The summer semester begins May 24 at Great Bay Community College, giving students the chance to make up for lost time because of the pandemic or get ahead on credits so they can reach their goals more quickly.
This summer, Great Bay will offer nearly 200 classes across the curriculum, including in demand credit courses in English, economics, and biology, as well as a full slate of non-credit, highly sought-after professional development courses offered through Great Bay’s Business and Training Center (featuring among others, Excel, Google programs, Digital Design and Supervision/Business Communications).
Some GBCC classes will be delivered fully online, and others will be taught both in-person at the Portsmouth and Rochester campuses and remotely.
“Summer is a great time to get ahead on your credits,” said Sharon Cronin, director of Great Bay’s Center for Academic Planning and Support. “Services are starting to re-open with in-person opportunities, so students can enjoy the campus while it’s quiet and get their work done. This can lighten a course load in the fall, allow you to make up any credits you missed in 2020, and enable you to finish faster.”
Summer courses also are a smart option for current high school students who want to earn credits toward college at a reduced cost, and possibly earn dual credits toward high school graduation. For those whose lives and careers were upended because the pandemic, summer courses can provide a pathway toward a new career and new opportunities in life, Corwin said.
Summer school makes great economic sense, said Maggie Duffy-Durkin, Academic and Transfer Advisor. At $215 per credit for New Hampshire students ($323 for students from other New England states), Great Bay is less expensive than other New Hampshire schools, she noted.
In most instances, credits earned at Great Bay in the summer transfer to four-year schools. “Many of the students I am seeing are looking to save semesters and money,” Duffy-Durkin said. “So many of the online options really fit well into a busy schedule.”
Other reasons for taking summer classes:
- Part time students can make significant progress toward their degree or certificate;
- Students who don’t want to take 15 to 18 credits per semester can take credits in the summer and still work toward completion in two years;
- Students who failed or withdrew from a class can repair their GPA and progress toward degree completion;
- Incoming students can take a developmental course and start college-ready for the fall.
- Summer terms are only 6 weeks each, offering a more compressed format than other times of the year.
- For some students, summer also provides an opportunity to take a class and complete a pre-requisite in order to be more competitive for programs like Nursing, Surgical Technology or Veterinary Technology.
For a list of credit classes and options, visit https://www.greatbay.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/GBCC-Summer-2021-Schedule.pdf
To view the professional development opportunities at the Business and Training Center, visit https://www.greatbay.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/BTC-Course-Schedule.pdf
