Dual Enrollment

SWCHS offers a number of opportunities for students to earn college credit while in high school. These options have the potential for students to enter college with a sophomore standing and include:

    • Advanced Placement Courses (AP)
    • Post-Secondary On-Site (PSOS)/ College in the School (CIS)
    • Post-Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) – online
  • Advanced Placement (AP)
  • PSOS/CIS
  • PSEO Online

Advanced Placement (AP)

Advanced Placement (AP) classes are a great way for students to challenge themselves academically. The AP classes offered at SWCHS are the following:

  • AP World History (10th grade)
  • AP English 11 (11th grade)
  • AP Art and Design

In the spring semester, students take an AP test or submit a portfolio for each AP class in which they are enrolled. A passing grade on an AP test will earn students credits for college. The tests are scored from 1–5. Anything above a 3 is considered a passing grade; however, colleges differ in the number of credits they award for scores at/above 3.

Post-Secondary On-Site (PSOS)/College in the Schools (CIS)

SWCHS partners with the University of Northwestern–St. Paul and Crown College to offer college courses to qualified juniors and seniors on Southwest Christian’s campus. These courses are taught during the regular school day by instructors who have been trained and contracted by the college. The content, textbook, and course syllabus are determined by the college and are equivalent to that which is being taught at the respective college under a similar course name. Students must meet the GPA requirements of the college for admission into their PSOS program in order to enroll in these courses. SWCHS students enrolling in these courses can expect the rigor of a college course and at the same time receive both high school and, for those students completing the course with a C or higher, college credit. There may be a minimum number of SWCHS students needed per course for any of the courses to be offered at Southwest Christian.

Dual enrollment courses being offered may include:

  • Introduction to Philosophy – UNWSP
  • U.S. National Government – UNWSP
  • Principles of Economics – UNWSP
  • Introduction to Literature – UNWSP
  • Composition I – UNWSP
  • Critical Thinking & Writing – UNWSP
  • US History to, and since, 1877 – UNWSP
  • Principles of Biology – UNWSP
  • Environmental Science – UNWSP
  • General Chemistry I – Crown College
  • Concepts of Personal Finance – Crown College
  • Mathematics Survey – Crown College
  • Pre-Calculus – Crown College
  • Calculus – Crown College
  • Spanish III – Crown College
  • Spanish IV – Crown College
  • Entrepreneurship & Business Consulting – Crown College
  • Psychology – Crown College

Occasionally, colleges will want to see the course syllabus before granting credit for a particular course.  Below are some of the syllabi from our courses.

UNWSP HIS2001 Syllabus

UNWSP HIS2002 Syllabus

UNWSP Biology

Crown Math Survey

Crown Calculus A

Crown Calculus B

Crown Pre-Calculus

Crown Math Survey

Post-Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) – online

PSEO is a program open to Minnesota’s high school juniors and seniors, allowing them to take college courses while they are in high school, at no additional cost to the student. SWCHS students may take courses part-time at a nearby college or university or through distance learning if they meet the admission requirements of the school to which they are applying and if their classes at SWCHS can be worked out to accommodate their off-campus schedule.

Things to consider about online courses:

  • Online students must be self-motivated and mature as they will be solely responsible for their learning.
  • While the format of the online classes is flexible, students should expect to have nightly and/or weekly homework, tests, projects, or papers. Students must be disciplined to follow the designed scope and sequence of the course in order to be successful.
  • Each partnering institution has different policies for the completion of online work, grading, tests, late work, and other educational practices with which students must comply.
  • While SWCHS will facilitate enrollment into these courses and recognize this coursework on a student’s transcript, the student and parents will primarily be dealing with the online instructor and partnering institution primarily via email.

SWCHS guidelines for students interested in applying for PSEO or Dual Enrollment:

  1. The required core classes for graduation at SWCHS must be taken at the SWCHS campus and the minimum credits for graduation will apply for all students participating in PSEO and Dual Enrollment.
  2. SWCHS reserves the right to not accept certain courses towards the necessary credits for graduation.
  3. Students must meet the GPA requirements of the institution in which they are enrolling.
  4. The student should adjust their online and/or off-campus schedule to enable participation in Discipleship Groups, All-School Choir/Breakout, and Encounter at SWCHS.
  5. The student will comply with all policies relating to SWCHS as if they were a full-time student. 6.) Students taking PSEO/DE courses may participate in all co-curricular programs at SWCHS.
  6. All courses taken through PSEO that are necessary for graduation from SWCHS will appear on the student’s high school transcript.
  7. The family will pay full tuition at SWCHS and will be credited a determined amount per class, after SWCHS has received the transcript indicating grade and credits following the completion of the course. All other SWCHS fees still apply. (See Director of Student Services for details and application.)
  8. Unless otherwise noted, all PSEO courses will be granted .5/semester credit at SWCHS.
  9. SWCHS does not allow for full-time PSEO students.

Students may enroll in PSEO courses through UNWSP, Crown College, or other institutions but must receive approval from their school counselor or the director of student services. Students interested in pursuing PSEO courses for the first time should apply for admittance to the institution from which they wish to take classes during the spring registration period. For each new semester that students wish to take PSEO courses, they should submit the state PSEO form to their school counselor or the director of student services who will sent it to the institution.