College Credit
Students may earn college credit for select courses taken at Norwich Free Academy through our concurrent or dual enrollment partnerships with the University of Connecticut, Eastern Connecticut State University and Three Rivers Community College. Instructors are Academy teachers certified as adjunct professors by the colleges.
The Early College Experience program at UConn and the Dual Enrollment Program at ECSU provide academically motivated students opportunities to take university courses while still in high school. In these courses, students experience challenging college work, build their college readiness confidence and earn college credit, providing both an academic and financial head start on a college degree. These courses foster independent learning, creativity and critical thinking - all pivotal for success in college.
The UConn Office of Early College Programs (OECP) provides information on the likelihood of the transferability of UConn credit earned through UConn ECE while at NFA. To see the list of colleges and universities, click here.
The College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) Program is an opportunity for students to pursue college-level study in high school. College admissions personnel view AP experiences as an indicator of college success. Participation in AP courses is, therefore, a great advantage to a student planning to attend a selective or highly selective college. Students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses register for the exam in the fall and prepare to take the respective AP exams in May. There is a fee for an Advanced Placement exam, and financial assistance is available.
Fine Arts students further develop observational drawing skills, enhance knowledge of basic drawing tools and techniques, and explore the conceptual ideas of image making by emphasizing concepts in composition and organization and creation of volumetric space. Students maintain required sketch-books for personal exploration and idea development. Studio fee, Prerequisite: ADR664 (full year – 1 credit) 10, 11 & 12.
UConn equivalent ART1030: Drawing 1 (3 Credits)
Students continue to develop skills using basic design principles and color theory as they create projects like posters, photographic imaging, invitations, and text, etc., using the Adobe Programs. Prerequisite: AGA201. Students develop and present a portfolio at the end of the year. Studio fee (full year – 1 credit) 10, 11 & 12.
UConn equivalent: DMD 1101 Design Lab I (3 Credits)
Students seriously committed to studying visual art and developing a portfolio of individualized artwork for college preparation develop aesthetic understanding through studio projects that stimulate the imagination, encourage creative problem-solving, and refine skills. Students maintain a required sketchbook and submit a required portfolio to the College Board. Studio fee, Prerequisite: Successful completion of two or more advanced art electives and teacher recommendation (full year – 1 credit) 12.
Designed for students seriously committed to studying 3D mediums ( Jewelry, Ceramics, Sculpture) while developing a portfolio of individualized artwork for college preparation. Students develop aesthetic understanding through studio projects that stimulate the imagination, encourage creative problem-solving, and refine skills. Students develop a portfolio concentration theme that focuses on their creative process while maintaining a detailed sketchbook. Students will then submit a required portfolio to the College Board. Studio fee. Prerequisite: Successful completion of two or more advanced 3D art electives and teacher recommendation (full year – 1 credit) 12.
Students cultivate their understanding of writing and rhetorical arguments through reading, analyzing, and writing texts as they explore the rhetorical situation, claims and evidence, reasoning and organization, and style. Students demonstrate initiative, complete a great deal of individual work, and participate in demanding instruction. Students prepare to take the AP Language and Composition Examination. Prerequisite: teacher recommendation (full year – 1 credit) 11, 12.
UConn's introductory writing courses for first-year students expose students to academic writing practices which involve formulating inquiries, developing extensive intellectual projects, and producing knowledge for diverse audiences. Students engage in assignments where they choose and define topics to spark class discussions through various media. Additionally, students analyze genres, themes, and texts, with the option to sit for the AP Literature and Composition Exam. This course emphasizes the overall process of crafting academic writing over particular formats and platforms. Students build skills in topic selection, inquiry, drafting, revision, citation, audience awareness, and more. Prerequisite: teacher recommendation (full year – 1 credit) 11, 12.
Through the reading of a wide range of texts, this course will explore socio-cultural, economic, political, and other related issues in sport. Students will examine the impact of sport on culture and how culture impacts sport. Students will also engage in discussion of issues in sport relative to gender, race(ethnicity), differing physical and intellectual ability, sexual identity, and gender identity. Prerequisite: teacher recommendation (full year – 1 credit) 11,12.
