High School Level Courses

Earn High School Credits at Your Own Pace

Hawkeye offers high school-level classes that you can transfer back to your high school for credit. These independent study classes are flexible, allowing you to complete them at a pace that works best for you. However, you'll need to finish the class within four months. Note that most classes take around 60–75 hours to complete.

Step 1: Visit with your High School Counselor

Your high school will decide how many classes you can transfer and how much credit you’ll get. Before you can sign up for classes, you need to:

  • Be at least 16 years old or a second-semester high school sophomore.
  • Get a referral from your high school counselor.
  • Complete the High School Course Permission form [PDF] and have it signed by someone at your high school.

Step 2: Register for Classes

  • Contact the Van G. Miller Adult Learning Center Assessment Center
  • Pay the $150 course fee per class

Classes Offered

We offer classes in the subjects of English, Math, Science, Social Science, and 21st Century Skills.

English Classes

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Plot, Setting, Conflict, and Irony
  • Characterization and Theme
  • Point of View, Narrator, and Voice
  • Cause and Effect
  • Autobiography, Memoirs, and Biography
  • Persuasive, Expository, and Descriptive Essays
  • Speech in Writing
  • Editorials
  • Elements of Poetry and Poetic Devices
  • Drama

English I — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Elements of Short Story
  • Writing Science Fiction and Mystery
  • Writing Biography, Autobiography, and Memoirs
  • Grammar and Vocabulary
  • Writing Personal, Expository, and Persuasive Essays
  • Writing Persuasive Speeches
  • Form, Language, Imagery, and Sound Devices in Poetry
  • Drama — Comedy and Tragedy

Prerequisite: English I

English II — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Early America
  • Genres of Writing
  • American Romanticism (The Transcendentalists)
  • American Romanticism (Gothic Literature)
  • Regionalism and Realism
  • The Modernist Movement
  • Annotated Bibliography

Prerequisite: English II

English III: American Literature — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Epic poetry Anglo Saxon period
  • Beowulf
  • Non-epic Anglo Saxon Literature
  • Medieval Literature
  • Narrative Writing
  • The English Renaissance
  • Pastoral Poems and Sonnets
  • Renaissance — Humanism
  • The Cavalier and Metaphysical Poets
  • Poetic Analysis
  • Shakespeare
  • Neoclassicism
  • Persuasive Writing
  • Romanticism
  • Victorianism
  • Modernism

English IV: British Literature — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Organizing and Writing a Resume
  • Reading for Comprehension
  • Overview of Types of Writing
  • Persuasive and Scholarly Essays
  • Research papers
  • Grammar and Vocabulary
  • Making Effective Presentation
  • Writing Opinions and Technical Papers
  • Writing Reports
  • Writing Effective Emails

Prerequisite: English III

English IV: College Prep — Get the Details

Math Classes

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Algebraic Expressions and Equations
  • Proportions, Inequalities, and Absolute Values
  • Introduction to Functions
  • Linear Functions and Systems
  • Exponential Properties and Functions
  • Factoring
  • Quadratic, Inverse, and Square Root Functions
  • Statistical Analysis

Algebra I — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Tools of Geometry
  • Reasoning and Proof
  • Parallel and Perpendicular Lines
  • Congruent Triangles
  • Relationships Within Triangles
  • Polygons
  • Similarity
  • Right Triangles and Trigonometry
  • Transformations
  • Area, Surface Area and Volume
  • Circles
  • Parabolas
  • Probability

Prerequisite: Algebra I

Geometry — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Algebraic Expressions
  • Functions
  • Linear Systems
  • Quadratic Functions
  • Polynomials
  • Radical Functions
  • Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
  • Rational Fractions
  • Sequences and Series
  • Conic Sections
  • Probability and Statistics
  • Matrices
  • Periodic Functions
  • Trig Identities and Equations

Prerequisite: Algebra I

Algebra II — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Wages and salaries
  • Taxes, insurance, and budgeting
  • Banking
  • Stocks and bonds
  • Credit
  • Mortgages and real estate
  • Vehicle Costs
  • Health Insurance
  • Profits and Pricing
  • Manufacturing - break-even analysis and quality control
  • Employees — salary, benefits, and insurance
  • Profits, sticker price, and discounts
  • Inventory considerations and business expenses
  • Sales potential, market share, and sales projections
  • Balance sheet and analysis
  • Borrowing and inflation

Business Math — Get the Details

Science Classes

Time to complete: 1 semester

Topics:

