This spring students will be able to register once again for a selection of online summer courses.
The distance learning program has broadened the selection of courses offered this year because the courses have attracted a large amount of interest, said credit studies manager Laura Crittenden.
Any student can register online for listed courses. The course content and work load is the same as any regular fall or spring course, Crittenden said.
Online undergraduate courses cost $484.50, while graduate level classes cost $645.75, she said.
“There are varying distance fees for each course that are set by the academic department in which that course belongs,” Crittenden said.
Crittenden recommends that any student double check the distance fees for their offered course.
She said students should be confident they want to participate because the distance fees are nonrefundable after the first day of class.
The undergraduate student enrollment was higher in the summer online courses than in any fall or spring semester during the last five years, Crittenden said. Some courses offered this year were offered last year, but more courses have been added to the selection this year.
“We were able to partner with some new departments this year for a larger course selection. Last year, there were a total of 19 courses offered. This year it has increased to about 27 online courses,” Crittenden said.
Most students participating in the summer online courses have to work or have a family, but they understand the need of going back to school, said Gail Williams, executive secretary of Education Training & Development/Credit.
“I would recommend to take online summer courses, but the students who do decide to take any have to be very disciplined and honest. But it is good for working students and parents,” Williams said.
Students are advised to develop ways to communicate with professors and other students in the class. Having discipline is the primary concern with online courses since no one specifically enforces that the assignments be done, said Rusty Foster, coordinator of Distance Program development.
Williams, who took two online courses last summer, said that the timed online tests seemed easier because she was in a more comfortable environment.
Foster said: “The summer online program is very beneficial to our students because it can provide an excellent avenue for them to continue their studies without being restricted by the boundaries of a traditional classroom.”
For more information on summer online programs, visit www.distance.msstate.edu.