EMSA Frequently Asked Questions

EMSA offers three unique tracks tailored towards students’ interests, aspirations, and intended college majors. Students have the opportunity to select their track upon application.

The Pre-Professional track is aimed towards students interested in all science-based majors, including pre-medical, pre-veterinary, pre-pharmacy, physical therapy and various other majors and careers in science.

The Engineering track is our original track and is aimed towards students interested in pursuing majors and careers in engineering and physics fields.

The Pre-Nursing track is geared toward students interested in pursuing a career in nursing, especially those interested in starting their education at Kishwaukee College before transferring to complete a four-year nursing degree.

Simply submit the required application forms, which can be obtained in several ways:

• Obtain an Early College/EMSA program packet from your high school counselor or the Dual Credit office at Kish. 
• Attend the Early College/EMSA Information Session at Kish in early November
• Complete the required forms, transcripts, and recommendations and submit them to the Dual Credit office at Kish or by email to dualcredit@kish.edu. 

There is a significant difference between a Dual Enrollment course and a Dual Credit course. A Dual Enrollment class offers the student college-level credit only and will not satisfy a high school requirement. Dual enrollment courses do not require the college to submit a transcript to the home high school. Therefore, the grade in the EMSA course will not be factored into the student’s high school GPA. 

A Dual Credit class provides the student with credit for both college-level and high school-level courses. Students interested in taking an EMSA course for Dual Credit must receive written permission of the Dual Credit option, in advance, from their high school guidance counselor. Selecting the Dual Credit option for a class held on the Kishwaukee College campus requires the college to submit the student’s college transcript to the high school following each semester so that the credit can be verified and the course grade can be recorded for GPA calculations (if required). It is up to the individual high school to determine if any of the Kishwaukee College courses taken by the student are eligible for dual credit. Students will need to verify that the university they apply to will accept dual credit coursework; some universities do not consider dual credit courses as college-level courses for transfer credit.

Students who complete the Engineering track will earn 23 semester hours of transferable credit. Students who complete the Pre-Professional track will earn 18 semester hours of transferable credit. And students who complete the Pre-Nursing track may earn up to 29 semester hours of transferable credit. The total college credits earned in EMSA may vary for students who complete AP or dual credit coursework. 

A student who is currently enrolled in, or has taken, Advanced Placement Calculus is still eligible for the EMSA program and may take the AP exam in place of registering for the summer Calculus I class and begin the EMSA coursework in the fall semester. 

Because AP Calculus scores are typically not received until mid-July, students will be required to enroll in Calculus I starting in June and actively participate in the course.  Upon receiving their AP scores, students with a passing score of 4 or 5 on part AB may opt to drop MAT 229 with a full refund. 

This policy aims to ensure students enrolled in the EMSA program will complete the proper sequence in the case of an unsatisfactory score on the AP Calculus exam.  Note: EMSA students who receive a 4 or 5 on the exam are highly encouraged to complete MAT 229 to better hone their Calculus in anticipation of the rigor of EMSA and future Engineering coursework.