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Free Online Summer Course
First-Year Students: Get A Head Start This Summer
Free Online Summer Course | June 29 - August 21
First-year students at Utica University can take an online Summer course free of charge. It's a great way to get a head start on your university experience while enjoying significant savings on your tuition costs:
- Take a 3-credit course and save more than $2,300
- Take a 4-credit course and save more than $3,000
In addition to saving money and earning credits, your free online course will give you the opportunity to engage with Utica University faculty and student success coaches, meet fellow students, explore new interests, and discover many of the benefits of a Utica education. It’s a great deal all-around!
Get Started
Here's how to sign up for your free online Summer course:
- Step One: Pay your enrollment deposit (Already paid your deposit? Great! Go to Step Two.)
- Step Two: Contact your Success Coach so that they can register you for your free Summer course.
- Step Three: Watch your Utica University email for information on next steps.
NOTE: Space is limited in these courses, so enroll early for the best selection. Classes will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
Pay Deposit Contact Success Coach
Course Options
Choose from the following online courses:
What you'll learn:
Students will explore a particular topic, interest, or activity through its representation in literature. This summer we'll explore sci fi and fantasy short stories.
Meet the instructor:
Professor Ane Ribeiro-Costa earned her B.A. and M.A in English and Literature from UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil) and her Ph.D. in 20th and 21st century American Literature from Purdue University. She has published on gender and race in American Literature. She loves to write fiction and is an avid reader of fantasy and dystopia.
What you'll learn:
Orientation to health care professions, including history and philosophy, ethics, development of health care terms, professionalism, and professional organizations, communication, patient rights, practice arenas, and wellness concepts.
Meet the instructor:
Professor Kyrra Marchese, M.S., OTR/L, earned her Bachelor’s degree in Health Studies and Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Utica University, and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Rhode Island. Marchese’s research interests include pediatric development, disability awareness, and advocacy. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and running in her free time.
What you'll learn:
For non-mathematics majors. Probability theory topics, binomial distribution, normal distribution, descriptive statistics, frequency distribution, measures of central tendency, hypothesis testing. Confidence intervals, correlation, and prediction.
Meet the instructor:
Professor Shandeepa Wickramasinghe earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Clarkson University. She also has a Post Graduate Diploma in Industrial Mathematics from Peradeniya University, Sri Lanka, and a B.S. in Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science from IADC, Bangalore, India. Dr. Shandeepa holds a US patent, and her research interests and publications are in the areas of graph theory, algorithms, data analysis, complex networks, modeling, and machine learning. She has extensive experience as an educator working with diverse student populations and is interested in helping her students succeed. She also enjoys traveling and reading.
What you'll learn:
In this course you will explore music across a variety of genres, including works by major composers from various historic periods.
Meet the instructor:
Professor Tina Oyer Ponce earned a B.M. in Music Education from the School of Music at SUNY Fredonia and was the recipient of the prestigious academic scholarship, Monbusho, to research music education in Japan at the Aichi University of Education where she earned a postgraduate research degree. She and her violin students have actively performed at numerous local venues including festivals and nursing homes.
What you'll learn:
This course examines ethical dilemmas encountered by professionals at work. Journalism, health care, law, education, computer science/information technology and public relations all provide examples.
Meet the instructor:
Dr. Christopher Riddle is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Utica University. He has authored 4 books: Disability & Justice (Lexington / Rowman & Littlefield, 2014), Human Rights, Disability, & Capabilties (Palgrave MacMillan, 2016), The Ethics of Assisted Dying (Routledge, 2025), and The Ethics of Disability (Routledge, 2025), and has published in numerous journals, including including The Journal of Medical Ethics; The Journal of Social Philosophy; Bioethics; The American Journal of Bioethics; Medicine; and others.
What you'll learn:
In this class you will engage in the study of political phenomena and discuss the nature and meaning of democracy with an emphasis on American national government.
Meet the instructors:
Luke Perry, Ph.D. is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Utica University. A passionate educator and the author of seven books, Perry was a graduate fellow at the University of Massachusetts where he earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science with expertise in American politics and comparative politics. He previously taught at Southern Utah University and Chadron State College in Nebraska.
Daniel C. Tagliarina, Ph.D. is a tenured Associate Professor of Political Science at Utica university. Tagliarina earned their bachelor’s degree in political science from Bowling Green State University and their master's and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Connecticut. They also received the Graduate Certificate in Human Rights from the University of Connecticut. Their research interests include American constitutional law, religion and politics, law and society, and human rights. They routinely appear on local news shows to discuss developments with the U.S. Supreme Court.
What you'll learn:
In this course you will explore international cooperation and conflict, including the evolution of international political systems, problems of war and peace, diplomacy, nuclear weapons, international economics, international organizations, and international law.
Meet the instructor:
Jun T. Kwon, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Political Science at Utica University. Dr. Kwon earned a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Georgia and a master's in Asian studies from Cornell University. Previously he worked as an assistant professor at the University of North Georgia.
What you'll learn:
Psychology 101 is a survey of the various fields of psychology including human development, learning and memory, sensation and perception, psychopathology and psychotherapy, physiology and behavior, social psychology, psychological testing, motivation and emotion.
Meet the instructor:
Dr. Amy Lindsey's Ph.D. is in psychology from Vanderbilt University where she studied retinal regeneration and psychophysical measurement of visual behavior at the Vanderbilt University Vision Research Center. Her areas of expertise are visual behavior and psychophysics.
What you'll learn:
This class introduces you to the study of American society through an examination of social class, race, ethnicity, sex, age, family, education, religion, sub-cultures, polity, economy, and other factors.
Meet the instructor:
Professor Polly Smith specializes in the use of GIS technology and is an active participant within the field of sociology. She has worked in depth on a variety of local and national projects via the Lewis Mumford Center for Comparative and Urban Regional Research formally located at the University of Albany.
What you'll learn:
In this course you'll explore the various arts of theatre: playwriting, directing, acting, scene and costume design, as individual arts and as part of the composite art of theatre.
Meet the instructor:
Ethan Kipp has been an Adjunct Instructor at Utica University since 2023. Ethan completed his M.A. in Theatre at Binghamton University and his undergraduate studies at Utica University. His research interests lie in dramatic theory and criticism as well as performance studies.
Enrollment Details
Online Learning
Each course will be delivered fully online through Utica’s learning management system, Engage.
Textbooks and Study Materials
There will be no out-of-pocket costs for tuition or registration for these online courses; however, you will be responsible for the purchase of books and supplies. More information about required course materials will be provided when you enroll.
Academic Credits
Except for BIO 111 and GOL 105, which are 4-credit courses with a lab, each course earns you 3 Utica University credits. All of the free online Summer courses are either:
- general electives that will count towards the 120-credit total required for all bachelor's degrees, or
- courses that fulfill a general education core requirement
Grading
The grade earned in your free online course will count toward your Utica University GPA and will be based on established standards for academic achievement and federal and state financial aid policies.
How to withdraw from your course
Should you decide to drop or withdraw from the course while it's in progress, be sure to notify the Registrar’s Office by completing this online course withdrawal form.
Note: A withdrawal results in a WD grade on the Utica transcript. A WD grade does not have any impact on academic GPA, but it does impact Federal Aid PACE and would result in students who withdraw being placed on federal aid warning for the fall semester.
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