Byron Area Schools in collaboration with the University of Michigan-Flint will be offering students from Byron High school the Byron Early College, a unique opportunity for Byron Area school students to earn college credits while enrolled in Byron for a fraction of the cost of traditional college tuition
Program Overview
College courses during the 11th and 12th grade years will focus on general education requirements. The courses selected will build a strong foundation and skill set (writing, problem solving, logic and communication) to best prepare students for their university experience.
During junior and senior year, UM-Flint college courses will be taught on the UM-Flint campus by UM-Flint professors. In the 13th grade of the Byron Early College students will participate in a wide array of college courses specific to their desired degree.
Students may select courses geared toward a specific degree during their 13th year of the Byron Early College program.
Program Qualifications
Selected high-ability, highly motivated Byron Area students will be eligible to enroll in the Byron Early College program. A selection process and criteria will be developed by the school district in cooperation with UM-Flint.
UM-Flint has established the following general expectations for Dual Enrollment Educational Partnerships (DEEP) program enrollees:
- An overall grade point average of 3.0+
- An interest in post-secondary study in the appropriate professional field
- The ability and motivation to undertake successfully the rigor of college-level coursework
- A favorable recommendation from the school principal or counselor addressing the strength of the applicant’s preparation in a college preparatory high school curriculum, including successful completion of 2+ years of HS English with strong writing skills, and other similar characteristics
Year 1 (12 Credits)
COM 200 Intro to Public Speaking, 3 credits – Social Sciences. Introduction to the discipline of Human Communication, touching on all skills and objectives of the Communication Program. Students gain tools needed to become competent communicators and to critically evaluate the communication messages of others.
HIS 114, Twentieth Century World History, 3 credits – Social Sciences. Survey of cultural, social, intellectual, economic, and political developments in the twentieth-century world. Special attention will be devoted to imperialism, war and violence, decolonization in the developing world, and the process and effects of globalization.
ARH 112, History of Renaissance to Modern Art, 3 credits – Humanities. Historical survey of art from the Renaissance to the Modern era. Covers all media from the western tradition of this time period.
PSY 100, Principles of Psychology, 3 credits – Social Sciences. Introduction to scientific study of behavior and mental processes; major concepts, theoretical perspectives, and research. Overview of the research process; how psychological questions are generated and studied; research and theory in subfields such as neuroscience, human development, learning, memory, thinking, motivation and individual differences.
Year 2 (13 Credits)
ART 120 – Introduction to the Visual Arts, 3 credits – Fine Arts. Examination of the essential characteristics of the visual arts, intended to develop in the student a discriminating appreciation of these arts. Lectures, tapes, slides, reading, and gallery tours.
BIO 104 Introduction to Human Biology, 4 credits – Natural Science & Lab. Introductory human anatomy and physiology with a focus on exercise physiology and human health. Intended for non-science majors. Lecture and laboratory.
PHL 101, Intro to Philosophy, 3 credits – Humanities. Examination of some of the main questions of philosophy, how they arise, and methods of answering them, based on the works of selected authors. Relationships between philosophical themes and other facets of cultural expression. Presentation of simpler problems in nontechnical language designed to introduce the student to philosophical inquiry.
COM 170 Intro to Digital Culture, 3 credits – Technology. How communication technology influences culture, society, and our day-to-day lives, with special emphasis on the massive shift from analog to digital technologies in a variety of media contexts. Exploration of technologies such as the internet, digital film, and social media websites, and issues such as the intersection between society and technology, theories of representation, obsolescence, surveillance and privacy, and how past communication technologies have shaped new and emerging media.