Swansea, SC - Lexington County School District Four released a statement Friday explaining that Swansea High School is offering additional academic options for juniors and seniors during the 2019-20 school year. Students have had access to dual enrollment courses such as “General Psychology” and “General Sociology” through Midlands Technical College (MTC) over the past three years. “Introduction to Criminal Justice” and “Music Appreciation” have been added this school year. Midlands Technical College Classroom and Success Center has a location on the SHS campus.
There are a number of advantages of Dual Enrollment. They include:
Enrolling in college classes while in high school
Having expanded course options with expert faculty
Earning credits in both high school and college
Saving thousands of dollars in tuition costs
Shortening the time it takes to earn a college degree
Devin Sease, a senior at SHS, is excited about the Criminal Justice class. “I plan on majoring in criminal justice, and I see it as getting a jump-start on my college career. It is nice to be able to take college classes on our high school campus.” Senior Morgan Martin is planning to attend Midlands Technical College in the fall of 2020 and will start with 6 hours of credit towards her degree after completion of the dual enrollment classes. “Since I am taking classes and I want to attend MTC for Nursing, it saves my family money because the classes are free. I also get to see what a college class is like to prepare myself for full college life. I like the connection that I already have to Midlands Tech; it will make the enrollment process easier.”
16 students are currently participating in the dual enrollment program. The participating juniors will have 12 college credits after this year and will receive an MTC General Education Certificate by taking English 101 & 102 as seniors next year. This gives them an opportunity to participate in the MTC spring graduation ceremony. When asked why she chooses to participate, Maria Nieves Perez states, “The dual enrollment classes will save me time and money. I plan to attend Midlands Tech after graduation. I do not know what I want to major in and these classes meet general education requirements.”
The district plans to continue its partnership with Midlands Tech and expand the program each new school year.
