Each year, Manchester Community College offers a variety of credit-bearing courses that are in a format that is shorter than the traditional 15-week (fall and spring) semester. These courses may be held on the MCC campus or be offered online (or a combination), and may take place days, evenings or even weekends. The typical accelerated formats include:
Fall Semester: 8-week, 12-week
Winter Intersession: 3-week
Spring Semester: 8-week, 12-week
Summer Session: 3-week, 6-week, 8-week
The current accelerated course offerings can be found on myCommNet. All summer and winter credit courses are accelerated. For spring and fall offerings, look for “Late Start” or “8-wk” in the title, and check the “Date” column for the start date. The “Inst Methd” column will let you know if the course is on campus or online. You can also view the most current summer or winter catalog here.
While the number of weeks for each accelerated session is much shorter than those of the regular fall and spring semesters, students should be aware that each course contains the same number of class hours as the regular semester. As a result, the level of study is much more intensive and demanding of time. Students should consider this in planning their time and course selection.
To find out more about whether an accelerated course is right for you, contact your program coordinator or advisor.
A Note About Online Courses
Although MCC’s online courses provide flexibility that allow students to access information and participate in course discussions anytime and anywhere via a computer and an Internet connection, these are not self-paced courses. Just as in any MCC course, students will have weekly deadlines for assignments, discussions and assessments. The content and expectations in an online course are the same as in an on-campus course at MCC. Online courses require a great deal of reading and writing, as well as strong computer literacy and time management skills. If you have never taken online classes, contact the Educational Technology and Distance Learning Department (ETDL) at sandbox@manchestercc.edu to decide if online learning is right for you. Students should also review the information on the ETDL website at www.manchestercc.edu/blackboard. This site includes information about how to log into Blackboard Learn, where to get help, technical requirements for your computer and other resources.
Tuition and Fees
Summer and winter accelerated classes are also know as “credit extension” courses. Credit extension courses require full payment of tuition and fees at the time of registration. Refund and withdrawal policies for credit extension courses differ from those of general fund (15-week fall and spring courses), as well.
Students who do not want to take a course once they have registered for it must submit an Add/Drop Request to the Registrar’s office, whether or not payment has been made. If you do not drop within the allowable drop period, you are still obligated to pay for the class, whether or not you attend.
* Connecticut Tuition Waiver and National Guard Waiver do not cover Credit Extension courses.
Refund Policy
There is a minimum enrollment for all credit extension courses. Classes with insufficient enrollment will be cancelled. If a course is filled or cancelled, you will be notified by phone or mail before the starting date. If the college cancels a credit extension course, students will receive a full refund of all tuition and service fees. It takes two to four weeks for payment of refunds to be made.
Information about student-initiated withdrawals from an accelerated course, and any accompanying refund can be found in the Withdrawal and Refund Policies.