Earn College Credits
in High School
It’s never too early to begin thinking about college. Enroll in a seven-week online course and earn three hours of college credit this summer.
Why Enroll in Rising Scholars Online
Save money!
$650 | 3 credit hours
Rising Scholars Online courses are offered at a discounted rate of $650 per 3 hour course, so enrolling online can save you more than $4,540 per course!
Special Benefit
Incoming seniors who earn a B or higher in their Rising Scholars Online course receive guaranteed admission and priority scholarship consideration for ACU for Fall 2024.
Flexible Learning
Learn from anywhere and on your schedule.
Course Length: 7 weeks
Course Schedule: Asynchronous (no set meeting times and students can set a personalized schedule)*
Mode of Learning: Online, with opportunities for students to engage in small group discussion on their own time.
*Although there is flexibility for structuring your study and completion of course assignments during the week, modules and assignments will be due weekly over the seven-week course.
$1,000 Scholarship
Students who complete a Rising Scholars Online course will receive a $1,000 one-time scholarship, applied upon full-time enrollment at ACU.*
*Scholarship applied to tuition and fees only. Cannot be combined with full-tuition scholarships or discounts.
*Only students who are graduating high school in spring/summer of 2024 and beyond will be eligible for the scholarship.
2023 Summer Offerings
We offer a variety of courses to high school students, both on our Abilene campus and online. ACU is pleased to offer two online courses this summer.
Introduction to Psychology
PSYC 120 (3 credit hours)
Have you ever felt that life was a journey? In Intro to Psychology: Rest for the Restless Heart, you’ll explore the science of psychology as it relates to human behavior and development, mental processes, social interaction and emotional experience.
Registration Deadline: June 16, 2023
Course Begins: June 26, 2023
Course Ends: August 7, 2023
Degree Fulfillment: PSYC 120 fulfills ACU’s general education requirement for social sciences.
What will you learn?
Journey into American Music
MUSM 240 (3 credit hours)
Explore America’s musical past through performances of artists like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Miley Cyrus and more. On the road, you’ll learn not only about their music but also about significant issues in American culture during the past century.
Registration Deadline | June 30, 2023
Course Begins | July 10, 2023
Course Ends | August 21, 2023
Degree Fulfillment: MUSM 240 currently fulfills ACU’s general education requirement for a free elective. It is anticipated to fulfill the requirement for cultural awareness and/or humanities beginning in the 2024-25 catalog.
What will you learn?
Over these seven weeks, you will learn from ACU faculty Dr. Richard Beck and Rachel Riley, engage in thoughtful discussions with your peers, and reflect on the weekly topics. Students will complete each module at their own pace from week to week. There will not be set online meeting times, but students will engage in small group discussions on their own schedule. Students can expect a time commitment of 10-12 hours per week to complete the course.
Topics:
- Basic theories, concepts and findings in the field of psychology.
- Major concepts, terminology and theories across different focuses in psychology.
- Application of insights and findings from psychology to promote emotional, relational and spiritual well-being in everyday life.
Final course grades will be determined by:
- Quizzes (6) –12%
- Discussions (6) –16%
- Assignments (12) – 42%
- Reflection papers (7) – 30%
Module 1
Mind, Body and Soul
Explore the relationship between our body and mind and how the brain is connected to our thoughts, feelings and behavior.
Module 2
The Divine Spark
Examine intelligence, memory and learning and the critical part each play in helping us understand our lives and the world.
Module 3
The Journey of Life
Identify how we can honor and describe the themes around our life’s development – how we grow and develop physically, morally and cognitively.
Module 4
Search for the Self
Consider different ways personality and motivation have been theorized to understand how your personality affects the way you relate to others and how you might evaluate yourself.
Module 5
The Science of Love and Hate
Learn about the dark side of social life. Explore prejudice, discrimination and group hostility.
Module 6
Brokenness and Healing
Discover tools and techniques to help our culture engage in conversations that both raise awareness and encourage interventions in mental health.
Module 7
The Outward Turn – “Until They Rest in Thee”
Explore how psychology illuminates and intersects with your journey toward spiritual and emotional wholeness.
What will you learn?
This course uses what you might call “case-study pedagogy.” Each module begins with the case, narrated in a documentary-style film lasting about half an hour. The cases consists of live music performances in the United States during the past century – performances that have attained an iconic status in America’s collective cultural memory. These specific cases were chosen because each stands as an exceptional moment in American music and, indeed, often in American history, and they provide fascinating inroads into America’s cultural past.
- Documentary introduction.
- Explore a variety of source materials related to the case and its central theme(s).
- Engage in discussions that invite diverse points of view.
You will build skills for investigating the past on your own, so that you can analyze, evaluate and interpret historical materials within present contexts. In other words, you’ll learn practical higher-order learning skills that are relevant in your life and also transferable to investigating and understanding many topics besides music. Students can expect a time commitment of 18-20 hours per week to complete the course.
This course has no prerequisites and does not require a musical background. Some of the modules in this course discuss mature themes, and enrollment is limited to students entering their senior year of high school.
Final course grade is determined by:
- Weekly discussions.
- Weekly assignments.
- Final project.
- No tests or quizzes.
Module 1
Beginning the Journey: Thinking Critically About Music
Prepare for the journey into American music by learning how to analyze musical style and how to think about music as culture.
Module 2
Finding America in the Music: Race in Performance
Travel back to Al Jolson singing Gershwin’s “Swanee” on Broadway in 1919 and Marian Anderson’s monumental Lincoln Memorial concert in 1939 exploring the roles of social inequity.
Module 3
Scandals of Early Rock and Roll: Elvis and the Beatles
Explore the impact of technology on American music culture and also how Christian beliefs and stances on race affected the consumption and reception of new musical styles.
Module 4
Anthems of Change: A Farm, an Opera House, a Prison
Explore three use case studies from the late 1960s and question the popularity and interpretation of music.
Module 5
Songs Heard ’round the World: Live Aid and Farm Aid
Learn about the impact of Live Aid and the hope to bring many of music’s greatest artists together simultaneously in two venues – one in London and another in Philadelphia – for a philanthropic purpose.
Module 6
Broadcasting Identity: From MTV to the VMAs
Immerse yourself in performances by Nirvana on MTV Unplugged in 1993 and Miley Cyrus on the VMAs in 2013, which might strike you as an odd pairing.
Module 7
Rewriting America: Hip Hop Comes to Broadway
Delve into the widely popular musical Hamilton and the truly remarkable accomplishment of universal acclaim, considering the musical rewrote the myth of the founding fathers.
Stay up to date with ACU admissions for events, contests and a glimpse into a day in the life of an ACU student
One of America’s Best Colleges
This year, U.S. News & World Report, in its annual “Best Colleges” list, ranked ACU as #2 in “Most Innovative” and #16 in “Best Regional Universities” in the West and #9 in “Learning Communities” nationally.
In our more than 116 year history, Abilene Christian University’s commitment to and excellence in education has been recognized by numerous organizations and publications. ACU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Additionally, our ACU Online programs have paved the way for top academic success.