About Dual Enrollment
Penn State Hazleton is offering area high school students the opportunity to experience a college-level course while earning credits at no cost right on campus.
This option allows high school students to earn college credits that can be applied to a Penn State degree or may be transferred to another institution.
Spring 2026 Course Offerings
HIST 21: American Civilization Since 1877 – 3 credits
Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11:15 a.m. - 12:05 p.m.
An historical survey of the American experience from the emergence of urban-industrial society in the late nineteenth century to the present. This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. HIST 21 seeks to introduce students to salient events, developments, and themes of United State history since 1877, including westward expansion and the decline of the Native American, the industrial revolution, urbanization, immigration, Gilded Age culture and politics, the labor movement, imperialism, Progressivism, segregation and African-American response, the women's movement, World War I, the Great Depression and New Deal, World War II, post-war prosperity, the Cold War, the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, the disillusionment of the 'Seventies', the Reagan revolution, and America in the post-Cold War era. The social and ideological diversity of the American experience is a prominent theme of HIST 21. Students learn how to "think historically", developing their capacity to identify and analyze key themes and issues from the past, critically assess primary sources, and sharpen their skills in marshaling data and concepts, and expressing them cogently in discussions and in writing.
CAS 100A: Effective Speech – 3 credits
Tuesday and Thursday from 1:35 - 2:50 p.m.
Note: This course requires the purchase of a textbook at an additional charge.
This general education course explores how people use techniques of oral communication to address practical, professional and civic problems. It is designed to introduce students to principles of effective public speaking, implemented through the design and presentation of individual speeches. Class size is limited to ensure that scheduled meetings can support students in focusing on the development of public speaking skills through in-class activities, collaborative learning, peer critiques, and examinations of various communication practices. Drawing upon concepts from the study of both rhetoric and communication science, the course aims to foster habits of ethical self-reflection alongside practical speaking skills. To that end, course content centers on the diverse ways that students participate in practices of citizenship and civic engagement. Linking content to practice, students are expected to demonstrate course concepts through the situational, generic, and ethical choices they make in composing their major speech assignments. At least three individual graded speeches are required in this course. Additional presentations (graded or non-graded) may be required by some instructors. Following major speeches, students may compose reflective essays engaging in the critique and assessment of their own and others' work. Assessment may include evaluation by a combination of exams (although no final exam is given in the course) and/or occasional quizzes and other activities, all of which emphasize the mastery and application of the conceptual content of the course. Presentations are evaluated for content, organization, and presentation. Numerous sections of CAS 100A are offered throughout the university system in any given semester. For that reason, different versions of the course may vary slightly depending on the expertise or professional preferences of the instructor. All versions of the course, however, will be designed according to common learning objectives and major topics in order to introduce undergraduate students to essential aspects of effective oral communication.
COMM 100N: The Mass Media and Society – 3 credits
Thursday from 6:00 - 7:15 p.m. + Web
Mass communications in the United States: organization, role, content, and effects of newspapers, magazines, television, radio, books, and films. The Mass Media and Society is an overview of the interaction between mass media and society. By drawing from selected topics, the course pays particular attention to the social influences (e.g., economics, politics, technology, law and culture) that shape media messages. Among others, the course examines the nature of media controllers as well as the character of users and consumers of media products. By so doing, students are informed about the overall structure and scope of the mass media and led to understand the power and influences associated with media messages and practices. By the end of the semester, each student should have a better understanding of the dynamic nature of the mass media in an information society.
Web component: The web portion of this class will require students to watch course videos, listen to podcasts, and complete Canvas assignments emphasizing different types of technology and their impact on group communications. There will also be surveys asking students about their attitudes toward different forms of media and submitting anonymous questions to ask media specialists that will be visiting the class throughout the semester.
RHS 100: Introduction to Disability Culture – 3 credits
Wednesday and Friday from 1:25 - 2:15 p.m. + Web
This course is designed to increase student awareness of personal, interpersonal, and societal aspects of disability, including how disability can be defined and understood differently in varied individual, institutional, and cultural contexts. Students will learn models of disability that will help them to (a) clearly distinguish different ways of conceptualizing disability and (b) critically think about how disability is represented and understood in varied cultural contexts, including in the US and in other countries. Through discussion of class readings and completion of class assignments, students will examine the ethical, economic, and social implications of disability and the dynamics of group and individual behavior that impact social interactions among people with and without disabilities. A strong emphasis will also be placed on understanding disability from a variety of cultural perspectives and assessing the impact of racial, ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, and socio-political factors, both domestically and internationally, on disability status.
Web component: Students will participate in four online discussions throughout the semester. Based on work (readings, videos) completed outside of class time, students will answer sets of questions by Wednesdays at 11:59 p.m. and then respond/reply to three classmates by Fridays at 11:59 p.m. for four weeks during the semester.
Student Application Process
The following credentials must be provided to the Admissions Office at Penn State Hazleton:
• Undergraduate Nondegree High School Enrollment Form
• Current official high school transcript
Hazleton Area High School students should contact and work with Ms. Megan Davis, guidance counselor, at [email protected].
Spring 2026 Information
Penn State Hazleton is pleased to announce that the tuition for Dual Enrollment for students in the Hazleton Area School District is FREE. Thanks to the generosity of a donor, students can experience Dual Enrollment classes at no cost.
Below are the current costs for the 2025-2026 academic year
Spring 2026 Tuition Rates
| Per credit rate: | $605 |
| Course Cost: 3 credits x $605 = | $1,815 |
| Penn State Hazleton’s Contribution: | - $907.50 |
| Remaining Cost: | - $907.50 |
| Student Cost: | $0 |
Notes
- Students enrolling in CAS 100A: Effective Speech are required to purchase a textbook for an additional charge.
- Students are responsible for obtaining any other materials or supplies needed for the courses.
- Transportation is not provided; it is the responsibility of the student.
For questions about dual enrollment for high school students at Penn State Hazleton, contact:
Alexandra Hernandez
Office Manager and Special Programs Coordinator
570-450-3142
[email protected]