Extended Learning

Jill Pippin, Dean
151 Marano Campus Center • 315-312-2270
www.oswego.edu/extendedlearning

SUNY Oswego appreciates the potential that comes from 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:  part-time evening degree programs, online learning, off-campus classes, CLEP testing, Winter Session, 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.

 In addition to daytime hours, the Division of Extended Learning schedules advisement during the evening by appointment. Advisement is also available in the North Country and on Fort Drum by appointment. 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.

Two undergraduate programs are currently offered through the Division of Extended Learning. They include a B.S. Degree in Business Administration  and a B.S. Degree in Accounting  – as well as a minor in Economics . Degree requirements are listed under the individual academic departments’ section in this catalog. Courses are delivered in a rotation, allowing students to attend on a part-time basis and are scheduled to begin no earlier than 4:30 PM. Advisement for students in these degree programs takes place through Extended Learning.

Online Degree Programs

SUNY Oswego offers three completion degrees online: Broadcasting and Mass Communication , Public Justice , Public Relations  and Vocational Teacher Preparation . Degree requirements are listed under the individual academic departments’ section in this catalog.  Courses are offered in a regular rotation to allow part-time students the opportunity to complete their degree programs fully online.  Advisement for students in these degree programs takes place through Extended Learning.

SUNY Oswego offers courses through Open SUNY, a SUNY-wide collaboration that enables students to access courses, degrees, and professors at many SUNY campuses. Online courses have the same objectives, the same rigorous workload, and the same tuition rates and academic credit as classroom-based courses. Online courses are offered during spring, summer, fall, and winter terms.

SUNY Oswego offers a large number of online, face-to-face, and hybrid courses during Summer Sessions each year.  These courses are aimed at meeting the needs and interests of undergraduate and graduate students wishing to accelerate or transfer coursework required by their degree program.  Summer Sessions runs for twelve weeks from May to August and courses are offered for three weeks, six weeks, or for the full twelve weeks. Students are permitted to earn up to 15 credits during these condensed sessions.
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 geological 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.

Winter Session is offered each January over a three-week time frame. All courses are delivered online allowing students to make progress on their degree from wherever they are during the winter break.  General Education courses, major courses, and popular elective courses are typically offered.  Students are permitted to earn up to 4 credit hours of coursework during this concentrated session.

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.

A variety of other certified tests are offered periodically including Dignity for All Students Act, Safe Schools Healthy Students, Certified Health Education Specialist test prep and certification as well as GMAT, GRE test preparation. Proctoring of exams is also available by appointment. Schedules, locations, costs and registration instructions are listed on the web at www.oswego.edu/extended_learning/Testing_Service.

The Division of Extended Learning, in cooperation with the academic departments, offers credit courses at off-campus locations throughout Central New York.  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. These off-campus locations include the SUNY Oswego Phoenix Center located in Phoenix, NY, the SUNY Oswego Metro Center located in Syracuse, NY, in the North Country in Watertown and Fort Drum, NY.

The Metro Center, located in the Clinton Square area in Syracuse, NY, is designed to offer credit-bearing courses, customized and contract training for businesses and organizations, and professional development.  It also serves as a location for a variety of college and community events. Graduate programming includes MBA, mental health counseling, health systems, and education.

The Metro Center features seven classrooms and additional meeting spaces that can accommodate both large and small groups. They are well-suited for conferences, seminars, meetings, and a variety of other events. 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 or visit oswego.edu/metro

The SUNY Oswego Phoenix Center, located in the Oswego County Industrial Park in Phoenix, NY, is designed to offer credit-bearing courses, customized and contract training for businesses and organizations, and professional development.  It also serves as a location for a variety of college and community events. Credit-bearing courses at the upper division and graduate level are scheduled in the late afternoon and evening during the Fall and Spring semesters. Courses are also offered throughout the day and evening from May to August during Summer Sessions.

The Center features a computer lab and four classrooms that can accommodate both large and small groups.  They are well-suited for conferences, seminars, meetings, and a variety of other events. Wireless capability is featured throughout the facility.  Programs and events may be scheduled year-round; daytime, evening, or weekends. For more information call 315-934-4900 or visit oswego.edu/phoenix

Along with other institutions of the State University of New York, SUNY 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.

College Credit for High School Students

SUNY Oswego is proud to participate in courses offered in high schools and on our main campus for academically prepared ​students college to earn college credit. These courses allow students to earn credit simultaneously toward their high school graduation requirements while they earn college credit. To determine eligibility and participate, students must contact their high school administrator or the Division of Extended Learning.

Veteran Services

SUNY Oswego is dedicated to providing guidance, advice, advocacy and outreach services for our veteran and military student population to promote a successful transition to college life. Resources include a dedicated Veteran Services Coordinator to assist in navigating campus policy, procedures and requirements, a VA Certifying Official to assist with VA benefit processing, military and non-traditional student scholarships, a Student Veterans of America (SVA) Chapter, and a Veterans’ Lounge. Information on services available to military students can be found at oswego.edu/veterans and the Veteran Services Coordinator can be reached at 315-312-2270 or veterans@oswego.edu.

Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)

The Reserve Officer Training Corps programs of the United States Army (Army ROTC) and Air Force (AFROTC) are available to SUNY Oswego students through a crosstown agreement with Syracuse University. The programs both lead to commission as a junior officer (second lieutenant) with programs of study varying from one to four years. Generous scholarship opportunities are available to undergraduate and graduate ROTC students. Students will complete their ROTC requirements with Syracuse University’s Army ROTC or AFROTC battalion while pursuing their degree at SUNY Oswego. For more information, please visit the appropriate battalion’s website or contact an ROTC Admissions Officer Army ROTC - armyrotc.syr.edu or 315-443-1752; Air Force ROTC - afrotc.syr.edu or 315-443-2461.