Office of Summer and Winter Sessions

Early Start Course Options - Indianapolis

Purdue’s Early Start program offers flexible options to fit your needs and lifestyle. Students can choose to live on campus and immerse themselves in the full college experience or take courses online for added convenience. These choices make Early Start accessible to a wide range of students, allowing you to jumpstart your education while balancing personal preferences and commitments. With these options, you can tailor your summer experience and get ahead before the fall semester begins!

What’s the schedule like? Most on-campus courses will meet daily (Monday-Friday) for 90 minutes. Between classes, study time, and events with new friends, you’ll be actively engaged on campus — and busy. Great practice for the fall semester! Online courses will require meeting various deadlines throughout the module, but students are responsible for their own pace - we will be here if you experience any difficulty.

Residential Courses

Residential classes have been strategically selected to span majors across Purdue University. Students may complete up to nine credit hours during the five-week session if you are participating in the residential program, including:

  • Two 3-credit courses from the list below (many are part of the University's core curriculum)
    • MA 158 – Precalculus (Quantitative Reasoning)
    • PSY 120 – Elementary Psychology (Behavioral / Social Science)
    • SCLA 101 - Transformative Texts, Critical Thinking & Communication I: Antiquity to Modernity (Written Communication)
    • SCLA 102 - Transformative Texts, Critical Thinking and Communication II: Modern World (Oral Communication)
    • HONR 12000 - Introduction to Research
    • PHIL 110 - The Big Questions - Introduction to Philosophy (Humanities) 
  • And one of the following courses based on your program:
    • One 1-credit GS 12000 Summer Beginners Seminar I. This is a freshman seminar course focused on resource awareness and helping students transition into college.
    • One 2-credit Applied Engineering Course.  This course will focus on engineering principles and skills required for success in the first-year coursework.