Some Huntsville High School students will soon have the opportunity to drastically reduce the time and cost of their education through a “Time Compressed Degree Program” with Sam Houston State University.

“The total time to attain the high school diploma, baccalaureate, and master’s can be reduced to seven years rather than the traditional 9-11 years, with cost reductions for higher education of 30 percent or more,” said David Burris, SHSU articulation coordinator.

“An aggressive participant may reduce the time by another year by utilizing techniques such as summer school and increased course loads.”

In addition, students would enter the work force earlier (as much as two years), which would increase their lifetime earning potential.

Huntsville school district administrators Richard Montgomery, superintendent of schools, and Mike Lamb, Huntsville High principal, are working out details of the program with Burris.

“We are excited about this additional opportunity for students and the K-12 Public School District to benefit from an outstanding university right here in our own community," said Montgomery. "In a comprehensive high school program, we have a diversity of students with a diversity of interests, needs, talents, and motivation.

"For some of our students and their families, the Time Compressed Degree Program will be a great ‘fit’ as their vision for education beyond high school begins to take shape in middle school and early high school," he said.

High school students who are ready to do university level work would complete approximately 60 hours of college work through a combination of dual credit courses, advanced placement courses, and early enrollment.

This would give them a high school diploma and credit for classes normally taken in pursuing an associate degree from a community college. They could then continue upper level work at Sam Houston State or transfer to another university.

"Programs currently under exploration include mapping approximately 20 hours of dual credit courses," said Burris. "These courses taken at SHSU will count towards both the high school diploma and baccalaureate degrees.

"Also being considered is allowing Huntsville high students to accumulate an additional 20 or more hours of university credit by giving them early release time in the senior year to attend courses on the SHSU campus," he said.

Students could also take summer course and night classes, with the potential to complete 12 hours in the summer of the junior year in high school and another 12 the senior year prior to the start of the first fall university semester after graduation.

"Few will be this aggressive but the possibility is there," said Burris.

A program to bus students to the SHSU campus to complete course work in the junior and senior year is under consideration by the school district.

Students participating in the program would have additional benefits such as access to the SHSU library, computer facilities, e-mail/computer accounts, sporting events, and other facilities. Students at 14 area community colleges with whom SHSU has joint admission agreements enjoy similar benefits.

Montgomery said his current goal is to work out the details of the program for presentation to students and parents at the junior high and high school freshman/sophomore level during the spring semester of 2008.

Burris said the community college/high school joint admissions program offered by SHSU makes it the first and only university in the state offering such a comprehensive program.

"All universities will have some of the features but this is the first time school districts, colleges, and a university have publicly cooperated in a joint program," said Burris.

He said that the program for Huntsville High will be the first with an area high school, but that it could be expanded to other area high schools within commuting distance of SHSU that do not have access to similar community college programs.