With the official start of the 2012 summer session less than a week away, a number of class sections remain open at College of the Canyons as college officials continue to add more high-demand classes to an already augmented summer schedule.

The college’s 2012 summer schedule marks a roughly 60 percent increase from last summer’s class schedule, and is the largest summer session to be offered at COC since 2008.

When open registration began Monday, May 14, students had approximately 480 high-demand “core” class sections to choose from, representing a wide range of courses that students need to either graduate, transfer to a four-year school and/or meet prerequisites.

Since then, more than 34 new class sections have been added to the schedule, providing approximately 1,200 additional classroom seats.

As a result, prospective students are being encouraged to continuously check the college’s summer schedule of classes, available online at www.canyons.edu.

“By making the decision to increase our summer schedule the college will be able to provide classroom seats for about 16,000 students,” said Joseph Gerda, Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Instruction at College of the Canyons. “All summer courses have also been selected based on their high demand, which allows students to register for the classes they need to achieve their educational goals.”

The college’s first five-week summer session runs June 4 to July 6. A second eight-week session will run June 11 to Aug. 3, and the final five-week session will run June 18 to July 27.

Included among the list of newly added summer class sections are courses in: astronomy; biology; chemistry; computer information technology (CIT); communication studies; dance; economics; early childhood education (ECE); English; geology; history; health science; math; music; philosophy; psychology; and sociology.

The majority of the recently added class sections being offered will begin on either the June 11 or June 18 start dates. A number of online class sections have also been included.

The 2012 summer session marks an important term for students at College of the Canyons, as the ongoing statewide budget crisis is expected to impact future course offerings at all 112 of California’s community colleges.

Students should also be reminded that beginning in summer 2012 enrollment fees at all California community colleges have been raised to $46-per-unit, as mandated by the state. Enrollment fees are also expected to continue to rise in subsequent semesters.

In addition, there is a strong likelihood that College of the Canyons will not offer a winter intersession in 2013.

“With the level of uncertainty surrounding California’s state budget, and the potential for state mandated budget cuts to impact the college’s future course offerings, students are encouraged to take advantage of this summer session to complete additional course units and get a jump start on their academic and career goals,” said Audrey Green, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs at the college.

For more information about the College of the Canyons 2012 summer session, contact the Admissions and Record office at 661-362-3280 or visit www.canyons.edu.