Don’t have enough time to take all the classes you want? Iona is offering summer courses during three summer sessions in 2017. Session I meets from May 15 – May 26, Session II meets from May 30 – June 30, and Session III meets from July 3 – Aug. 4. Courses are offered for both undergraduate and graduate programs as well as the professional studies program. Depending on if you are working over the summer, have an internship or are traveling, you have three opportunities to take a course.

There are day, evening and weekend courses available during the additional semester.

“Whether you are a current Iona undergraduate student or a visiting student trying to earn credits to graduate early, make up some classes or explore an area that has always intrigued you, Iona can help you achieve your goals,” the Summer sessions’ webpage on the Iona website said.

Session I meets for the shortest time, a two-week period. However, this means that the class meetings will be longer. The classes in Session II and Session III typically meet for five weeks. All of the summer session classes are held at the New Rochelle campus. The formats of the classes range from “traditional lecture, one-week intensives, hybrid (HY), and distance learning (DL).”

Traditional lecture classes meet on campus, hybrid classes meet both on campus and require assignments to be completed online and distance learning classes are completed exclusively online. Whether you are looking to take a traditional class, a hybrid class or a distance learning class, the format of each offered during the summer is identified in the course listings on PeopleSoft. In addition, on the Summer Sessions webpage there is a box to look up course offerings for the summer sessions which lists all of the courses taught for either Session I or Sessions II and III.

Registration for current students is available both online and in person. Online registration is through PeopleSoft for Iona students. Make sure you have discussed this with your academic advisor before you register for a summer course.

Payment is due at the time you register for a course. The cost per credit for an undergraduate course is $924.00, while the cost per credit for a graduate course is $1,094.00. A three credit undergraduate course would come out to $2,772.00 and a three credit graduate course would come out to $3,282.00. In addition, the program fee for an undergraduate and graduate summer course are both $85.00. If you wish to register in person, go to the Student Financial Services office on the second floor of McSpedon Hall from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, or until 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Not everyone needs to take a summer course, however, it is something to consider if you have more than one major. If you have a double major, a double major with a minor, or even a double major with two minors, a summer course is definitely a good way to lighten your load in the fall and possibly keep you on track to make sure that you graduate in four years. Taking a summer course is also a great way to get ahead if you are a freshman or a sophomore so that, as a junior and senior when you take your challenging major courses, you will have one less course to take and more time to devote to those tougher major classes.

The one drawback to taking a summer course is, well, it’s the summer. Taking a summer course means that you get less of a break in between the end of the spring semester and the beginning of the fall semester. Is it better to take a summer course right after the spring semester ends while you are still in “school mode” and then can enjoy the rest of the summer or wait to take a summer course near the end of the summer to get a break from school and prepare you for the fall semester? It all depends on if you want to continue with another class right away or if you need a break after the spring semester.

Many courses are being offered, but there are more options available for undergraduate than graduate courses. There are also more course selections available in Sessions II and III than Session I because they are longer. Some of the undergraduate courses that are available are in the fields of accounting, biology, business, chemistry, computer science, criminal justice, finance, English, history, management, mass communications, political science, psychology and sociology. Some of the graduate courses that are available include classes in computer science, criminal justice, education, history, mass communications and psychology.