High school students in Saskatchewan will now have an option to get both high school and university credits through Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
For the winter 2024 semester, high school students in Saskatchewan can explore business post-secondary education at no cost, simultaneously earning both a high school credit and a Saskatchewan Polytechnic course credit.
Kirsten Downey, acting associate dean of the School of Business, said the school is excited to introduce high school students to School of Business courses this winter. She said it’s open to any high school student in the province. They can sign up through Sask Polytech and take the courses online.
“It gives them an opportunity to see what that program is like and see what careers are like in that area before committing to an entire year, two year, (or) four-year program,” Downey said.
The School of Business will offer two free dual-credit courses for the Winter 2024 semester. They are BUS 104: Introduction to Business (Entrepreneurship 20) and MGMT 108: Introductions to Sport Management (Introduction to Sport Management 30).
The courses are very different subjects but Downey thinks they might be interesting to students.
“BUS 104 is really an exploratory course that looks at business practices and the economy and students get to explore the different areas of business, from leadership, human resources, operations, marketing, accounting, finance, entrepreneurship and insurance,” she said.
She said Introductions to Sport Management allows students to explore the different career paths and opportunities within sports industries in Canada and can prepare them for a successful career in sports management.
“It’s two different courses and the students can pick. You might have some students who might be thinking about business and great, you can take business 104 and kind of try your hand at that and see if you think this is something that you want to do in post-secondary. If it is great, now you’ve just earned a credit towards that as well,” Downeys said.
“I know in high school that there was lots of people who were athletic and you know, you weren’t going to continue your athletic career after high school, but you were still very invested in sports, so this allows them an opportunity to look into different career paths in those areas.”
In addition to what they learn in the classroom, students develop time management skills as they learn to balance their high school workload with post-secondary level coursework. Through their participation in dual credit learning, students can also potentially reduce tuition costs and the time needed to complete a certificate or diploma.
The two dual credit courses are among four new courses being offered by the School of Business. Downey said they’ve waived the regular fee for those courses for high school students to remove any financial barriers keeping students from pursuing their academic goals.
The winter 2024 semester begins January 2024. Downey said there is a full list of free dual credit courses offered at Sask Polytech at saskpolytech.ca/dualcredit. Students can also email Twyla at verhelsttw@saskpolytech.ca.
Sask Polytech’s dual credit courses have received approval from Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Education.
The program allows for greater flexibility in the delivery of secondary-level courses and provides more opportunities for students to explore and develop their interests, aptitudes, and skills. Sask Polytech has worked closely with ministry officials to ensure that its dual credit offerings align perfectly with secondary courses.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
