Faster time to a degree
Michigan State University is sensitive to the cost of higher education and works diligently to make a wide range of flexible programmatic options available to students to ensure they graduate as early as possible. Some options target students needing academic support services to head off the need to retake classes. In other cases, students might wish to compress their college experience to graduate early.
Michigan State offers programs for high-achieving high school students to take university courses and earn college credit while pursuing their high school diplomas. Credits earned in the “high-achieving high school” status may be applied to an MSU undergraduate degree.
We are now in the process of reviewing an option that would allow high school students who dually enroll in courses at accredited institutions of higher education to receive credit for work taken at these institutions in courses that have been authorized for transfer to MSU. Students would be able to pursue the Advanced Placement option if they wished to secure credit for dual enrollment courses that are applied to high school graduation requirements.
Michigan State also accepts the results of the International Baccalaureate Examinations for placement and course credit. Credit or advanced standing may be granted to students who have earned specific scores on College Board Advanced Placement Examinations. The university also recognizes a number of competency-based examination programs for credit at MSU.
Linked bachelor’s/master’s programs are another growing option, allowing students to pursue professional careers by thoughtfully aligning their course work to more swiftly complete their degrees. At MSU, there are currently 15 linked programs offered in areas such as communication, public policy, civil and mechanical engineering, and environmental and computer science.
Finally, Michigan State offers a full summer session of robust courses—of varying lengths at various locations—so students are able to enroll year-round. Growing offerings have helped increase summer enrollment more than 500 percent since 2004. Options also are available for some students to begin earning credits before their fall semester begins through means such as Freshman Seminars Abroad and SpartaNature at the Kellogg Biological Station.