Undergraduate Courses with Noncredit Seats
Discover Subjects That Inspire You! Explore Undergraduate Courses on a Noncredit Basis.
Discover the excitement of undergraduate learning - without the pressure of earning credit. When seats are available, the School of Continuing Education opens select undergraduate courses to learners seeking personal enrichment. While degree-seeking students receive priority, these noncredit seats allow you to engage in high-quality academic experiences alongside degree-seeking students at a reduced tuition rate.
- $120 for the noncredit option in a .5-credit course*
- $180 for the noncredit option in a 1-credit course*
- $260 for the noncredit option in a 1.5-credit course*
- $320 for the noncredit option in a 2-credit course*
- $520 for the noncredit option in a 3-credit course*
- $625 for the noncredit option in a 4-credit course*
Your registration for course(s) means you assume responsibilities for paying all tuition and fees associated with your registration. Unless you withdraw by the deadline noted in the refund policy you are responsible for charges even if you did not attend a single class.
*plus applicable fees. In addition to the tuition and any listed studio/lab fees, there is a $25 nonrefundable noncredit registration fee paid once per semester. Please note: Specialized course tuition rates may vary from the above.
- Students who register for a noncredit seat do not receive college credit, grades, or a transcript. Assessment is given on a pass/fail basis.
- This option is open to students 16 years of age or older.
- Noncredit spaces are limited, early registration is advised. Early registration discounts do not apply to these courses.
- Office Hours are available at the discretion of the faculty and by appointment only.
- Students may not switch between the credit and noncredit sections of these courses after the add/drop period.
- Please also review the Community Standards of Conduct. This page outlines the expectations for student behavior in an undergraduate course, also referred to as the Student Code of Conduct or the Code.
Course Schedule
The courses below are a selection of the full Spring 2026 undergraduate schedule. To view all courses use the course search and select the Spring 2026 term from the drop down. Please be mindful if there are prerequisites and/or restrictions listed for the course.
Please email conted@purchase.edu if:
- You found a course of interest that is not in the schedule below. We may be able to get permission to add a noncredit seat.
- You would like see the syllabus before registering.
- The course of your choice is closed, so you can be placed on a waitlist.
Spring 2026 Courses
Arts History
Noncredit
Introduces the diversity of practices that have dominated the history of art from 1945 to the present. Movements include: Abstract Expressionism, Happenings, Fluxus, Pop, minimalism, conceptual art, performance, Land Art, postmodernism, institutional critique, social practice, and “post”-internet art. This course uses the European and North American canon as a point of departure, emphasizing the global character of contemporary art practice.
Term Dates: Wednesday, January 21 - Tuesday, May 12
Meeting Times: Mon Thu @ 12:30 PM-02:10 PM
Instructor: Westerman, Jonah
Type of Instruction: Traditional
Prereq:
Cost: $625
Arts Management
Noncredit
A survey of the theory and practice of planning and evaluation as they relate to social and creative entrepreneurship. Topics include lean start-up principles, minimum viable product, goals, strategies, and research and development for social enterprises.
Term Dates: Wednesday, January 21 - Tuesday, May 12
Meeting Times: Mon @ 06:30 PM-09:00 PM
Instructor: Hantgan, Alysa
Type of Instruction: Online - Synchronous
Prereq: AMG1100
Cost: $520
Dance
Noncredit
Classical ballet course designed especially for students in all disciplines.
Term Dates: Wednesday, January 21 - Tuesday, May 12
Meeting Times: Mon Thu @ 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
Instructor: Malbrough, Joseph
Type of Instruction: Traditional
Prereq:
Cost: $260
Noncredit
Discover New Way Vogue, a core conditioning warm-up and stretch series will prep the body to Vogue. Arms control will be a main element with a focus on precision work to create lines, shapes, and face-framing movements with the arms. Students will emulate the poses of models from the eponymous fashion magazine while incorporating duck walks and dips.
Term Dates: Wednesday, January 21 - Tuesday, May 12
Meeting Times: Mon Thu @ 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
Instructor: Rodriguez, Jason
Type of Instruction: Traditional
Prereq:
Cost: $260
Environmental Science
Noncredit
Explore the science of Mars from ancient observations to today’s robotic missions. Investigate planetary geology, climate history, and the search for life, while examining cultural and ethical issues around human exploration. Learn how scientists ask big questions about other worlds—and how we answer them. No science background needed—just curiosity about Mars and our place in the cosmos.
Term Dates: Wednesday, January 21 - Tuesday, May 12
Meeting Times: Tue Fri @ 10:30 AM-12:10 PM
Instructor: Landa, Keith
Type of Instruction: Traditional
Prereq:
Cost: $625
Noncredit
Introduces techniques for advanced use of software commonly employed in the analysis and presentation of lab and field data. Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), image analysis (ImageTool), and reference software (Zotero) are covered.
