It’s Never Too Early to Register for Rutgers’ Summer Session

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Tired of bumbling and stumbling on black ice, sloshing through slush, or being pelted by ice pellets?

      Then start planning for summer and do what growing numbers of college students are doing: take a course or two with Rutgers’ Summer Session.

      Registration for more than 1,000 summer courses has begun. Three sessions will be offered: May 27 to July 3, June 23 to Aug. 1 and July 7 to Aug. 13. Regular registration deadlines are April 18, May 16 and May 30, respectively. Late registration is available for an additional fee. Prospective students can attend open house events Wednesday, March 5, Tuesday, March 11 and Wednesday, March 19 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the New Brunswick Campus.

      Courses are offered in disciplines across the academic spectrum, from the biological and physical sciences, pharmacy and engineering to the humanities, social sciences, performing arts and business.

      Elizabeth Hough, director of New Brunswick Summer and Special Projects, said that summer courses help students get through their academic programs quicker and save money by graduating on time, particularly those who take lighter loads during the regular school year to accommodate part-time work. Students attending school elsewhere also benefit.

      “For New Jersey residents who attend college out of state – especially at private colleges and universities – capitalizing on in-state tuition during the summer can mean considerable savings,” Hough said.

      Summer Session is a good time to pursue interests not necessarily associated with a student’s major. “Our Hindu Studies program offers courses addressing Hindu philosophy and culture, taught by experts drawn from across the country and around the world,” Hough said.

      “Elections and Participation” will provide an opportunity for participants to explore current events in real time, according to Professor Richard Lehne, chair of the Department of Political Science. “Students will analyze the impact of such issues as ‘change versus experience’ on how people evaluate the candidates, and consider the dynamics of both parties’ nominating conventions – while the Republican convention is occurring,” he said.

      Summer Session classes tend to be smaller and less formal than regular semester offerings. Students and professors interact more closely, and internal research shows that 94 percent of students said they would recommend the program to friends. Faculty agree – 95 percent said teaching in the summer was a positive experience. “Professors generally found their students to be more focused, motivated and diverse,” Hough said.

      Although most summer students are matriculated Rutgers students, the Summer Session student body also includes professionals who want to advance their careers and a few advanced high school students. Summer courses are open to anyone with a high school diploma, so long as prerequisite coursework has been completed.

      Some offerings are designed for professional audiences. The Rutgers University Summer AP* Institute is for current or prospective Advanced Placement teachers in English language and literature, European history, French, Spanish, U.S. government and politics, and U.S. history. Participants will earn continuing education units for this weeklong intensive training, which runs from July 14 to July 18. Optional lodging is available.

      K-12 world language teachers can take a graduate-level, standards-based core program in pedagogy that is taught in English from the World Languages Institute (WLI). Graduate courses in civilization, culture, grammar, linguistics and literature will be taught in Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Two additional WLI courses, “Methods of Foreign Language Teaching (K-12)” and “Methods of Spanish Language Teaching (K-12)” are approved by the state Department of Education for New Jersey World Languages teacher certification.

      Those seeking to sharpen their writing skills can choose from among classes in business, technical, journalism and creative writing on campus and online. Rutgers’ English department offers these professional, noncredit courses. 

            For more information about Rutgers’ Summer Session or to attend an open house, visit www.summersession.rutgers.edu/press.