Some people never want to stop learning.

Non-credit classes at Wichita State are a way people can learn topics or trades without having to officially enroll as a student.

“They serve a variety of purposes,” said Charlotte Howard, director of the non-credit class program. “A student is not going to get any college credit for this. These aren’t designed for college students.”

However, the classes are designed for people who want to expand their knowledge on a specific topic, or fill their free time with learning something new, Howard said.

Howard described the classes as a way for people to engage in continuing education courses.

“If you take an education course and you have a good experience, you’re going to probably keep on learning, and it’s true,” she said. “I see this over and over and over again.”

From gardening to history, language studies and culinary skills, the non-credit class list at WSU is open to anyone and everyone yearning for knowledge.

“There is something special they want to learn, and that’s why they’re here,” Howard said. “There’s all types of things people like to learn. The people who garden, they want to learn about that. They want to take a language, because they have people at work they want to communicate with.”

The lengths and requirements for each class vary as much as the types of classes the college provides. All have a set fee at the beginning of the course that include the book and resources needed for the semester. Some last one hour each week for a set amount of weeks and others meet more frequently.

Howard said the department tries to offer enough classes to fit a variety of schedules.

“We repeat obviously some of the classes each semester, but we also add new ones,” she said. “It’s a combination of what typically we would call more serious — language and computer type classes and financial classes as opposed to wine-tasting.”

This semester, students will have the opportunity of taking a “D-Day” class which has not been previously offered. It will focus on the invasion of France by the Allied Countries on June 6, 1944.

Howard said non-credit classes differ from auditing. When a student chooses to audit a class, they pay the course fees, but do not have to pay tuition. When it comes to the non-credit class, students must pay whatever the fee is for that class. The two kinds of course opportunities are also funded differently and are not as unique as some might think.

“There are millions of students across this country taking non-credit classes,” Howard said. “This is for people who have a specific interest in a specific area. These are what we call community education or personal growth classes.”

Information will be sent out in the Wichita Eagle, or students can sign up online at wichita.edu/noncredit. People have the option of enrolling in traditional classroom courses or online courses. There will also be an insert in the Wichita Business Journal for those seeking more information. For questions, call Charlotte Howard at (316) 978-3731.