LOUISVILLE, Ky. — You typically won't find people back in a classroom after graduation, but that's not necessarily the case at Bellarmine University. Through non-credit courses, people of all ages can take classes without having to apply through admissions.
Many of the students in a web coding class Monday were there for professional development.
"I really want to be able to use my creative abilities to get a job I really like and learn something new at the same time," student Robby Zurkuhlen said.
Bellarmine has been offering these continuing education classes for 30 years. While some courses are geared at professional development, others are just for fun. Whether you want to learn a new language or even just sharpen your wine knowledge, there's a class to fit any interest.
Instead of applying to Bellarmine University, people who are interested in a class just need to go online, enroll and pay for the class. Many courses range between $50 to $100, but some of the professional development courses cost a couple of hundred dollars.
The continuing education department at Bellarmine also oversees the youth camps, which are all education-focused. Those classes range from video game design to painting.
Since there is such a wide range of classes, many people in these courses don't fit into the typical college student demographic.
"It ranges from 8-year-olds at our youth camps, all the way up to we had a 98-year-old taking lifelong learning classes," interim director of continuing education Abigail Walsh said.
People 55 or over can also join Veritas' lifelong learning society. Those members pay a membership fee and a class fee to take courses specifically for Veritas members. This spring, there are 24 classes Veritas members can take.
Just like regular college courses, the continuing education classes are offered in the spring, summer, and fall. The spring and fall are focused more on the continued education and professional development classes. The summer term is mostly focused on the youth camps. Bellarmine will release the summer class offerings Friday. There are several spring courses still up for enrollment on the Bellarmine's Continuing Education website.