Dual Enrollment & Gap Year Students
Earn college credit before enrolling in a college or university program.
The CCS Dual Enrollment & Gap Year program is perfect for high school students interested in starting college classes early or for already graduated students looking to earn college credit before committing to a full degree program.
Earn College Credit
High School Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors can take college-level art and design courses before graduating. Students who graduated from high school in 2026 and have not yet enrolled in full-time college courses are eligible to take up to two courses at the dual enrollment rate of $900 per course.
Save Money
Students can take a $5,595 undergraduate course for $900. Many students are also eligible to receive additional funds via the State of Michigan School Aid Act (Funding varies by school district but typically ranges between $550 – $800 per course).
Build your Portfolio
A strong art and design portfolio is the key to admissions. Students participating in Dual Enrollment create college-level work which can translate into better scholarship offers.
2026-27 Academic Year Dual Enrollment Courses
Focusing on type’s role in communication, students explore aesthetics, hierarchy and language nuances using analog and digital tools, while developing their own perspectives.
Fall Semester – In Person
Building on Typography I, students expand their ability to work with typographic form, understanding the nuance of language-based messages, and organization through projects that introduce organizational systems, grids, and the associated nomenclature working with analog and digital tools.
Winter Semester – In Person
Learn animation basics like compositing, motion graphics, rendering and puppeting with a focus on digital workflows.
Fall Semester – In Person
Winter Semester – Online
Master the fundamentals of character animation, including timing, weight, physics and body mechanics.
Fall and Winter Semesters – In Person
Develop storytelling skills for animation, games and live action through creative writing and pre-visualization exercises.
Fall Semester – In Person and Online
Explore game ideation, including story, design and development, with a focus on narrative delivery. Students will study the history of video games, game design documentation and project management while experimenting with storytelling methods.
Fall Semester – In Person
Learn drafting, sewing, and human proportions to create garments and prepare for college-level fashion design.
Fall Semester – In Person
Discover visual storytelling through hands-on projects covering cameras, editing, sound and lighting. Create short films in fiction, non-fiction and experimental formats.
Fall Semester – In Person
Winter Semester – In Person
Principles Explore 2D design and color theory through hands-on projects.
Fall Semester – In Person
Combine 2D and 3D design skills to create projects that explore aesthetics, meaning and craft.
Fall and Winter Semesters – In Person
Learn 3D design essentials through hands-on projects and critiques.
Fall and Winter Semesters – In Person
Get hands-on with wood and metal shop tools to learn fabrication and construction techniques.
Fall and Winter Semesters – In Person
Explore time-based media, coding and interactivity to design and prototype engaging projects.
Fall Semester – In Person
Examine color interaction and its role in design across various media and printing processes.
Fall Semester – In Person
Learn to create digital imagery using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, essential for modern design.
Fall and Winter Semesters – Online
Focus on quick concept development through perspective, value and line variance.
Fall Semester – Online and In Person at CCS Detroit and CASA Oak Park, MI
Develop your personal style and enhance drawing skills, focusing on figure drawing and composition.
Prerequisite: Drawing I: Rapid Concepts.
Winter Semester – Online and In Person at CCS Detroit and at CASA, Oak Park, MI
Learn essential tools and techniques for high-quality model construction in design.
Fall and Winter Semesters – In Person
Develop figure drawing skills with a focus on light and shadow, anatomy, proportion and art history.
Fall Semester – Online
Develop figure drawing skills with a focus on light and shadow, anatomy, proportion and art history.
Winter Semester – In Person
Western art from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, exploring its cultural and social contexts.
Fall and Winter Semesters – Online
Learn camera techniques, composition and darkroom skills, with an emphasis on how subject, technique and intent work together to create powerful images.
Fall Semester – In Person
Explore the design process, focusing on user needs, materials and manufacturing methods.
Fall Semester – Online
Learn 3D drafting techniques to create transportation design sketches, renderings and basic models.
Fall Semester – Online
Registration Information
Registration for Fall 2026 and Winter 2026 dual enrollment opens on March 1, 2026 online at CCSclasses. Seats are filled on a first come first serve basis. We recommend submitting your approval letter or form by May 1st. However, some seats may still be available until August 21, 2026.
*Summer semester courses are not eligible for Dual Enrollment tuition assistance but are available at the CCS Summer tuition rate.
Students who wish to receive financial support from their Michigan school district must follow these steps.
Step 1
Submit an approval letter or form from your high school guidance counselor or principal stating that you are approved to participate and the dollar amount that the district will pay toward the $900 cost of tuition to [email protected]
Step 2
Once the approval letter or form is received from the student, the student will receive further instructions on how to register for their dual enrollment course(s) with a specific discount code for their school district.
If a counselor, principal or administrator submits the approval letter or form via email to [email protected] the following information must be provided:
- Student first and last name;
- Student email address;
- Parent/guardian first and last name;
- Parent/guardian email address;
- Student or parent/guardian phone number.
If you would like to take a dual enrollment course without the financial support of your school district, you can register directly after March 1st.
Questions? We're Here to Help
Do you have questions about Dual Enrollment?
Precollege & Continuing Studies Department
O: 313.664.7456 | M: 248.840.1728
[email protected]
Are you a Dual Enrollment student with questions about your portfolio or admissions?
Olivia Ezinga
Assistant Director of Admissions
O: 313.664.7824 | M: 313.268.6613
[email protected]