Extended Learning

Yvonne A. Petrella, Dean
166 Campus Center
315-312-2270
www.oswego.edu/ced

SUNY Oswego appreciates the potential of continuing education and lifelong learning. Increasing numbers of adults enroll in continuing education programs to achieve their educational objectives. As a response to this need for continuous education, Oswego established the Division of Extended Learning, which facilitates year-round opportunities for adult learners to further their education. Opportunities incude; campus daytime degree programs, evening degree programs, distance learning, off-campus classes, CLEP testing, WinterSession, and Summer Sessions. In support of the educational programs, Extended Learning facilitates many services through various campus offices for academic and financial aid advisement, counseling and placement services, and credit and certificate record keeping. Adult education specialists at the College design and deliver non-degree professional development programs to meet the needs of community groups and special audiences.

The College is dedicated to providing lifelong learning for all persons. Continuing education is an important element of the total mission of the State University of New York. Oswego joins the other campuses of the State University system in realizing its mission expressed in the motto: “To Learn – To Search – To Serve.”

Extended Learning study opportunities are provided at times and places convenient to adult learners and encompass a variety of degree, non-degree, credit, non-credit, distance learning, campus, and off-campus programs and services.
Extended Learning has these objectives:
1.    To provide adult learners with opportunities for personal enrichment and satisfaction through the stimulation of intellectual and cultural growth.
2.    To provide adult learners with the skills, knowledge and insights required to update and improve their vocational and professional performance.
3.    To provide adult learners with information and understanding needed to fulfill their responsibilities as citizens in society.
4.    To be responsive to the needs of communities in the region and the organizations and agencies (public and private) that are located in these communities.

The Division of Extended Learning schedules regular evening hours in addition to daytime hours for walk-in services or by appointment. Advisement is also available in the North Country office. Open information sessions are scheduled periodically throughout the year, on campus, in the North Country and at the SUNY Oswego Phoenix Center. These sessions are valuable to anyone who is considering returning to school or seeking professional development. On-line orientation  sessions are held every semester for new students. The Division also delivers information sessions to business and community groups on request.
 

There are four undergraduate programs coordinated by the Division of Extended Learning. They include a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and in Accounting, and the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Information Science, and Public Justice as well as a minor in Economics. Degree requirements are listed under the individual departments’ section in this catalog. Classes are delivered in a rotation that allows students to attend on a part-time basis, and are scheduled to begin no earlier than 5:30 PM. Advisement for students in these degree programs is through Extended Learning.
 

Oswego offers a large number of courses during Summer Sessions aimed at meeting the needs and interests of undergraduate students wishing to accelerate, make up, or transfer coursework and graduate students desiring to complete master’s degrees and/or state education certification requirements or wishing to build unique competencies in special fields of interest. Summer Sessions at Oswego also offers students exceptional opportunities in interdepartmental study, laboratory coursework, and workshop programs.

The Division implements a variety of special projects in the summer through collaboration with several different academic departments. College students interested in meteorology are invited to participate in the Storm Forecasting and Observation Program. College students interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry are given an opportunity to observe the industry first hand from a Hollywood P.O.V. (point of view). College students whose curricula require a field study component in earth sciences spend five weeks in the Adirondack Mountains as participants in Oswego’s Geology Field Program. The Summer Intensive English Program offers credit courses for beginner, intermediate and advanced speakers of English as a Second Language. Students receive formal instruction daily to improve their skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The SUNY Oswego Summer Energy Institute is a two-week program designed for middle and high school physical science and technology education teachers that addresses energy topics relevant to current local and global needs in order to enable these teachers to pass on this knowledge to their own students. All these credit-bearing projects result in bringing a diverse group of students to Oswego in the summer.

Summer Sessions at Oswego runs for twelve weeks. Courses are offered for three weeks, six weeks, and occasionally for the full twelve weeks. Students are allowed to enroll for a total of fourteen credit hours during this time. Special summer programs such as those noted above typically run from one week in duration to five weeks.

Summer students at Oswego enjoy many personal benefits beyond its rich academic programs. Oswego’s unique location on the shores of Lake Ontario has proven to be ideal for both summer study and personal pleasure. 

Winter Session is offered each January over a three-week time frame. Students are permitted to take up to four credit hours of coursework during this concentrated session. Winter Session provides students the opportunity to make timely progress on their degree. General Education courses, selected major courses, and popular elective courses are typically offered.

SUNY Oswego offers courses through the SUNY Learning Network via the World Wide Web. Our courses have the same objectives, the same rigorous workload, and the same tuition rate and academic credit as our classroom based courses. Through this asynchronous learning opportunity, Oswego provides study access for students who are unable to travel to campus. Oswego State offers three completion degrees on-line: Broadcasting and Mass Communication, Public Justice, and Vocational Teacher Preparation.

As part of the national testing program provided through the College Board’s College Level Examination Program, CLEP tests are administered several times throughout the year. Over 35 different examinations are available in the program, ranging from Analysis and Interpretation of Literature to General Biology. SUNY Oswego accepts most of these tests for academic credit. The tests are computerized and are administered at the SUNY Oswego Phoenix Center in Phoenix, NY.

 The Division of Extended Learning, in cooperation with the academic departments, offers credit courses at off-campus locations throughout central New York. Off campus locations include the SUNY Oswego Phoenix Center located in the Oswego County Industrial Park in Phoenix, NY, the SUNY Oswego Metro Center located in Syracuse, NY, and the North Country. Courses are extended to other community sites particularly for the convenience of working adults whose schedules, residence, or work sites restrict their access to programs and courses located on the Oswego campus. 

The Metro Center, located in the Hanover/Clinton Square area, Syracuse, NY, is a new college-wide initiative that is designed to offer customized and contract training, professional development, credit-bearing courses, small business consulting and a variety of college events. Graduate offerings will include the part-time MBA, programs from the Counseling and Psychological Services and Educational Administration departments, as well as other graduate education and liberal arts courses.

The center features six classrooms that can accommodate both large and small groups, as well as conference, seminar, and meeting spaces. Wireless capability is featured throughout the facility. Programs and events may be scheduled year-round, daytime, evening, or weekends. Anyone interested in programming opportunities may call 315-399-4100.

The SUNY Oswego Phoenix Center is located in the Oswego County Industrial Park in Phoenix, NY. The Center has instructional space and computer facilities. Credit bearing courses at the upper division and graduate level are scheduled in the late afternoon and evening during the Fall and Spring semesters, WinterSession and Summer Sessions. The Phoenix Center offers professional development programs for business and industry, delivered there or directly at the business site. Open enrollment computer classes are also offered. Call 315-312-6430 to inquire about services and upcoming classes.

Along with other institutions of the State University of New York, Oswego is a member of the SUNY North Country Educational Consortium, and delivers higher education to residents in the North Country region and military personnel stationed at Fort Drum. Courses to support learning opportunities are offered in the Watertown area. Students may combine study there with on-campus and distance learning to complete their program. For information contact the Division of Extended Learning.

Senior Citizens (60 years or older) have the opportunity to audit college courses on a space available basis, free of tuition charges. Forms are available through the Division of Extended Learning.