UCONN equivalent course: EDLR 2001: Contemporary Issues in Sport
This ECSU-equivalent course offers students an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of speech communication and the opportunity to earn university credit. Students listen to, deliver, discuss, research, write and respond to informative, persuasive, interview and impromptu speeches. Students explore topics like rhetorical situations, claims and evidence, reasoning and organization, and style while writing and delivering their own speeches. Speeches are videotaped and critiqued. Prerequisite: teacher recommendation (full year – 1 credit) 11, 12.
ECSU equivalent course COM230: Basic Speech (3 credits)
Students study human development and family studies in depth in this college-level course. Students gain an understanding of individual and family development over the lifespan and explore the development of the individual that occurs in family systems over time. Forty hours of student field study is a UConn/ECE requirement. This class requires a summer assignment (full year – 1 credit) 11 & 12.
UConn equivalent course: Individual & Family Development (3 credits)
Students learn about microeconomics by studying the relationship among scarcity, opportunity, cost, supply and demand, and individual consumer and firm behavior. Students learn about macroeconomics by studying the economy as a whole, and by examining unemployment, productivity, inflation, trade, and development (full year – 1 credit) 11 & 12.
ECSU equivalent course ECO100: Political Economy of Social Issues (3 credits)
Students learn about microeconomics by developing a thorough understanding of the economic principles that apply to consumers and producers within an economic system and of the nature of markets and the government’s role in the economy. Students learn about macroeconomics by studying the economic system as a whole including economic performance measures, the financial sector and international economics (full year – 1 credit) 12.
Students examine in depth the core concepts and theories of psychology to understand psychology as the study of the mind and human behavior. Students learn about important psychologists past and present, research methods, experiments and terminology, and students prepare for the AP Psychology examination (full year – 1 credit) 12.
This course helps students understand the interconnection between society, groups and the individual. Students explore general themes, such as diversity, religion, culture, family, and various societal forces which intersect with one another to shape everyday lives. (full-year) 1 credit. Open to 11 &12.
UConn course equivalent SOCI1001: Sociology (3 credits)
Students develop the skills and factual knowledge to critically analyze events in U.S. history. Students prepare to meet the writing and research requirements of intermediate and advanced college courses. Students assess historical materials and weigh evidence and interpretations in historical scholarship (full year –1 credit) 11 & 12.
Students study the major developments of Western Civilization from ancient times through the early Renaissance (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Early Christianity, Crusades), and examine evidence surviving from the Ancient and Medieval Periods and the historian’s challenge to interpret these materials. Students develop research skills and participate in a project using Slater Museum’s collections (full year –1 credit) 11 & 12. This course will be offered every other year. It will be next offered during the 2025-2026 school year.
UConn course equivalent HIST 1300: Western Traditions before 1500 (3 credits)
Students focus upon intensive development and use of grammar and vocabulary, develop fluency in oral communication, reading and writing, and exploration and research of aspects of Chinese culture, history and literature. Prerequisite: Successful completion of LCH654 or permission of teacher (full year – 1 credit) 11 & 12.
UConn equivalent course CHIN 1114: Intermediate Chinese II (4 credits)
Students further develop language proficiencies in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Chinese while learning about the culture. Students use and study materials and participate in activities adapted from authentic sources to support linguistic and cultural goals. Prerequisite: LCH856 and/or permission of teacher (full year – 1 credit) 11 & 12.
UConn equivalent courses: CHIN 3210: Chinese Conversation and Composition I (3 credits) and CHIN 3211: Chinese Conversation and Composition II (3 credits)
Within the context of weekly conversational topics about various Francophone cultures, students participate in intense, rigorous, and active study and practice oral French in dialogues, interviews, round tables and oral reports. Prerequisite: LFR855 or teacher recommendation (full year – 1 credit) 12.
