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Real-Time College Courses to Build Your College Future

Imagine being able to focus on college success without the added pressures of adjusting to learning, living and socializing on campus. Beacon Foundations is a great way to test drive, start or stay on track with your college plans.

Beacon Foundations is for high school graduates who:

  • Are interested in college, but not ready to enroll full-time
  • Want to begin earning college credit, but aren’t ready to live on campus
  • Have decided to delay on-campus enrollment due to housing limitations or wait listing

Our goal is to get you ready for the next step on your academic journey — whether that’s joining our on-campus learning community at Beacon, enrolling at another college or university, or doing remote learning at an online university or program.

Apply Online

Courses will fill up — apply early to begin earning college credit next semester!

Attend an Info Session

Learn more and ask questions at a live info session with the program director.

Request More Information

Contact us to speak with an admissions counselor or receive a physical brochure.

How We Do It

100% LIVE — not self-paced — classes.

We know that self-paced asynchronous classes aren’t the best way for students who learn differently to learn. Online classes that lack interaction with your professors and peers (that you can take whenever you feel like it) can be challenging and unsatisfying.

All Beacon Foundations classes are 100% live. These are engaging, small, online classes taught in “real-time” by Beacon College faculty who are skilled in online instruction.

Best of all, you have the opportunity to interact with fellow students and get essential feedback on your academic performance from your professors — as opposed to just sitting and watching prerecorded classes, then posting comments and waiting for feedback.

Our core courses are BUILDING BLOCKS for future college success.

Classes in Beacon Foundations feature the same basic coursework required of most first-year students — including composition, math, and technology — plus several introductory electives. The credits you earn are transferable to most colleges and universities, wherever you choose to further your education. Each semester you can earn as few as 3 or as many as 12 college credits, depending on your readiness and goals.

SUPPORT is all around you.

In addition to your professors, you are supported by learning skills professionals and a counselor. They’ll help you evaluate your needs and guide you to select the best courses for your goals.

Live coaching gives you feedback and support to develop your executive function skills. You’ll also participate in weekly 1-to-1 meetings to review your progress and ensure you’re staying on track — or figure out how to get back on track.

You and your family also will work with a Beacon transition counselor who will help you plan for your next steps after completing the Beacon Foundations program.

Weekly Coaching

Weekly 1-to-1 coaching sessions help you review your goals and refine your work plan.

Office Hours

You can meet with your professors during weekly virtual office hours to help you master concepts and class-based skills.

Transition Support

Our transition counselors help you focus on the critical skills you’ll need to successfully transition to a college environment.

Writing Center

You have access to writing consultants at Beacon College’s acclaimed Writing Center for support in starting and organizing your writing assignments.

Family Support

Foundations includes monthly family check-ins to review student progress, and family webinars focus on reviewing college readiness.

Spring 2024 Online Courses

One size does not fit all — especially when it comes to learning. Before starting Beacon Foundations, a placement exam helps put you on the best path. Our admission committee will review your application and placement exam results. That information determines which track — developmental or standard — will help you be most successful.

Developmental Track Required Courses

ENG 0040: Accelerated Literacy Reading & Writing Integration

Instructor: Janae McBride

This course focuses on critical thinking skills required to read, analyze, and synthesize written information, including the expansion of vocabulary and grammatical/mechanical skills required to successfully negotiate the writing process in preparation for reading and writing at the college level.

COE 1100: Learning Essentials & Self-Discovery

Instructor: Ashley Milito

In this course, you will explore how your choices directly impact your opportunities for greater success in college and life. Topics include: accepting personal responsibility, discovering self-motivation, mastering self-management, employing interdependence, gaining self-awareness, adopting lifelong learning, developing emotional intelligence, believing in oneself, and identifying individual learning styles and effective learning strategies. You’ll develop your critical thinking skills through self-assessments, case studies, guided journaling, and an individual research project.

Standard Track Course Options

PSY 2851: General Psychology

Instructor: Nicole Casillas

Provides an overview of the principles of human behavior and the scope and methods of psychology. Topics include human development, intelligence, emotion, motivation, personality, social psychology, and abnormal behavior.

