Though fall semester classes are already underway, College of the Canyons officials recently added dozens of new class sections of academic and career exploration courses scheduled to begin throughout October.

These new “late-start” classes will be offered to students at both the Valencia and Canyon Country campus — with plenty of seats still available.

Included among the expanded schedule of fall semester late-start classes are several general education, basic skills and career technical education (CTE) courses. Subjects include: English, early childhood education, economics, computer science, geography, geology, history, mathematics, nursing, photography, statistics, Spanish, water systems technology, welding and culinary arts.

“Students and community members should be reminded that it’s not too late to enroll this semester. College of the Canyons has a number of late-start classes still available,” said COC spokesman Eric Harnish. “I encourage any student interested in attending COC to check the current schedule of classes, apply to the college and get registered today.”

In addition the college has included multiple sections of the eight-week course “Counseling 010-Career Exploration” which is designed to assist students in making key academic and career decisions.

The course is unique in that it places an added emphasis on selecting careers based on a student’s personal goals, interests, abilities and values, as identified through various self-assessment and career research exercises.

“The Counseling 010 course allows students to really study themselves and decide what academic or career field they would like to enter,” said COC counselor Liz Shaker. “It’s perfect for potential students who want to get into an academic program but aren’t exactly sure what they want to do for a career.”

“Nearly all of my students have described the experience as being an extremely helpful and informative step in the college enrollment process,” added Shaker.

Students who choose to enroll in a late-start class at the college will also have the added benefit of being classified as a “returning student” prior to the upcoming winter session registration period.

The college is expected to offer nearly 300 class sections during the winter session — more than doubling the amount of classes offered in winter 2013.

The 2014 winter session will run from Monday, Jan. 6, through Friday, Feb. 7, 2014. Winter session registration will begin Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013, and continue until all classes are full.

The winter schedule of classes will primarily consist of general education “core” classes that all students need to either graduate, transfer to a four-year school and/or meet course prerequisites associated with their immediate educational plans.

Coming at a cost of just $46 per unit, the college’s winter session will also provide a tremendous economic value for students attending a local California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) campus who want to accumulate additional units —and save money in the process.

For more information about the College of the Canyons fall semester late-start classes or to apply for admission and register for classes please visit www.canyons.edu.