Washburn University is offering lower division courses at half the regular price of tuition to students over the summer if they took at least 12 credit hours in the spring semester and are in good academic standing. Students can utilize half priced classes to save money and meet the required credits.

Some courses offered include statistics, enjoyment of music, advanced composition, basic concepts of psychology and many others. Washburn continues to increase available courses during the summer, fall and spring sessions.

Many of these classes can also offer an alternative course to the required credits within a major or field of study. Contemporary Journalism can be taken in place of Creative Media Writing as an example.

Tony Palbicke, a professor in the criminal justice and legal studies department, believes that students who take classes over the summer can move them toward a four-year or early graduation. By taking classes during the summer, it can lighten the load during the fall or spring semester. Classes can also be offered at a faster pace for students taking entry level courses.

“Students typically take summer classes because they are taught on an abbreviated schedule, five or seven weeks,” Palbicke said. “These classes are more concentrated during the shorter semester. They are also completed faster, which can be attractive to some students.”

This can also be a good time for nontraditional students to catch up on classes when they have other priorities on their hands.

Dennis Etzel, an English professor, teaches a summer course called Writing Poetic Memoir. The class requires no writing experience. It provides students a chance to write their own poetic memoirs.

“The course is designed so a student can approach her or his writing with whatever major she or he is, through interests – through life,” Etzel said.

Unfavorable classes can be taken at a faster pace, or focused in on if they are harder to grasp.

Indigo Wilson-Schmidt, a sophomore English major, believes that summer courses are a really good resource for students if there’s a really difficult class that they want to take in a less stressful manner.

“Students should take the opportunity to take summer classes because it is a really good deal,” Wilson-Schmidt said. “It’s also a good way to zero in and focus on one or two specific classes that may need more focus and attention.”