Associates Degree through Bridgeway’s Dual Enrollment Program  

Through our partnerships with Ohio Christian University and Cambridge College via Acadeum, our high school students can now graduate with both their high school diploma and an Associates Degree. If they attend OCU, they can attain an AA in Interdisciplinary Studies or Business. If they attend Cambridge College their options are Interdisciplinary Studies, or through their School of Business, an Associates in Finance, General Management, or Social Entrepreneurship. This program is not for the faint of heart, but rather for the go-getter high school student who wants to get a jump start on their college career.  



The Basics 

Students will be eligible to participate in the Associate Program beginning in their Junior year, sometimes even the second semester of their Sophomore year for select students. Generally, this will allow students to take 20 courses, or 60 credits, over four semesters, or the four plus summer courses to spread it out. This breaks down to 10 college courses each school year. Your academic advisor will advise you on the best way to spread these courses out so you have the best chance of success. If you are considering this program, it’s important to discuss this with your advisor during your Freshman year so plans can be made to ensure you are ready for your Junior year due to prerequisites. Students should be through two years of Honors English, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Biology, Chemistry, World Geography, two years of foreign language, Health, and Personal Finance to prevent having to take these over the summer or while balancing 10 college courses.  

 

Elements required for AA, with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies vary from university to university, and electives or focus options vary as well. It is important to speak to your advisor early on about what future path you wish to pursue so the best school can be decided. For example: Ohio Christian has focused courses on Cybersecurity, Literature, Business, General Marketing, Science, and Psychology. Cambridge College’s offerings vary but are more General Studies, Business/Finance and Management focused with some extra offerings.  



Textbooks for College Courses 

Courses taken will require that students purchase their books on their own. It is advised that students purchase them at least two weeks before the start of the course. The University will email the student which books need to be purchased after the student is fully enrolled and all paperwork completed.   



Start Dates 

Ohio Christian University - Fall semester starts in mid-August, and students must have applied at OCU by April 15th and be enrolled at Bridgeway by July 1st. Spring semester starts in January and students must have applied at OCU by October 15th and enrolled at Bridgeway by December 1st.  

 

Cambridge College via Acadeum-  This program offers start dates almost every month for their 8-week offering. The application process is quick, though students must be enrolled with Bridgeway before applying at an Acadeum school.  
 

Students are also placed in a “Homeroom” at Bridgeway where regular updates are given by the dual-enrollment advisors, links to extra help are provided, and students can engage with each other on a forum. 



Work Deadlines 

It is important for students to understand that these are college-level courses, and we expect our students to perform and behave at a collegiate level. All courses have hard deadlines that must be met without exception. Assignments are handed out on a set day of the week and are due by the following week when the next assignments are issued. Points will be deducted for late submissions of up to four days. After that, the student will receive a zero on the assignment unless arrangements are made with the professor. Each course requires forum posts regularly and responses to other student's posts.  



Extension Policy 

OCU has an extension that they call the Incomplete policy. In order for a student to get more time on their course, the student will need to apply for an Incomplete and it will need to be approved. This is NOT something Bridgeway can do and MUST be completed before the class ends, all the way up through the last day of the class. The only exception would be hospitalization. The incomplete application policy is outlined in the Academic Catalog. Students have to have completed at least 50% of the course at the time of the appeal. Cambridge College has similar policies, where a student who has not been in attendance for more than two weeks will be dropped from the course unless there has been an arrangement made with the professor and other school staff.  


Withdrawal Policy 

At OCU, students have up to 5 days after the start of the course to let us know if they wish to withdrawal from their course.  


Cambridge College students have up to 3 days after the start of the course to let us know they want to withdraw. 

To ensure students are prepared for the course and know if they can successfully complete it, students should review the course syllabi prior to the start of the course. They will receive access to their courses several days before the course starts. The withdrawal policy for courses is outlined in the university’s Academic Catalog and in the startup emails after a student is registered. An official request should be emailed to their university Contact, and cc’ed to their Bridgeway Advisor.  



Who to contact with concerns 

If the student has concerns about the course, the first course of action is to reach out to their professor for all courses. If the professor doesn’t respond in a timely fashion (24 hours- to two business days) then they should reach out to their university contact and copy to their Bridgeway advisor Their advisors will then reach out to the professor or their supervisor depending on the situation. 

Learning to communicate with professors is key to being successful in college. These are not high school courses and won’t be treated as such. Professors will expect that students are turning in college-level work and are addressing concerns like a college student, with maturity



Technology Assistance 

Each university encourages students to use technological advances to enhance their personal educational experience. The IT Helpdesk on the university's platform provides assistance regarding access to the university systems. Students are assigned passwords upon their enrollment and may contact the IT department through directions given when a student enrolls and is registered for their courses. The various universities IT Helpdesk provides assistance regarding access to the university systems. Students are assigned passwords upon their enrollment and may contact the IT department through directions given when a student enrolls.