ST.PETERSBURG, Fla. — For many students, time is a luxury they don't have. That's why St. Petersburg College launched its new 12 credits in 12 weeks program again this Fall.
"We certainly understand now in this COVID climate environment that time is of the essence," Dr. Tashika Griffith said. "And, a lot of our community members want to obtain training skills, they want degrees to advance themselves, to make themselves more marketable to employers, and they want to do that quickly."
The traditional semester is 16 weeks. But, Dr. Griffith says students are interested in earning credits four weeks faster. Last semester only 30 students signed up for the fast-track program. The numbers were lower because of the pandemic. But, Dr. Griffith said it is clear now there was a huge demand. This semester more than 300 students enrolled and counting.
"With COVID-19 folks have been furloughed. A lot of folks have lost their jobs. Particularly when we are talking about our hard-hit industries tourism, hospitality, service. So, when know we have a lot of students in those industries that are looking for ways to reframe themselves in more marketable industries."
If the pilot program is successful, they plan to add more courses in the future.
"What we are hoping to do is expand it also by programs so if you are a business major you can get your 12 credits in business and so on and so forth. But, right now, initially, the pilot encompasses our general education courses," Dr. Griffith said. "Get students to understand there are additional options for learning. A lot of our students want that fast-track learning approach because they have families and jobs."
There is still time to sign-up. Express classes start Sept. 14.