clarkston early college

Clarkston Community Schools in collaboration with the University of Michigan-Flint is proud to announce the Clarkston Early College, unique opportunity for Clarkston, Holly, and Brandon students to earn college credits while enrolled at their high schools for a fraction of the cost of traditional college tuition.

Program Overview

College courses during grades 11th and 12th 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 at Clarkston High School by UM-Flint professors. In the 13th grade of the Early College students will transition to the UM-Flint campus to 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 Clarkston Early College program.

Program Qualifications

Selected high-ability, highly motivated students will be eligible to enroll in the Clarkston 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

Humanities Program (12 Credits)

ENG111, College Rhetoric, 3 credits – English Composition. Introductory course in composition emphasizing written expression appropriate to successful college level work. Analytical readings; creative and critical thinking; development of a student’s sense of integrity as a writer. 

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.

ANT 100, Intro to Cultural Anthropology, 3 credits – Social Science. Examination of the enormous cultural diversity within and between the world’s peoples, and the political importance of this diversity today. Subsistence methods, kinship patterns, power relations, linguistic variations, cultural conflicts, and forms of inequality around the world. “Culture” as a historically dynamic process that is both creative and constantly undergoing transformation.

ENG 112, Critical Writing and Reading, 3 credits – English Composition. Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C in ENG 111. Intensive course in critical and analytical reading, writing and research strategies necessary for successful academic work. Techniques for essay exams; argumentative, analytical, and critical papers; undergraduate research.

Liberal Arts Program (12 Credits)

COM 200, Introduction to Human Communication, 3 credits – Social Science. 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 Science. 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.

AFA 101, Intro to Africana Studies, 3 credits – Social Science/US Diversity. Interdisciplinary examination of the Africana (African and African Diaspora) experience; trends, issues and forces that have shaped it. The dispersion of persons of African descent throughout the world, and the important roles they have played in the advancement of civilization.

COM 210, Intro to Public Speaking, 3 credits – Humanities. Students prepare and deliver public speeches, developing skills of organization, research and delivery while engaging important public issues. Students develop appreciation for ethical methods to approach diverse audiences and become more comfortable speaking in public and better equipped to use speech as a tool to execute change.

Medical Sciences (13 Credits) Seniors Only

HCR 206, Health Sciences Applications, 2 credits. Introduction to a wide range of topics in health science with demonstrations of how basic scientific concepts can be applied to solving problems in the field. Hypothetical thought experiments stimulate students’ interest in pursuing health careers.

BIO 113, Principles of Biology, 4 credits – Natural Sciences with Lab. Introduction to the basic principles of biology relating to cell structure and function, cell reproduction, and mechanisms underlying patterns of inheritance, ecology and evolution, emphasizing guided discovery and critical thinking.

PHL 202, Intro to Logic, 3 credits – Humanities. Study of reasoning with emphasis on features that distinguish good (or valid) reasoning from bad (or invalid) reasoning. Examination of ways of evaluating deductive reasoning with focus on techniques of formal, symbolic logic. May also include informal logic and fallacies. Beginning level class, no previous expertise required. Graded ABCDD-N.BIO 328, Genetics, 4 credits. Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C- in BIO 113. Principles of inheritance from molecular through population levels. Gene action, cytoplasmic inheritance, parthenogenesis,