SDSU Celebrates 50 Years of Winter Session

Current SDSU students use Winter Session to speed up their graduation dates, while students from other colleges who are home for the holidays

By Tim Grenda

Monday, November 27, 2023

SDSUs College of Extended Studies in the early 1980s, now called Global Campus. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Winter Session, offered online by SDSU Global Campus since 2019. (SDSU)

When Winter Session was first offered at SDSU, the Doobie Brothers were topping the charts with their hit song “Long Train Runnin’,” President Nixon was in office, and “The Exorcist” was scaring moviegoers across the country.

It was 1973, and while there have been some breaks in the session over the decades, SDSU has offered Winter Session fully online since 2019. In the past four years, more than 3,000 students have taken advantage of the accelerated classes offered between the fall and spring semesters, now conducted under SDSU Global Campus.

“What started as a way to help students fill in gaps and graduate on time has become an important tool for students to plan ahead, explore new subjects, and maximize their time at SDSU,” said Jonny Holt, Winter Session program director. “All while learning in a flexible, dynamic environment,”

Current SDSU students use Winter Session to speed up their graduation dates, while students from other colleges who are home for the holidays can make the most of their break by taking an online class; they also are open to community members to explore areas of interest.

“Enrolling in a winter course allowed me to stay on track for my graduation date without overloading myself during my first semester at SDSU,” said recent hospitality program student Desiree. “Additionally, I was doing a study abroad program for nine days in January and this Global Campus course allowed me to take the class and participate in study abroad at the same time.”

Winter Session courses are accelerated and rigorous in format and timeline, so students should plan accordingly to dedicate sufficient time in their schedules. Students are limited to three units during Winter Session.

This year, Winter Session will feature dozens of courses from Accounting, Africana Studies and Art to Psychology, Religious Studies and Rhetoric and Writing Studies. See a full list of Winter Session courses.