[school, query] prerequisites

[wispfox]

So, I almost certainly need a couple/few of undergrad Psych courses (not the least because the only two I took in college were over 10 years ago). How _does_ one find colleges that will let one take individual courses without being in a degree program?

Comments

[corivax.livejournal.com]

Is this for grad school? If so, the schools you're looking at applying to have advisors who can help you - this situation is actually very common. They'll be able to tell you what undergrad institutions and classes they respect, and often can pave your way to getting into them with calls or letters.

The magic word is 'non-matriculated' - this is silly advisor-speak for a someone taking classes who is not undergrad, grad, or postdoc. When you go to a school's website and look at their admissions process, they usually have seperate how-tos undergrads, grads, and non-matriculated students.

Be sure to check with a departmental advisor! Not all classes can be taken by NMs, and often they're the last people to get to sign up for classes. This is where having an advisor at a grad school or making friends with a departmental advisor where you're taking classes is essential - they have the magic ability to break nearly any rules they feel like on your behalf. :)

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Is this for grad school? If so, the schools you're looking at applying to have advisors who can help you

Yes! And duh, I should have thought of that. ;)

One of the ones I'm looking at doesn't have anything I'm missing. The other two (not first choice, but I'm not only applying to one school, as that seems... unwise) do. I shall go chat with them!

[harlequinaide.livejournal.com]

Couple options: Extention programs, like Harvard Extention, will let you. Also, Community Colleges generally allow anyone who can pay to take a course or two. Also, there are programs like Emerson's Continuing Education program that will allow you to take the courses you need, generally at night.

That's all I can think of right now, but your best bet is to call the school, tell them what you want and see what they have.

[signsoflife.livejournal.com]

the language differs from school to school -- non-matriculated students are often called "special students" or "non degree candidates". In my experience it's more the norm than otherwise for a school to permit non-matriculated students; I know you can take courses at tufts, umass boston, northeastern, and suffolk university (they had an especially weird name for it), and I'm pretty sure you can at BU as well.

Harvard University Extension School has pretty deep offerings in Psychology and is heavily subsidized; I caution you to choose courses offered by regular Harvard faculty; the times I and others have had subpar experiences with the Extension School, it's been with guest faculty. "Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University" is a toss-up for quality. My (extensive) experience with the Extension School has been that the classes and the students are doubleplusgood; however, that experience is in Biology and not Psychology, and I also hear that the quality of the school varies substantially from field to field.

[signsoflife.livejournal.com]

Oh, and degree candidates in Harvard Extension can register as special students at Harvard College, but then you have to pay the unsubsidized rate, which is $$$$$.

[dancingwolfgrrl.livejournal.com]

Almost any school will do this. I know of several local ones, including both Tufts and Brandeis. Some schools call this a "special student" program, although a lot of them have their own cute acronyms for it, too :)

The hitch is that you're generally not eligible for any financial aid, which makes doing it at a community college or through an extension program like Harvard's much more attractive!