Term classes begin on July 5 and end on Aug. 1. The 10-Week Term starts on June 1 and ends Aug. 1.
Students may take one Maymester class and two classes during the five-week terms, University Registrar Bobby Stokes said.
The cost of summer classes is exactly the same as fall and spring semester classes because it is essentially the same as a spring or fall class but more compressed, Stokes said. For undergraduates, out-of-state tuition is waived for students who have a waiver based on test scores or something similar. Graduate students have assistantships to cover their out-of-state tuition.
“We have to meet the same academic standards for summer classes as we do in the fall or spring in regards to the amount of time you meet and the material covered,” Stokes said.
Summer classes are no different than spring and fall classes in terms of information given to students.  Richard Raymond, professor and head of the Department of English, said some instructors may select fewer works to study, but they will have their students study those works more in-depth than if they had more to work on.
The English department also does not offer 10-week courses like most other departments do.
“Professors don’t seem interested in offering one, and students don’t ask to have one [because] students usually go to one or the other five-week terms,” Raymond said.
The courses offered by the English department encompass a variety of needs from freshman level through graduate level, but it is still a small operation, he  said.
The Department of Communication offers many classes, two of which are 10-week courses, John Forde, associate professor and head of the communication department, said.
Like other departments, it has the classes students need to get caught up or graduate on time.
“If you’re a student who just changed their major or just transferred here, a lot of times, we’ll encourage students to jump on in,” Forde said.
The classes offered in the summer are those with high demands and the most beneficial to students, Stokes said.  The same is not true for fall and spring where students have the opportunity to take low-demand courses.
He said it is determined by examining enrollment patterns to see which classes students are asking for. 
Ten undergraduates or five graduate students must be enrolled, or the course will not be able to continue, Stokes said.
One of the positive aspects of taking classes during the summer is students have the opportunity to catch up for any reason.
Another benefit, Stokes said, is students can take courses they are interested in but might not normally take in the fall or spring semester. A drawback to taking summer classes is students are forced to absorb more material in a shorter period of time. 
Julia Kraker, Spanish instructor, said this is something she has heard students struggle with when taking a Spanish course over the summer.
“I’ve heard a lot of students say it’s fast. If you’re not motivated and not willing to put the time into it, you won’t learn Spanish,” she said.
Overall, summer classes at MSU are a success because enrollment continues to grow every year, Stokes said. Raymond and Forde both have taught summer classes in the past and said they enjoyed them. 
“Because it is so compressed, in a funny kind of way, students and faculty actually get to know each other better,” Raymond said. As of right now, there are no plans to add to the courses usually offered or take away any that are currently available, but it is adaptable.