Butler County Community College will offer a selection of 170 summer courses over five sessions.

Three summer sessions will be conducted in traditional classroom, online and hybrid formats and lasting four, 12 and eight weeks. Two five-week online Fast Track sessions are also planned.

Nearly 340 visiting students and 920 BC3 students last summer attended at least one of the college’s sessions, according to Becky Smith, BC3 associate director of records and registration.

Among them was Shawn Anderson, 48, of New Castle, who took his academic adviser’s advice and got a jump on his education before his four-year school started in the fall of 2018.

“She said I could take a summer class with BC3 and they would transfer the credits in,” said Anderson, who graduated in August and is pursuing a master’s degree in education online from Pennsylvania State University.

“There are myriad advantages to BC3 and guest students attending summer sessions at BC3,” said Belinda Richardson, Ph.D., BC3 vice president for academic affairs. “To name a few, doing so may enable them to stay on track for graduation or get ahead. For guest students, attending BC3 in the summer saves money.”

BC3 has been selected as the top community college in Pennsylvania in three Schools.com rankings in a row. BC3’s credits transfer to public, private and online institutions.

Session 1, with its traditional classroom format, is scheduled May 13 to June 6 and will include a selection of 31 courses in subjects such as ethics, film analysis and speech.

In addition to main campus, Session 1 courses will be held at BC3 @ Armstrong in Ford City; BC3 @ Brockway in Brockway, BC3 @ Cranberry in Cranberry Township; BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing in New Castle; and BC3 @ LindenPointe in Hermitage.

Session 2, set May 13 to July 30, includes 60 courses in classrooms on BC3’s main campus, BC3 @ Brockway and BC3 @ Cranberry, and in online and hybrid formats. Among classes offered are those in general microbiology, introduction to fiction and principles of management.

Among the 61 courses offered in classrooms in Session 3, set for June 10 to Aug. 1, are those in microeconomics, physics I and principles of sociology. Session 3 courses will be held on BC3’s main campus, at its additional locations and in online and hybrid formats.

Nine online courses are set for Fast Track 1, which will be held May 13 to June 17; and nine for Fast Track 2, set June 24 to July 29. Subjects include introduction to art, general psychology, physical wellness, research writing, 20th century world history and world geography.

For more information, visit bc3.edu/summer.