Term Dates: Wednesday, January 21 - Tuesday, May 12
Meeting Times: Wed @ 03:00 PM-05:50 PM
Instructor: Kraemer, George
Type of Instruction: Traditional
Prereq:
Cost: $520
History
Noncredit
Jewish individuals have had a major impact on modern music, including musical theatre, jazz, pop, rock, and more. The course covers a wide array of music from Drake to Bob Dylan to Sondheim and explores some of the most important musical innovations in North American music. By tracing historical trajectories that brought Jewish approaches to music from Europe to America in the twentieth century, we will examine the complexities of Jewish culture as a case study in the formation of modern American identity and how these identities are reflected in music. The ability to read music is welcome but not required for this course.
Term Dates: Wednesday, January 21 - Tuesday, May 12
Meeting Times: Tue @ 06:30 PM-09:50 PM
Instructor: Levine, Ezekiel
Type of Instruction: Traditional
Prereq:
Cost: $625
Italian
Noncredit
A continuation of ITA 1010. Increased time is devoted to reading and writing. The development of oral skills remains the primary objective of the course.
Term Dates: Wednesday, January 21 - Tuesday, May 12
Meeting Times: Mon Wed @ 06:30 PM-08:10 PM
Instructor: Farina, Patrizia
Type of Instruction: Online - Synchronous
Prereq: ITA1010
Cost: $625
Jewish Studies
Noncredit
Examining fiction, poetry, film and art, students explore how Jewish Americans engaged in America’s cultural development in the post-World War II era. Writers and poets include Isaac Asimov, Philip Roth, Cynthia Ozick, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Grace Paley, James McBride, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Rosebud Ben-Oni, Adrienne Rich, and Leonard Cohen. Movies include works by Steven Spielberg and the Coen Brothers.
Term Dates: Wednesday, January 21 - Tuesday, May 12
Meeting Times:
Instructor:
Type of Instruction: Traditional
Prereq:
Cost: $625
Language and Culture
Noncredit
A survey of various teaching methods in second language instruction. Students become familiar with the theories of language learning that underlie these methodologies. Open to all students interested in second language teaching methods.
Term Dates: Wednesday, January 21 - Tuesday, May 12
Meeting Times: Mon @ 06:30 PM-08:10 PM
Thu @ 06:30 PM-08:10 PM
Instructor: Lopez, Steven
Type of Instruction: Hybrid
Prereq:
Cost: $625
Noncredit
The notion of the “new” in poetry and art is examined. Students read a range of poetry written in the late 19th century through the 1940s in France, Germany, Spain, Latin America, and the U.S., and explore ways in which expressive novelty is linked to particular cultural and social situations. Along with the poems and some visual art, some contemporary texts that advance theories of the “avant-garde” are considered.
Term Dates: Wednesday, January 21 - Tuesday, May 12
Meeting Times: Mon Thu @ 02:30 PM-04:10 PM
Instructor: Laguardia, Gari
Type of Instruction: Traditional
Prereq:
Cost: $625
Physical Education
Noncredit
This course will offer students an opportunity to learn and enjoy salsa dance. Salsa dance originated in Cuba with Spanish, Caribbean and African influences. It is an energetic social dance and one of the most popular and beautiful of the Latin partner dances. It is easy to learn and is danced worldwide. Through two weekly sessions, students will learn to salsa dance with a partner.
Term Dates: Wednesday, January 21 - Tuesday, May 12
Meeting Times: Tue Fri @ 12:30 PM-02:10 PM
Instructor: Kincannon, Suzannah
Type of Instruction: Traditional
Prereq:
Cost: $320
Noncredit
Students learn the fundamentals of belly dancing (e.g., hip circles, undulations, shimmies) and progress to layering of movements. Familiarity with Arabic rhythms, cultural knowledge as it pertains to this dance form, finger cymbals, veil work, and choreography are covered. The natural movements of belly dancing, which improve flexibility, endurance, and coordination, are appropriate for all fitness levels.
Term Dates: Wednesday, January 21 - Tuesday, May 12
Meeting Times: Tue Fri @ 12:30 PM-02:10 PM
Instructor: Bora, Bina
Type of Instruction: Traditional
Prereq:
Cost: $180
Noncredit
The Cornerstone of R.A.D. Systems, this course has its foundations in education and awareness. The course includes lecture, discussion and self-defense techniques suitable for women (and for those who identify as women), of all ages and abilities, striving to build self-confidence, self-esteem, and knowledge of personal physical strength.
Term Dates: Wednesday, January 21 - Tuesday, May 12
Meeting Times: Wed @ 06:00 PM-07:40 PM
Thu @ 12:30 PM-02:10 PM
Instructor: Markus, Cynthia
Type of Instruction: Traditional
Prereq:
Cost: $320
Philosophy
Noncredit
Investigates today’s dramatically escalating codependence between humans and technology. How do “smart” technologies affect our moral, spiritual, and political experiences? What roles do such technologies play in the evolving ecology of a planet that is a hybrid of human and nonhuman things? Can machines become conscious? Might machines achieve personhood? Readings from earlier modern and more recent philosophical and science fiction writers.
Term Dates: Wednesday, January 21 - Tuesday, May 12
Meeting Times: Tue Fri @ 02:30 PM-04:10 PM
Instructor: Haskins, Casey
Type of Instruction: Traditional
Prereq:
Cost: $625