Early Transfer Academy

Early Transfer Academy

The Early Transfer Academy (ETA) is a specialized program for high school and home school juniors and seniors who are ready to begin fulfilling their college general education requirements while still in high school.

ETA participants can fulfill general education course requirements in social sciences, fine and applied arts, humanities, communication, physical and life sciences, and mathematics. One- and  two-year options are available, allowing students to reduce the time needed to earn an associate's or bachelor's degree after high school

EARN college credit while in high school:

  • Increase your chance at college success through First Year Experience and cohort components while getting help from highly supportive faculty.
  • Classes meet 8-9:15 a.m., Monday - Friday, and are designed to work with high school schedules
  • Preparation for college online courses through structured hybrid experiences
  • Flexibility in course selection in conjunction with established high school dual credit courses
  • Apply course credits to the completion of the Gen Ed Certificate or a Parkland College associate's degree. Credits can also transfer to public colleges and universities across Illinois. 

REDUCE time needed to earn a degree after high school:

  • Earn up to 18 credit hours in one year; or
  • earn 32-38 credit hours in two years

SAVE on college with affordable in-district tuition:

  • At just a fraction of the cost of a 4-year institution, Parkland's in-district tuition rates save you money toward your future degree.
  • Take advantage of the Parkland College payment plan to make tuition more manageable.

Cost Comparison

College cost estimates are listed below, based on the 2017–2018 tuition and fee rates for each institution as retrieved 10/2017. Textbook and supply costs are included and will vary. Rates are based on 18 hours of credit. Select College/University name below for more information.

COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY FALL
TERM 		SPRING
TERM 		ESTIMATED
ANNUAL TOTAL
University of Illinois 4,612 4,612 $ 9,224
Illinois State University 4,317 4,317 $ 8,634
Eastern Illinois University 2,930 2,930 $ 5,860
Parkland College 1,652 1,965 $3,617

  

How to Get Started

Eligibility Requirements

To enroll in ETA courses, students will need to:

  • be a junior, senior, or home-schooled student; minimum age is 15 years old (sophomores are welcome to apply for enrollment during junior year)
  • place in college-level English, based on high school test scores or Parkland assessments
  • be highly motivated

How to Apply
  1. Submit a Non-Degree-Seeking Admissions Application
  2. Download and complete the Early College Enrollment Form
  3. Submit the completed enrollment form with a copy of your official ACT/SAT/AP/IB scores, if available
    Completed documents can be submitted 4 ways:
    • In person at Early College Services, room U233, in the Parkland College Student Union
    • Mail to  Parkland College, Early College Services, U233, 2400 W Bradley Ave., Champaign IL 61821
    • Email to earlycollege@parkland.edu
    • Fax to 217/373-3865
  4. Complete placement testing, as necessary
    Early College Services will determine if placement testing is needed prior to course enrollment.

Anticipated Courses For ETA Scheduling

Spring & Fall Courses Offerings - up to 9 credits/semester
Time: 8-9:15 am

First-year Experience
FYE-101 Strategies for College Success (1 to 3 Credits)
Designed to help students succeed in college and beyond. Includes self-assessment, goal-setting, educational and career planning, time management, interpersonal communication, and personal development.
Note: Restricted to ETA students
Communication
COM-103 Intro to Public Speaking (3 Credits)
(IAI C2 900) Practice and study in public speaking involving informative, persuasive, and problem solution situations and issues. Emphasis on speaker's critical thinking in relation to audience, topic, occasion, and self. ENG 101 and college levelreading placement strongly recommended.
Open Enrollment; Recommended for first-year ETA students

ENG-101 Composition I (3 Credits)
(IAI C1 900) Essay writing with emphasis on writing process, purpose and audience awareness, critical analysis, focus, organization, development, clarity, coherence, and engagement with outside texts. Credit is allowed for only one of the following: ENG 101-102 or ENG 106. Credit is not given for both ENG 101 and ESL 101. A grade of C or higher is required in ENG 101 to fulfill IAI General Education Core Curriculum requirements for transfer programs.
Note: Open Enrollment; Recommended for second-year ETA students or HS seniors without Dual Credit ENG 101 in the High School

ENG-102 Composition II (3 Credits)
(IAI C1 901R) Research-paper writing emphasizing adoption,narrowing, and logical support of a thesis in awareness of a readers needs; developing effective research techniques; and accurately documenting sources in a conventional format. Credit is allowed for only one of the following: ENG 101- 102 or ENG 106. Credit is not given for both ENG102 and ESL 102. A grade of C or higher is required in ENG 102 to fulfill IAI General Education Core Curriculum requirements for transfer programs.
Note: Open Enrollment; Recommended for second-year ETA students or HS seniors without Dual Credit ENG 102 in the High School
Humanities/Fine Arts
HUM-105 Cultures and Civilizations of Sub-Saharan Africa (3 Credits)
(IAI HF 904N) Exploration of cultures in Sub-Saharan Africa as expressed in art, music, literature, history, and philosophy. 

