The 8-Week Class Option
At America's Online Community College®, we believe that education should be flexible. Students should have the power to make choices that can help them tailor their educational experience to best fit their lives. That's why we offer flexible scheduling to make our classes accessible to students from all walks of life: From full-time workers and at-home parents to students already taking classes at another institution.
For students looking to work at an accelerated pace or who'd rather not take classes full-time, we offer an 8-week class option for the majority of our online classes.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What are the benefits of taking an 8-week class?
- Lets you complete more classes in a shorter period of time.
- Empowers you to go from part-time to full-time status.
- Leads to faster degree completion.
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How does the 8-week class option work?
- Check Rio Salado's online class schedule to see if a class is offered in the 8-week format.
- For most classes, you can select the 8-week option when you start your class in RioLearn.*
- If you decide not to select the “8-week class option,” your class remains its original length (e.g. 14-16 weeks).
*Some Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Nutrition and Geology classes require you to select the 8-week class section at the time of registration.
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How do 8-week classes differ from other classes?
16-week classes**
- Moderately-paced.
- Assignments are more spread out.
- Trying to balance 4 classes at a time (12 credits) with work, family and other responsibilities often requires students to go from full-time to part-time status.
- Averages 1-2 lessons per week.
- Requires focus and strong study skills, but allows for flexible time-management.
8-week classes
- Fast-paced.
- Assignments are more concentrated.
- Students complete a full-time course load (12-credits) while taking just 2 classes at a time, in two 8-week sessions over a 16-week period.
- Averages 3-4 lessons per week.
- Requires a concentrated level of focus and a more structured study regimen.
**Class lengths may vary depending on the course.
Schedule Your Classes
Rio offers flexible start dates and class times, so you can create a schedule that works for you. Plan out your degree and certificate classes by checking out our Block Calendar System.