JSU Junior Erica Long to Acquire College Degree
in Record Time
Erica Taneshia Long enrolled in JSU's Accelerated Pre-College Program when she was a high school student at Munford High School. She is currently a Junior at JSU majoring in Occupational Safety and Health Technology, yet she is just 18 years old.

The accelerated pre-college program, sometimes also known as “dual enrollment,” provides high school students a preview of university life and the opportunity to earn college credit while still enrolled in high school. Students take college courses on their own high school campuses, taught by the high schools’ faculty members who qualify as adjunct instructors for JSU. Fall 2006 witnessed a record number of students participating, with enrollments up by nearly a third over the previous year’s.

The following schools participated in Fall 2006: Alexandria High School, Cedar Bluff High School, Cherokee County High School, Donoho School, Jacksonville High School, Oxford High School, Pleasant Valley High School, Sacred Heart School and Saks High School. There is still plenty of room for growth in the program, both in terms of schools participating and courses offered.

Accelerated Pre-College Program Admissions/Dual Enrollment

A student may be admitted as an accelerated high school student by meeting the following conditions:

1. Applicants must have earned a “B” average or better in ninth grade work.
   
   
2. Applicants must have completed the ninth grade before enrolling as accelerated students.
   
   
3. All applicants must have written permission of their principal and/or superintendent.
   
   
4. All applicants must submit an application to the University as an accelerated student along with the non-refundable application fee of $20.00.
   
   
5. Dual enrollment credit for high school units may be granted by the school system. High school units may be earned in addition to college credits with the permission of the superintendent.

Accelerated students are subject to all rules and regulations of the University as well as its rights and privileges. Accelerated students may register for 100 or 200 level courses in any academic field in which the student has completed high school requirements and/or prerequisites. The accelerated high school student may enroll in no more than six (6) semester hours of college courses during fall or spring semesters. During each summer semester 7 hours is the maximum load. Accelerated students must maintain a “C” average or better in all attempted coursework and a “B” average in high school.

College credit for accelerated students will be awarded only after the student has graduated from high school and has completed all freshman admission requirements to Jacksonville State University. Official transcripts are not available to students until admission requirements are satisfied.

This program enables high school students to take accelerated courses in order to broaden their curricular options, increase their depth of study in particular subject areas, and reduce the time it takes to obtain a college degree. Students who pass these courses and exams are eligible to earn college credit that may be used toward degree requirements. Acceleration programs provide many non-monetary benefits, including enriching students’ high school experience, challenging them to perform at college level, and helping to bridge the transition from high school to college.

Erica has also taken an accelerated entry into the job market. She has been working for the Department of Defense at Bynum for the last 2.5 years.

 

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