MUS-121 Music Appreciation (3 Credits)
(IAI F1 900) Understanding music through perceptive listening. Deals with elements of music (melody, rhythm, harmony, form, tone color) and how they are combined to create a given musical effect. Emphasis placed on increasing one's aural awareness of what is happening in music.
Note: Open Enrollment; Recommended for second-year students not needing ENG 101

THE-100 Theatre Appreciation (3 Credits)
(IAI F1 907) Enhances appreciation of theatre as an art form through reading and analysis of scripts, theatre viewing, and discussion. Areas of investigation include types of plays; methods of production, design, and use of theatre; and the contributions of collaborative artists.
Note: Open Enrollment; Recommended for first-year ETA students

LIT-141 Introduction to African American Literature (3 Credits)
(IAI H3 910D) A survey of literature by African American writers, exploring the formation of racial/cultural identity, and developing a broader historical understanding of the cultural experiences expressed. Exploration of poems, novels, plays, speeches, and other texts.
Note: Open Enrollment; Recommended for second-year ETA students; fulfills USMC requirement
Math
MAT-108 Intro/Applied Statistics (3 Credits)
(IAI M1 902) Basic statistical principles, graphic presentation, descriptive measures of central tendency, dispersion and location, inferential statistics and hypothesis testing, analysis and inference of linear correlation coefficient, and slope of regression line. Credit not given for both MAT 108 and MAT 160.
Note: Open Enrollment; Recommended for students not pursuing STEM degree

MAT-125 College Trigonometry (3 Credits)
Trigonometric functions, fundamental identities, graphing, solving trigonometric equations, inverse trigonometric functions, complex numbers, and vectors. Prerequisites: MAT 097 (or high school equivalent) and MAT 124 with grade of C or higher or concurrent enrollment in MAT 124, or assessment.
Note: Open Enrollment; Recommended for students with placement pursing STEM degree; not a gen ed but will prepare students for MAT 128 in spring semester; MAT 128 is the gen ed MAT needed for most STEM students

MAT-128 Calculus/Analyt Geom I (5 Credits)
(IAI MTH 901) Derivative and its applications; integral and its applications; limits and continuity; trigonometric, exponential, logarithmic, and hyperbolic functions. Credit not given for both MAT 128 and MAT 143.
Note: Open Enrollment; Recommended for students pursuing a STEM degree
Physical/Life Sciences
AST-101 The Solar System (4 Credits)
(IAI P1 906L) Historical ideas concerning stars and planets; structure and motions of Earth, planets, and moons; physical nature of the Sun, planets, comets, asteroids, and meteors; origin and evolution of the Solar System. Includes an evening telescope observation.
Note: Open Enrollment; Recommended for second-year ETA students or HS seniors not wanting Forensic Sciences as their physical and life science

BIO-104 Environmental Bio/Sustainability (4 Credits)
(IAI L1 905L) Examines relationship of humans to their environment, including consideration of natural cycles and balances, populations, energy, hazardous chemicals, air, water, noise, and solid waste pollution. Field trips included. Students are expected to provide own transportation on local field trips.
Note: Open Enrollment; Recommended for second-year ETA students or HS seniors not wanting Forensic Sciences as their physical and life science

SCI-108 Essentials/Forensic Science (4 Credits)
(IAI LP 900L) Introduction to application of science to criminal and civil law, with overview of forensic chemistry, trace-evidence, forensic biology, and other sub-disciplines. Emphasis on techniques of sampling a crime scene and use of physical evidence to help solve cases.
Note: Open Enrollment; Recommended for second-year ETA students or HS seniors; must be taken in conjunction with
SCI 208 to fulfill GECC

SCI-208 Frnsc Sci II/Death Anlys (4 Credits)
(IAI LP 901L) Selected topics in forensic science, emphasizing pertinent factors associated with cause, mechanism, and manner of death. Mechanism and manner of death are correlated with cause of death, as well as physical evidence found on or near the decedent. Credit or concurrent enrollment in SCI 108 and CJS 209 recommended.
Note: Open Enrollment; Recommended for second-year ETA students or HS seniors; must be taken in conjunction with
SCI 108 to fulfill GECC
Social Science
ANT-103 Intro Cultural Anthropology (3 Credits)
(IAI S1 901N) Study of structure and process of culture. Presents major features of culture including subsistence patterns, organizing devices, language, patterns of cultural transmission, political organization, religion, family forms, and cultural change. Examines methods of anthropological research and major theoretical orientations.
Note: Restricted to ETA students; Fulfills Nonwestern requirement

POS-120 Introduction to Political Science (3 Credits)
(IAI S5 903)  Introduction to politics and its meaning for the individual through consideration of power, the state, ideology, legitimacy, political linkages, institutions, constitutions, and change. 
 
HIS-109 World History II (4 Credits)
(IAI S2 913 N) Economic, social, cultural and political history of global peoples and cultures from 1500 to the present.
Note: Open Enrollment;  Fulfills Nonwestern requirement

PSY-205 Intro Social Psychology (3 Credits)
(IAI S8 900) Systematic introduction to theory and research on the ways social factors influence individual and group behavior. Examines attitudes, social perception, social cognition, the establishment of norms, leadership, group dynamics, interpersonal relations, and research methods emphasizing their effects on the individual.
Note: Open Enrollment; Recommended for second-year ETA students

COURSE NOTES:

  • Not all courses will be completed by all students; courses offered provide options dependent on students’ interests
  • First time ETA students entering in Fall semester will be placed in FYE 101
  • Open Enrollment courses may have students enrolled who are not ETA participants
  • Math sequence needed will depend on placement
  • Dual Credit courses taken in the high school might require modification of schedules
  • STEM students might wish to consider more specific Physical/Life Sciences lab courses in summers
  • Developmental classes could be taken in the summer if needed for college-level English or Math placement

 

For more information, see your high school counselor or contact us at earlycollege@parkland.edu
 or 217/353-2663.