  • Matter
  • Elements
  • Energy
  • Magnetism
  • Electricity, Circuits, and Resistance
  • Waves
  • Sound
  • Electromagnetic Energy
  • Light, Color, and Lenses
  • Force
  • Motion
  • Machines
  • Resources

Physical Science — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Ecology
  • Carbon Compounds
  • Cell Structure and Function
  • Cell Transport
  • Cellular Energy
  • Cell Division
  • Genetics
  • DNA
  • Evolution

General Biology — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Introduction to Chemistry
  • Matter and The Periodic Table
  • Chemical Bonding
  • Naming Compounds & Lewis Structures
  • Molecular Shapes & Chemical Equations
  • The Mole
  • Stoichiometry
  • Solids, Liquids, and Gases
  • Gas Laws
  • Mixtures and Solutions
  • Acids and Bases
  • Organic Chemistry

General Chemistry — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Introduction to Physics
  • Kinematics
  • Vectors and 2-D Kinematics
  • Forces and Newton's Laws
  • Circular Motion and Gravity
  • Energy
  • Momentum
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Thermodynamics
  • Oscillations and Waves
  • Sound
  • Light
  • Optics
  • Electric Forces
  • DC Electric Circuits
  • Magnetic Forces

General Physics — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Introduction to Environmental Science
  • Earth systems
  • Patterns and processes of Earth
  • Ecosystems
  • Population ecology
  • Conservation
  • Energy
  • Pollution
  • Environmental problems

Environmental Science — Get the Details

Social Science Classes

Time to complete: 1 semester

Topics:

  • 1877–1940
  • Ideas Behind a New Nation
  • Federal versus State Authority
  • The Death of Lincoln Thru Reconstruction
  • The End of the Western Frontier
  • A New Industrial Age
  • The Immigration Boom
  • The Progressive Era
  • Spanish American War
  • The First World War
  • The Roaring Life of the 1920s
  • The Great Depression
  • The New Deal

U.S. History 1877–1940 — Get the Details

Time to complete: 1 semester

Topics:

  • 1940 – 21st Century
  • World War II
  • The Cold War
  • Civil Rights
  • 1960 election
  • Vietnam War
  • An Era of Social Change
  • The Nixon Era and Watergate’s Lasting Impact
  • Turmoil of the 1970s
  • The Reagan and Bush Era
  • Building the Bridge to the 21st Century
  • The United States in Today’s World

U.S. History 1940–21st Century — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • History of world civilizations.
  • Early civilizations
  • Geography and populations of different areas.
  • Major events that have shaped society
  • Cultures and conflicts

World History — Get the Details

Time to complete: 1 semester

Topics:

  • Foundations of Government
  • Historical Foundations
  • Formation of the Constitution
  • Overview of the Constitution
  • Checks and Balances
  • Federalism
  • Bill of Rights and Amendments
  • Supreme Court Cases
  • Political Participation and Political Parties
  • Process of Elections and Influence of Mass Media
  • Public Policy and Interest Groups

U.S. Government — Get the Details

Time to complete: 1 semester

Topics:

  • Scarcity, Markets, Supply, and Demand
  • GDP, Inflation, and Unemployment
  • Aggregate Supply and Demand
  • Money, Banking, and Financial Markets
  • Monetary and Fiscal Policy
  • Inflation and Unemployment
  • Trade
  • Currency
  • Competition

Economics — Get the Details

Time to complete: 1 semester

Topics:

  • Planet Earth
  • US and Canada
  • Latin America
  • Europe
  • Russia
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica
  • The Regional Atlas

World Geography — Get the Details

Health Literacy Elective Classes

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Physical Fitness
  • How your body works
  • Understanding Disease
  • Drugs and Medicines
  • Adolescence
  • First Aid
  • Hygiene and Healthcare

High School Health — Get the Details

Time to complete: 1 semester

Topics:

  • Developing positive attitudes in daily living and positive responses in challenging situations
  • Physical activity and fitness, including healthy eating, healthy habits, and a long-term exercise program
  • Insights and perspectives that encourage and empower students to make physically and emotionally beneficial life-choices

Social and Emotional Learning — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Medical terminology
  • The human body in health and disease
  • Skeletal system
  • Muscular system
  • Cardiovascular system
  • Lymphatic and Immune systems
  • Respiratory system
  • Digestive system
  • Urinary system
  • Nervous system
  • Integumentary system
  • Endocrine system
  • Reproductive system
  • Pregnancy and childbirth
  • Diagnostic procedures
  • Pharmacology and Abbreviations
  • Health care professionals / Alternative medicine
  • Pathological terms
  • Psychiatry