UConn equivalent courses: FREN 3250: Global Culture 1 (3 credits); FREN 3268: Grammar and Composition (3 credits)
Students attain proficiency to understand, speak, read, and write Italian at a college level and to develop and refine skills acquired over several years of study. Prerequisite: LIT654 or LIT655 (full year – 1 credit) 11 & 12.
UConn equivalent course: ILCS3239 Italian Conversation and Conversation I (3 credits)
Students expand their lexical and reading skills to understand, analyze, interpret, and enjoy the literature of late Roman Republic and early Empire. Students complete outside readings in English and Latin to develop analytical skills and a background in literary criticism. Prerequisite: LLA655 or equivalent (full year – 1 credit) 12.
UConn equivalent course CAMS3102: Topics in Advanced Latin (3 credits)
Students attain proficiency to understand, speak, read, and write Spanish at a college level and to develop and refine skills acquired over several years of study. Students focus upon mastery of language skills, rather than on the content of specific texts. Fee: Cost of textbook. Prerequisite: LSC855, LSL855 or equivalent (full year – 1 credit) 12.
UConn equivalent course SPAN3178: Intermediate Spanish Composition (3 credits)
At an in-depth and accelerated pace students prepare for Calculus by deepening their understanding of Algebra topics ranging from polynomials, systems of equations, sequences, trigonometry concepts, and inverse, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions. Prerequisite:Teacher recommendation (full year – 1 credit) 10, 11 & 12.
ECSU equivalent course: MAT 155 - PreCalculus Mathematics (4 credits)
Students study topics of limits, derivatives, and integrals and their applications. Prerequisite: Teacher recommendation (full year – 1 credit) 12.
ECSU equivalent course MAT243: Calculus 1 (4 credits).
In this class, comparable to a first-semester college-level class, students design, implement, and analyze programs and basic data structures, standard algorithms, and general computer systems knowledge with JAVA programming language. Prerequisite: Completion of MCC551 and MCC875 and teacher recommendation. (Does not meet the mathematics graduation requirement, full year – 1 credit) 11 & 12.
Students learn standard and nonparametric approaches to statistical analysis; exploratory data analysis, elementary probability, sampling distributions, estimation and hypothesis testing, one- and two-sample procedures, regression and correlation. Prerequisite: Teacher recommendation (full year – 1 credit) 11 & 12.
UConn equivalent course: UConn equivalent class: STAT1100Q
This course explores the historical and societal forces that shape health and education in urban communities. Topics of study will include poverty, culture and identity and how these phenomena affect people’s health, nutrition, schooling and opportunities for success. Through readings, films, discussion, and reflection class members will analyze policies, norms and beliefs in our society. We will consider how these trends may lead us to a more just society and how these may perpetuate injustice. The biggest learning experience in this course will be a required three independent projects and 15 hours of community service to fully immerse into the impact we can have in our community by serving others. Class time will be available to meet this requirement and there will be additional opportunities for students outside of the school day. The PE portion of this course will be focused on the impact that sports and fitness play in building a healthier community physically, mentally, and socially. Prerequisites: Successful completion of 1 year of Wellness or teacher recommendation. (1/2 year - 1/2 credit) 11, 12.
UConn Equivalent EDLR 1162 Health & Education in Urban Communities
This rigorous course provides an overview of the five pillars of health (exercise, nutrition, sleep, stress and relationships), specifically emphasizing the role that exercise plays in health promotion and disease prevention across the lifespan by presenting the impacts of exercise in multiple domains including leisure time, culture, community, careers, and the workplace. Prerequisites: Successful completion of 1 year of Wellness or teacher recommendation. (1/2 year - 1/2 credit) 11, 12
UConn Equivalent KINS 1100 Exercise and Wellness for Everyone (3 credits).
This college-level course provides an overview of a variety of Allied Health professions and discusses the team approach to healthcare. Speakers representing each profession will be invited to describe their work/general duties of the profession, the work environment, educational requirements and employment trends. This course will also explore the health care system, medical terminology, employment skills and cultural diversity of patients. Students will become CPR and First Aid certified. (½ year – ½ credit) 10, 11 & 12.
