Extended Learning

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

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, SUNY Oswego established the Division of Extended Learning, which facilitates year-round opportunities for adult learners to further their education. Opportunities include; campus daytime degree programs, part-time 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.  Online orientation sessions are available every semester for new students. The Division also delivers information sessions to business and community groups on request.

Four undergraduate programs are currently offered through the Division of Extended Learning. They include a B.S. Degree in Business Administration and in Accounting, plus a B.A. Degree in Information Science and in 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, allowing 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 takes place 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 to 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.

A number of special programs are held during Summer Sessions through collaboration between the Division and various academic departments. College students whose curricula require a field study component in earth science 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. 

Summer Sessions at Oswego runs for twelve weeks. Courses are offered for three weeks, six weeks, and for the full twelve weeks. Students are allowed to enroll for a total of fourteen credit hours during this time. 

WinterSession 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. 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. SUNY Oswego 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 as well as 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 315-934-4900 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.