Medical Terminology — Get the Details

Technology Literacy Elective Classes

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Working with Data & Excel Tables
  • Performing Calculations on Data
  • Changing Workbook Appearance
  • Focusing on Specific Data by Using Filters
  • Reordering and Summarizing Data
  • Combining Data from Multiple Sources
  • Analyzing Alternative Data Sets
  • Creating Dynamic Worksheets by Using PivotTables
  • Creating Charts and Graphics
  • Printing
  • Automating Repetitive Tasks by Using Macros
  • Working with Other Microsoft Office Programs
  • Collaborating with Colleagues

Mastering Microsoft Excel — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Course topics include:
  • Investigate concepts of programming
  • Programming languages and compilers
  • Java programming language
  • Understanding how a computer things
  • Data types
  • String format
  • Logic of programming, if statements and boolean data types
  • Looping to facilitate execution
  • String class method
  • Data structure
  • Methods

Introduction to Java — Get the Details

Time to complete: 1 semester

Topics:

  • Managing digital information
  • Communicating clearly
  • Analyzing table information
  • Using spreadsheets to make economic choices
  • Data mining and analyzing records
  • Building effective presentations
  • Creating effective reports
  • Using design to enhance communication
  • Managing communications and schedules
  • Creating website
  • Becoming a successful digital citizen
  • Introduction to PowerPoints - proper business use

Information Management I — Get the Details

Time to complete: 1 semester

Topics:

  • Managing written communication
  • Preparing and analyzing financial documents
  • Using design to create effective business documents
  • Analyzing information efficiently and effectively
  • Becoming an entrepreneur
  • Enhancing visuals to communicate effectively
  • Understanding our world
  • Preparing for the workplace
  • Being an effective employee
  • Real-world applications
  • Assessing advanced information management skills
  • Economic systems and the U.S. Economy
  • Understanding legalities of business
  • Personal financial ability
  • Understanding business communication
  • Using media and technology in the workplace
  • Oral business presentation skills
  • Personal communication skills

Prerequisite: Information Management I

Information Management II — Get the Details

Financial Literacy Elective Classes

Time to complete: 1 semester

Topics:

  • Fundamental economic principles
  • How to find a job, including resume preparation
  • Factors that affect income
  • Budgeting and spending
  • Planning for taxes
  • How to prepare a tax return and other tax forms
  • Income vs. net worth
  • Choosing a bank
  • Debit cards and ATMs
  • Insurance and risk management
  • Credit management
  • Interest rates
  • Credit card management
  • Loans and mortgages
  • Credit laws that protect consumers
  • Avoiding scams and identity theft
  • Saving and investing

Personal Finance — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • The role of an accountant
  • Accounting fundamentals
  • Financial statements
  • Accounts payable
  • Accounts receivable
  • Inventory
  • Payroll
  • Financial ratios
  • Cash controls
  • Special assets, communication, and taxes
  • Regulation and ethics

Introduction to Accounting — Get the Details

Employability Skills Elective Classes

Time to complete: 1 semester

Topics:

  • Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Architecture and Construction
  • Arts and Communication
  • Business and Administration
  • Education and Training
  • Finance and Insurance
  • Government and Public Administration
  • Health Science
  • Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation
  • Human Service
  • Information Technology
  • Law and Public Safety
  • Manufacturing
  • Retail and Wholesale Sales and Service
  • Scientific Research, Engineering, and Mathematics
  • Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics

Investigating Careers — Get the Details

Time to complete: 1 semester

Topics:

  • Preparing Your Path for Success
  • Discovering Career Choice Influences
  • Understanding Yourself
  • Looking into the Future
  • Planning Your Internal Career Design
  • Setting Goals
  • Understanding Finances
  • Going from Here to Your Career
  • Applying and Interviewing for a Job

College and Career Readiness — Get the Details

Time to complete: 2 semesters

Topics:

  • Management and Leadership
  • Planning and change
  • Economics and Ownership
  • Regulations and Communication
  • Business Metrics
  • Capitalization
  • The product
  • Supply chain management
  • Human Resources
  • Managing the manager

Business Management — Get the Details

Contact Us

Van G. Miller Adult Learning Center

120 Jefferson Street
Waterloo, IA 50701
319-296-4278
319-296-4271 (fax)
Email Adult Education

Map and Directions

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Adult Education and Literacy Programs

319-296-4278

Adult Education and Literacy Enrollment Manager

DeAnn Nixt
319-296-2329 ext.2020
Email DeAnn Nixt

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