Parkland offers UI student alternatives for summer courses
Student services building at Parkland College. University of Illinois students have the opportunity to take Parkland College courses over the summer and transfer credit to the University.
April 30, 2018
A concurrent enrollment program between the University and Parkland College will allow University students to take classes at Parkland over the summer for University credit.
“Concurrent enrollment means that University of Illinois students can take classes at Parkland at the Parkland tuition rate over the summer, and they can also take them in the fall and spring as well,” said Sarah Hartman, admissions adviser at Parkland College.
Hartman said anyone enrolled at the University can participate in the concurrent enrollment program.
Domestic students are charged $164 per credit hour at Parkland, while they are charged $845 at the University. International students pay $871 per credit hour at the University, while they are charged $529 at Parkland.
Hartman estimated that over 1,000 University students took classes at Parkland in summer 2017.
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“If students need a little more one-on-one kind of work, it’s easy to do with our professors and our instructors over here because the class sizes are so small,” said Tim Wendt, director of enrollment services at Parkland College.
Parkland makes sure its classes will transfer to the University because of its close relationship with the University, Wendt said.
Laura Gerhold, adviser in aerospace engineering, said many students in the department take general education courses at Parkland, especially if they are planning to work or to do research during the summer.
“I think the University and Parkland have a very strong relationship, and a lot of the course work from Parkland has already been articulated for transfer,” Gerhold said. “It makes it easier for students to know if they take a course there (because) it will be easily transferred back or accepted back to the University.”
Wayne Chang, professor in mechanical science and engineering, teaches classes at Parkland over the summer if the enrollment numbers are high enough for the engineering class he teaches.
“I encourage students to do it because summer, even though it is really intense, you cover (a) 16-week course in eight weeks,” Chang said. “But, because it’s summer, it is a little bit more chill and students can do a little bit more when it is more compact.”
