Dual Credit courses are courses offered for dual credit from agreements between high schools, universities and community colleges whereby a high school student enrolls in a college course and simultaneously earns college credit and high school credit for the course.
Partnerships between Texas secondary schools and Texas colleges and universities have enabled high school students to earn college credits before graduating from high school, making their transition to the collegiate campus smoother and their likelihood of graduating from college greater.
Courses are offered by accredited colleges and include both academic and career/technical courses. HPS Dual Credit Program is designed towards helping students complete 42 hours of Texas State College Core Curriculum (refer to core curriculum chart). Courses taken as dual credit will transfer to Texas public institutions according to their transfer policies; however, if the student completes the core curriculum, the entire core will transfer towards a Bachelor Degree in Texas public institutions. Private and out-of-state institutions choose which courses to accept and whether credit for Dual Credit coursework will be honored.
To ensure that students are taking meaningful dual credit courses, they need to be aware of the requirements and degree/certification requirements in their field of interest as well as their two-year college and their future four-year college. By tracking students’ college coursework along with their high school graduation plan, students should be aware of their progress toward the college goals.
College courses offered for dual credit may be offered online, taught at the college campus or the high school campus by credentialed instructors. Courses offered for dual credit include the same content and rigor as courses taught to other college students, utilizing the same instructors, curriculum, and policies.
The number of Dual Credit courses students can take will depend on course load and schedule availability of each student. A student taking 15 college credit hours per semester, including AP and Dual Credit courses, has the course load of a full-time college student. Considering the workload and the importance of academic success, students cannot be enrolled in more than 15 college credit hours per school semester.
