Students who are academically qualified and accepted by Marian College may receive both high school and college credit in three subject areas taught by adjunct faculty of Marian College: English, Physics, and Calculus. See course descriptions in departmental sections of this guide.
The college credit received may be transferable to other colleges and universities.However, neither Marian College nor St. Mary’s Springs High School can guarantee the transfer of credits to other colleges or universities.The student must contact the admissions office at those institutions to verify credit transfer policies.
To be eligible for acceptance into the Dual Credit Program at Marian College, students must:
1.Have a grade point average of B within the discipline (both math and science for College Physics) and completed appropriate prerequisite courses
AND
2.Rank in the top quartile
OR
Have a cumulative GPA of 3.2
OR
Score in the top 15% of the most recent standardized test, i.e. PLAN, PSAT, or ACT
AND A 3.0 GPA
3.Complete SMS registration process and receive recommendation from your guidance counselor and the teacher of the dual credit course.
4.Complete the Marian College application form with a required fee.
5.Receive final acceptance for registration from Marian College.
Cost of program:
- The $15.00 application fee for Marian College is submitted to the student’s high school counselor at the time of the application.
- Students purchase their college texts through the Marian College Bookstore. Unlike Springs, Marian College sells texts; it does not rent them.
- Students taking the dual-credit courses for college credit are required to pay $50 per credit as a tuition cost.
Commonly Asked Questions about the Dual Credit Program with Marian College
Qualifications for this program are identified in detail in the Curriculum Guide.They include:
- Having a B average in the subject;
- Ranking in the top 25% of your class OR having a 3.2 GPA OR having a 3.0 GPA AND scoring at the 75th percentile or higher on the PSAT.
WHY SHOULD I TAKE THE MARIAN COLLEGE COURSES?
If you are eligible to take the college courses you should do so for a number of reasons. First, you should always take the courses that are appropriate for your ability level so that you are making the most of your God-given talents. Second, applications for college admission and for scholarships often include a question about the level of difficulty of the courses you are taking. It is impressive to colleges and scholarship programs when your counselor can state that you are taking “the most rigorous program of study available". Third, you will never be able to beat the cost of these credits! Financially, it’s a good deal.
HOW DIFFICULT ARE THESE COURSES?
The courses are different from high school courses, but that doesn’t mean they are considerably harder. If you are concerned about this, confer with the teachers of the courses. Your meeting the eligibility requirements speaks to your presumed ability to succeed in the classes.
DO I GET EXTRA CREDIT FOR TAKING A HARDER PROGRAM?
No extra credit nor weight is given to these courses. These are not Advanced Placement courses, not honors courses and they are not accelerated. They are most accurately described as college courses completed through Marian College.
WHO TEACHES THE COLLEGE COURSES?
The following teachers have worked with this program in the past. As long as these teachers are here, it is presumed they will teach the classes:
| College English |
TBD for 2008-09 |
| College Calculus |
Mrs. Erickson |
| College Physics |
Mrs. Bachhuber |
|
|
WHAT DOES IT COST?
A $15 application fee is paid in full at the time of application for admission to Marian College. This fee pays the cost of handling your admission materials and formally admitting you to Marian College. Students are also required to pay $50 per credit tuition cost. In addition, you are required to purchase your college textbooks from the Marian College Bookstore.Unlike Springs, Marian sells texts; it does not rent them. To reduce cost, students are encouraged to ask current dual credit seniors about purchasing their books at the end of the year (students should ensure whether the books will be used again in the fall).
HOW MUCH MONEY DO I SAVE BY TAKING THESE COURSES?
The cost of credits can vary from college to college. At a private college 20 credits costs about $5,000 - $7,000. At a state university 20 credits costs about $1,600 - $2,000. Depending on the number of college credits taken, students can save hundreds or thousands of dollars. For example, UW-Oshkosh charges $135 per credit; at Marquette, the cost is $280 per credit. This amounts to $405 for a 3 credit class at UW-Oshkosh, and $840 for a 3 credit class at Marquette.
WILL THE COURSES APPEAR ON MY HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT?
The courses will appear on your high school transcript as College English, College Calculus, and College Physics. The courses will appear on your Marian College transcript as follows:
| ENG101 |
English Composition |
3 credits |
| ENG151 |
Research Writing Across the Curriculum |
1 credits |
| ENG112 |
Introduction to Literary Genres |
3 credits |
| MAT201 |
Calculus I |
5 credits |
| PhS201 |
General Physics I |
4 credits |
| PhS202 |
General Physics II |
4 credits |
|
|
|
At the end of the school year, you will request that Marian College send a copy of your transcript to the college you will be attending.
WILL CREDITS TRANSFER TO ANOTHER COLLEGE
Transferring credits from one college to another is always a tenuous situation. The college accepting the credits is the one that determines if it will do so. Students must contact their future college admissions offices to verify credit transfer policies. While neither Marian College nor St. Mary’s Springs can guarantee the transfer of your college credits to other colleges, we can tell you that Springs students have good fortune in transferring credits to meet required or elective courses at their college of choice.
WHAT IF I WANT TO DROP THE CLASS LATER?
As with all other classes a student is expected to complete the courses they have chosen. To help you make a good informed decision, it is very important that students ask questions and gather information about a college course ahead of time. Because these are Marian College courses, the Marian College policies must be followed with regard to dropping or adding a course.
HOW DO I QUALIFY TO GET IN THE MARIAN COLLEGE COURSES?
