As a college prep school in Brownsville, TX, Saint Joseph Academy is committed to delivering a comprehensive and rigorous academic program to its students. Included in SJA’s college-preparatory academic program are a formidable lineup of Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Enrollment (DE) courses.
AP courses are college-level courses taught to prepare students for AP tests, which are taken at the end of the school year to earn college credit and/or “advanced placement” (hence, “AP”). The AP exam is scored on a scale of 1 to 5. Usually, a student must get a score of 3 or higher to gain college credit.
Currently, SJA offers over a dozen AP Courses in a variety of subjects. All students enrolled in an AP course must take the AP exam at the end of the school year where they have the opportunity to earn college credit with a passing score.
A dual enrollment course is also a college prep level course taken during high school that counts for both college and high school credit. Unlike AP courses, credit isn’t determined by an exam at the end of the year, but you do need to earn a grade of C or higher in the course.
SJA has dual enrollment partnerships with both UTRGV and TSC where students can earn up to 38 college credits—at no additional cost to families. The TSC dual enrollment courses are taught by SJA faculty. UTRGV dual enrollment courses are taught by UTRGV faculty on the SJA campus, exclusively to SJA students. Upon successful completion of a dual enrollment course, the SJA student will have earned the college credit and an official college transcript will reflect the earned credit.
How To Sign Up
Course registration occurs in collaboration with UTRGV. Eligible students will work closely with UTRGV and SJA counselors to navigate Apply Texas and complete the registration process during the spring semester.
Dual Enrollment and Advanced Placement Course Offerings
A dual enrollment course is also a college prep level course taken during high school that counts for both college and high school credit.
Pictured from left to right at the MOU signing: SJA Principal Melissa Valadez '90, SJA President Michael Motyl, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Deputy President Dr. Janna Arney '82, Director of Special Programs-Dual Credit, Michael Aldape