Dual Credit for High Schools and Career Centers

College of DuPage offers college-level academic and career courses to qualified high school students. The dual credit option provides access to a higher level of education and is an excellent opportunity to challenge high school students. A dual credit course is a college course taken by a high school student for which the student is awarded both college and high school credit..

Advantages for High Schools and Career Centers

Reduce high school dropout rates
Prepare students for college work
Enhance high school curriculum
Enhance student transition to college
Increase student access to COD resources and services
Increase interaction between high school/career center and COD faculty
Improve relationships between colleges and their communities

Dual Credit at College of DuPage

Classes are taught at the high school/career center by schools' instructors.
Students receive both high school and COD credit.
Curriculum, syllabi, textbooks and hiring standards must meet COD guidelines.
COD Faculty Hiring Guidelines
A formal agreement is signed.COD tuition and application fee are waived
A COD transcript is generated.

Schools interested in offering Dual Credit for the first time, please contact Mary Klinefelter, director of High School Partnerships, (630) 942-2853, or klinefelterm@cod.edu.

Schools interested in expanding Dual Credit agreements, please contact the Dual Credit specialist assigned to your school.

The Approval Process
The high school/career center is asked to provide the following information to the Dual Credit office at College of DuPage:

Detailed course syllabus, objectives, topical outlineDetailed weekly agenda (assignments, projects, exams and other materials)Textbook informationCompleted COD faculty application with resume, transcripts and copies of required certificationsOther discipline-specific information and materials as requested by the COD faculty
The Dual Credit office submits all material pertaining to curriculum to the appropriate COD area/program coordinator for review, and to the COD administrator for additional review and approval, to ensure that all content meets COD curriculum guidelines. Adherence to hiring guidelines for high school faculty is confirmed by COD administration.
When COD curriculum guidelines are met, the COD area/program coordinator signs the Dual Credit agreement. The original agreement is sent to the division's dean, the director of High School Partnerships, and the vice president for Academic Affairs for final signatures. The Dual Credit agreement is then forwarded to the participating high school/career center for faculty and administrative signatures.
The signed Dual Credit agreement is copied and distributed to the COD area/program coordinator, COD administration, and the participating high school/career centers' administration. The original signed Dual Credit agreement is filed in the Dual Credit office.
The Dual Credit office shall provide copies of the syllabus and textbook information to the appropriate division's office annually. The course syllabus, textbooks and schools participating in the program will be posted on the Dual Credit web site. The Dual Credit office will update the web site annually to confirm that the information is current.

Timeline for Dual Credit Agreement*

September - December: Meetings held with schools
By March 15: All Dual Credit paperwork submitted by secondary school
By April 15: Faculty course collaboration meeting completed
By May 1: Final signatures obtained
By May 15: Dual Credit office distributes and posts final agreements

Beginning of each term Dual Credit office provides copies of the syllabus and textbook information to the appropriate COD division office.

* Individual exeptions are considererd.

If you are a district 502 high school interested in signing up for dual credit for your school, please contact Mary Klinefelter at (630) 942-2853 or email klinefelterm@cod.edu.