CIS 2300: Internet Technologies

Instructor: Brenda Newkirk

The course will focus on internet-based services and how they support applications such as e-mail services, FTP, list servers, etc. Students will research areas such as web services and networking principles involved. Students will be given the basics
of HTML to better understand web services. The course will also cover web-based databases and transaction processes.

COE 1100: Learning Essentials & Self-Discovery

Instructor: Nicki Nance

In this course, you will explore how your choices directly impact your opportunities for greater success in college and life. Topics include: accepting personal responsibility, discovering self-motivation, mastering self-management, employing interdependence, gaining self-awareness, adopting lifelong learning, developing emotional intelligence, believing in oneself, and identifying individual learning styles and effective learning strategies. You’ll develop your critical thinking skills through self-assessments, case studies, guided journaling, and an individual research project.

ENG 1101: College Composition

Instructor: Janae McBride

This class is designed to develop skills in writing multi-paragraph essays with an emphasis on exposition, including the selection, restriction, organization, and development of topics. Students examine selected writing samples as models of form and sources of ideas for their own writing.

MAT 0030: Math Strategies

Instructor: Tiffany Calderara

Computational review and practice prepare you for the demands of college-level math through a focus on whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, proportions, practical applications, and word problems. You will learn to use a basic scientific calculator to facilitate learning and provide assistive technology.

MAT 1901: General Math

Instructor: Tiffany Calderara

A general education course that offers a solid foundation in the basics of college mathematics. Real-life applications, conceptual understanding, problem-solving, using technology appropriately, and critical thinking are emphasized and integrated throughout the course.

CIS 1255: Fundamentals of Microsoft Office Suite

Instructor: Brittany Strozzo

This course is an introduction to current technologies on a global scale. Students acquire computer/mobile learning skills and build a stronger foundation in word processing, presentation software, and web communities. Students gain experience with business applications in a PC environment that will be used in the educational environment to be applied later to the professional world. Classwork focuses on productivity and creative projects. The goal of this course is to ensure cross-platform computer literacy for academic and work environments.

ANZ 2100: Introduction to Anthrozoology

Instructor: Bryan Cushing

This course is designed to familiarize students with the changing roles of animals in human society along with the complex relationship between humans and animals. The field of anthrozoology is an interdisciplinary field of study that requires an understanding of multiple concepts grounded in psychology, anthropology, sociology, ecology, and zoology. This course will serve as an introductory experience to examine the field of anthrozoology, and primary theories related to the study of human and non-human interaction at a personal, cultural, and global level.

Cost & Aid

Tuition for Beacon Foundations is based on the number of courses you take and includes fees, coaching, and support services. All services are included in the costs below.

1 Course2 Courses3 Courses4 Courses
Tuition$4,851$9,702$14,553$19,404
Technology Fee$205.00$205.00$205.00$205.00
Transition Fee$1,500.00$1,500.00$1,500.00$1,500.00
Total Cost$6,556$11,407$16,258$21,109

Beacon College also offers generous College-funded, need-based awards and scholarships for students enrolling in Beacon Foundations. The FAFSA is required to be considered for these awards. After you have applied for admission and completed the FAFSA, you will be automatically considered for need-based financial aid.

And because Beacon’s programs serve students with diagnosed learning differences, our tuition and fees may qualify your family to receive valuable medical tax benefits. For more information on ways to offset your tuition, visit our financial aid information online.

More Information

Download the Brochure

For more information or to share this program with your family or students, you can access, print, or download a digital flipbook version of our current brochure.

Download Now

Transferring Credits

Credits earned at Beacon College are transferable to most colleges and universities. If you plan to transfer to another school, be sure to check with a counselor at that college or university to ensure your course selections are appropriate and transferable.

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Blaze Your Path

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Before Beacon Foundations, I was struggling in remote classes at a community college. In Foundations, the professors interact with you live while they are teaching. The professor made their lessons accessible to me as a visual learner and used chat rooms for one-on-one help. It was so different from other remote classes and made a huge difference in my experience and my grades.

— Joshua Hansen - Beacon College Junior & Humanities Major

Office of Admissions

Do you have a question or need assistance? Get in touch with the Office of Admissions at admissions@beaconcollege.edu or 855-220-5376.

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