Gross Catholic offers associate degree program

Daniel J. Gross Catholic High School in Bellevue has begun offering a new dual enrollment program that will allow students to earn an associate of liberal arts degree while completing their high school education.

Gross Catholic is one of the few high schools in Nebraska to offer an associate degree program – and the first Catholic school in the state to offer the degree, said Ryan Larson, director of admissions at Gross Catholic.

The new program, called Dux Esto College Academy, is a partnership with Metropolitan Community College.

Freshmen at Gross Catholic were eligible to apply to the academy in January. During their sophomore through senior years, the students will begin taking the college-level courses.

Twenty-six of the 101 freshmen – or 25% of the class – were accepted, Larson said. The school also accepted 19 sophomores who had taken the necessary prerequisite classes.

“This program is about more than earning college credit,” Principal Hana Abbott said at the launch of the academy. “It’s about building confidence, opening doors and showing our students just how far they can go. The Dux Esto College Academy gives them the chance to rise to new challenges and truly prepare for life beyond high school.”

Gross Catholic teachers with master’s degrees will teach the subjects for the academy’s general-studies degrees.

“Through a carefully designed curriculum,” students “will experience rigorous college-level coursework in a supportive, faith-based environment during their sophomore through senior years,” Larson said.

Gross Catholic has long offered dual enrollment classes through Metropolitan Community College, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and College of Saint Mary. Students can earn college credit hours through those courses and get a head start for college. But the new program is unique because it offers a degree as well, Larson said.

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