In this rigorous college-level course, students study the ever-changing universe while exploring galactic, stellar and planetary formation; investigate the relationships among math, physics, and astronomy; and study the history of astronomy. Prerequisite: B or better in Honors Integrated Science and/or Recommendation from current science teacher (½ year –½ credit) 10, 11 & 12.
ECSU equivalent course AST214: Descriptive Astronomy w/Lab (4 credits)
In this rigorous and rewarding course, motivated, enthusiastic and interested students study all of the concepts and unifying themes in biology and meet the expectations of college freshmen in an introductory biology course. Students are expected to be self-motivated learners who complete assignments promptly, work independently, and think critically. Class attendance for lecture and laboratory is critical, and students work independently and think critically. Inquiry-based labs require cooperation with partners/groups. Prerequisite: SBY004 or SBY075 and teacher recommendation (full year – 1 credit) 11 & 12.
Students study general chemistry in depth at the college level and perform required after-school lab work and tests. UConn supplies tests, labs, online homework, and book work. Students complete summer coursework. Prerequisite: Teacher recommendation and SCH485 (full year – 1.25 credits) 11 & 12.
Students investigate the Earth’s biotic and abiotic systems and how humans influence and depend upon them. With sustainability as a central theme, specific course topics include ecology, natural resources management, energy, pollution, human population dynamics, and climate change. Students have opportunities for field study. (full year – 1 credit) 10, 11 & 12.
UConn equivalent course NRE1000: Environmental Science (3 credits)
In this rigorous college-level course, students engage in a more thorough study of the regions, structure, and function of the human body with an emphasis on tissue organization and organ systems. Students complete laboratory exercises involving microscopy of tissues, dissection of Felis domesticus, and investigations of contemporary scientific research. Students complete summer coursework (full year – 1 credit) 11 & 12.
ECSU equivalent course Bio 202/203: Human Biology, Lecture & Lab (4 credits)
In this algebra-based physics class, students will explore Newtonian mechanics, work, energy, power, mechanical waves and sound, and simple circuits through laboratory work to investigate phenomena. Prerequisite: B or higher in Algebra 2 strongly recommended (full year – 1 credit) 11 & 12.
ECSU equivalent course: PHY204 General Physics I w Lab (4 credits)
Students expand upon technical drawing concepts using AutoCAD for two-dimensional and 3D solid modeling applications. Students explore additional software tools used in the industry including Solidworks and Chief Architect. Students have the opportunity to earn college credit while engaging in real-life projects and develop teamwork, design and problem-solving skills. Strong foundations in algebra are highly recommended for success in this course Prerequisite VED201 (½ year – ½ credit) 9, 10, 11 & 12.
Students explore the changing high-tech, innovative nature of advanced manufacturing with emphasis upon manufacturing systems & processes, safety, materials, production and career paths. Students create everyday products and prototypes with CNC machines, 3D printers and a variety of materials (metals, woods, plastic). Students can earn college credit and entry into the (YMPI) Youth Manufacturing Program Initiative (½ year – ½ credit) 11 & 12.
Students accepted into the YMPI program will prepare for career opportunities in advanced manufacturing after high school. Students learn the safe use of essential manufacturing tools and equipment. Integrated throughout the class are opportunities for students to strengthen manufacturing mathematics, spatial reasoning, and workplace preparedness skills (resumes, interviewing, etc.) Students have the opportunity to gain OSHA 10 certification, 150 pre-apprenticeship hours, four college credits and interview with local employers. Prerequisite: VIM651 with C or higher, Additional 1/2 credit Tech Ed course, teacher/counselor approval (½ year - 1 credit). Second semester, double channel, grade 12.
Three Rivers Community College equivalent courses: MFG1415 Safety in the Workplace (2 credits), EGR1120 Engineering Drawing Specs (3 credits), MFG1453 Benchwork (2 credits), MFG1405 Manufacturing Math (3 credits).