As the landscape of learning continues to change for high school students, an opportunity for students to get a taste of the college experience while still in high school has always been attractive.

Dual enrollment is an option.

Enrollment at Middle Georgia State University

Middle Georgia State University has partnered with Mount de Sales for many years, and as the university has grown and changed over time, so have the options available to our students.

Mount de Sales has an official agreement with MGSU to offer courses on our campus that are taught by qualified Mount de Sales teachers. Typically, the teacher must have a master’s degree in the course area, and meet all other requirements of employment at MGSU.

State requirements for students attending MGSU:

The State of Georgia recently retooled its dual enrollment program statewide. The new program is known as Move on When Ready (MOWR). To be eligible to participate in MOWR, a student must:

• submit an application and high school transcript,
• have a minimum 3.0 GPA,
• have a combined Reading/Math SAT score of 970 or above with a minimum Reading score of 430 and Math of 400, and
• have the recommendation of our Upper School college counselor or Upper School head.

The beauty of the program is that state funding covers the expenses of tuition and often textbooks, much like the HOPE grant covers college expenses, if students qualify.

At Mount de Sales, we offer several courses on campus, including two semesters of college English, college statistics, and college algebra. Twenty-four seniors are enrolled in college English, and twenty-eight seniors are earning math credits in college statistics and/or college Algebra.

Neighborhood Partnership: Mercer University

Across Tattnall Square Park, Mercer University has offered placement in a limited number of courses. Because Mercer is not a public institution, the model for delivering instruction is a bit different.

When available, courses offered at Mercer are taken on the Mercer campus. Mount de Sales is close to Mercer, so transportation times do not interrupt too greatly on schedules of our participating students.

What’s the advantage of earning credit?

The advantage of earning college credit before a student actually starts college is an obvious one.

Combined with other credits earned through AP testing, many students enter college with or near sophomore status! At the least, they are primed for the rigors of the college experience, because they have already completed a college course while in high school.

By far the most common way for students to earn college credit while completing their graduation requirements is through the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program®. Depending upon the year and student interest, MDS offers more than twenty different AP courses.

Stay tuned for a separate blog post about the AP Program at Mount de Sales!

By Dr. Michael Franklin, Upper School Head