Do you remember when community colleges were referred to as Night School? Thanks to the new age of connectivity via the Internet, Sandhills Community College is resurrecting the concept with a brand new way to attend college. Click the speaker to hear the news!

The new Sandhills Community College Evening Hybrid Program offers a sensible, economical, and family-friendly approach for students who wish to transfer to a four-year university. The approach is Hybrid because two different items are merged to create a single objective. In this case, traditional classroom instruction is merged with online distance learning to create a whole new college experience.

The Evening Hybrid Program provides the best of both worlds. Students experience sustained weekly contact with instructors, who deliver the same quality educational experience provided in daytime college programs. Then, students shift their focus to the online learning experience, working from home on an internet-connected computer or from the computers on the Pinehurst campus or at the Hoke Center in Raeford. The Evening Hybrid Program saves students substantial fuel costs because there are only two trips to campus each week. Plus, the program allows individuals who are employed during the day to attend classes in the evening. Because classes run only two nights a week, families benefit.

Graduates receive the Transfer Core Diploma. This diploma is offered through the University Studies Program at Sandhills. Upon successful completion of the 44 credit-hour core courses, all courses transfer into any of the 16 UNC-System universities. The College Transfer Core Diploma fulfills the lower division general education requirements of the receiving UNC institution—even if specific course requirements at the institution are different.

Ambitious evening students can take additional courses in a third year or complete several online courses during the first two years to graduate with an Associate in Arts degree.

For students interested in a bachelor's degree in business administration, Monday night offerings include two business courses each session. Over two years, students can accumulate enough business classes to allow seamless transfer into UNCP and St. Andrews Presbyterian College bachelor's programs offered on the Sandhills campus. The “hybrid help system” for evening students makes the shift to the curriculum a breeze. The Sandhills Community College Evening Hybrid Program provides a dedicated support system for students new to the hybrid experience. They have open access to computers Monday through Wednesday nights until 9 p.m. with Blackboard-savvy support staff, who can answer questions about navigating online course work. Additional computer use is available in most classroom buildings.

The course selections for the evening program provide a logical selection of offerings to allow completion of core course requirements: English Composition (6 required hours), Humanities/Fine Arts (12 required hours), Social/Behavioral Science (12 required hours), Natural Sciences (8 required hours, and a Thursday evening lab may be required), and Mathematics (6 required hours).

Students can even transfer to universities that offer classes on the Sandhills Community College Pinehurst campus. For instance, UNC-Pembroke and St. Andrews Presbyterian College offer undergraduate degrees in such fields as Business Administration, Nursing, Management & Information Technology, and others. Sandhills Community College has an open admission policy. SAT or ACT scores are accepted but not required for admission. New students can take placement tests and later meet with an advisor to schedule classes. The tests must be taken prior to registration dates, which are July 17 and August 14. Fall Semester begins August 18. Current or returning students can register for Fall Semester classes from 8 a.m-3 p.m. July 16-23 and on August 14 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Evening Hybrid courses are listed with an "HE" at the beginning of the section number, BUS 110-HE1 Introduction to Business, for example.

For more information about the Evening Hybrid Program at Sandhills Community College, contact Linda Chandler at 695-3961 or chandlerl@sandhills.edu or Ron Layne at 695-3715 or layner@sandhills.edu.