UNC-Chapel Hill Correctional Education Course Offerings

Self-Paced Correspondence Courses (Mail-in)

We offer self-paced courses to all Correctional Institutions in North Carolina. Students at any NC State (DPS) prison can take any of our 10 self-paced correspondence courses as long as they have a release date within 10 years. We enroll new cohorts twice a year (January and June), and students have 9 months to complete the course. Our course list includes: 

• HIST128: American History Since 1865
  
• PSYC101: General Psychology
• SOCI101: Sociological Perspectives
• ENGL100: Basic Writing
• ENGL128: Major American Authors
• SPAN101: Elementary Spanish
• MATH10: Review of Basic Algebra (preparatory course for MATH110) 
• MATH110: Algebra (Placement credit course, does not give credit) 
• COMM120: Introduction to Interpersonal & Organizational Communication
• BIOL101: Principles of Biology

Note: We provide all course materials, including textbooks, course manuals, notebooks, and other supplies for all courses.

On-site Courses

We serve six local state prisons (below) and we run one class per semester at each prison. We rotate offerings at these facilities so students can take as many courses as possible. The classes are 7.5 weeks (three-hour sessions held twice per week) and we aim to begin classes the week of MLK day in the spring, the week of Labor Day in the fall, and the Week of Memorial Day in the summer. On-site locations include:

• North Carolina Correctional Institute for Women (NCCIW)
  
• Johnston Correctional Institution
• Orange Correctional Center
• Warren Correctional Institution
• Dan River Prison Work Farm
• Granville (Polk) Correctional Institution

Courses vary and have previously included COMM 318, COMM 223, COMM120 REL104, REL103, ENGL105. 

“The course set up is well-thought-out and I found it to be very helpful and educational.”

– Program Participant, 2023

How To Enroll

Please contact your case manager or the educational coordinator at your facility.

• For On-site courses, there will be a sign-up sheet available at least two weeks before the start of the class.
• For Self-Paced Correspondence courses, the case manager or educational coordinator will give you the official program application. For courses beginning January 1, applications are due on or before November 15; for courses beginning June 1, applications are due on or before April 15.

Transferring Credit

Correctional Education Program courses are UNC-Chapel Hill courses taught by UNC-Chapel Hill faculty and are generally transferable to other colleges, universities, and community colleges that offer equivalent courses, provided the students earns a C or better. Submit your transcript to the school you are applying to for consideration.

Academic Advising

We offer academic advising to incarcerated individuals and their advocates, providing assistance in course selection and degree path.
To schedule an advising meeting contact Melissa Solomon, Academic Advisor at mjsolomo@email.unc.edu or 919-445-4706.

Note: Due to FERPA law, for parents/guardians/family to access a student’s academic information there must be a FERPA release form on file.