The Heart of Ohio Tech Prep Consortium

ENROLLING IN TECH PREP COLLEGE-LEVEL PROGRAMS (updated Feb. 2006)

The Heart of Ohio Consortium has four outstanding college/university partners: Central Ohio Technical College, Columbus State Community College, Ohio University Lancaster Campus, and Ohio University Chillicothe Campus. We also have a very special arrangement with The Electrical Trades Center in Columbus for electrician-related apprenticeships. For details on each, visit their websites at:

Central Ohio Technical College
Columbus State Community College
Ohio University Lancaster Campus
Ohio University Chillicothe Campus
The Electrical Trades Center

Each college or university offers two-year Associate Degrees that are part of the College Tech Prep pathways. Many Tech Prep 2-year degree programs have transfer options to other 4-year colleges and universities (for more information on these upper-level transfer programs, click here). Pending Ohio Board of Regents approval, all of our College Tech Prep Associate Degrees may soon provide the option to continue in a special 4-year Bachelor's Degree program at Ohio University.

Apprenticeship Programs
The consortium also has a unique post-secondary partner, The Electrical Trades Center, Columbus, Ohio. ETC offers apprenticeships as electricians with various specialties. For details about ETC apprenticeships and the special dual enrollment arrangement (apprenticeship with associate degree) with Columbus State, visit the ETC website at The Electrical Trades Center.

Click below for information on Tech Prep college options, contact persons, scholarship information, and more!

            Did You Know This about 2-Year Associate Degrees?!
            Tech Prep College-Level Programs
            Contact Information for Our Partner Colleges
            College Tech Prep Scholarship Information
            Finding Out About Financial Aid

Looking for Articulation Agreements? Click here.

Did You Know This about 2-Year Associate Degrees?!

There are plenty of advantages to starting college at a two-year institution! Here are some of the latest findings:

·    Where college students start out is less important than where they end up.
o   Community college students who transfer to four-year colleges after earning their associates degree have stronger grade point averages and more confidence than native students at the four-year institution.
o   70% of those who transfer from a community college complete their bachelor's degree, compared with 60% of the students who start out at the four-year institution.
o   Today, about 7.8 million students attend community colleges, compared with 6.2 million in 2001. Community college students account for 45% of the postsecondary student population in the U.S. (Source: S. Cavanaugh, "Amid Tight Budgets, Two-Year Colleges Play Growing Roles," Education Week, 6/9/04)

·   Associate degree grads earn as much or more as graduates with bachelor's degrees.
o   83% of all workers with associate degrees earn the same as workers with bachelor's degrees.
o   Because a large number of associate degree graduates work in high-demand, high-paying fields such as engineering and health [all College Tech Prep areas!], their salaries often exceed those of bachelor's degree graduates. In fact, the annual average salary for 2002 Ohio associate degree graduates was $33,224, compared to only $32,481 for Ohio 4-year bachelor degree graduates. (!) (Source: Ohio Association of Community Colleges, 2004)

·  Associate degree graduates are in high demand in Ohio.
o Ohio's associate degree graduates can expect higher demand for their services over the next decade. The Ohio Department of Job & Family Services projects that job growth for associate degree graduates will increase by 23.1% -- more than double the 11.0% average projected for all occupations during the period.

Tech Prep College-Level Programs:

Scroll down through the list below to see the Tech Prep programs at each of our four college partners. Each associate degree program is linked seamlessly to related Tech Prep high school programs. That is, College Tech Prep programs enable students to pursue their career goals without needlessly repeating college-level coursework for skills they have already mastered in their high school program.

Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) - Tech Prep Programs
Accounting Technology
Architectural Design Technology
Business Management Technology
Civil Design Technology
Computer Applications Technology
Computer Programming Technology
Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Digital Media Design Technology
Electromechanical Technology
Electronic Technology
Human Resource Management Technology
Mechanical Design Technology
Nursing
Radiology
Surgical Technology

Columbus State Community College (CSCC) - Tech Prep Programs
Accounting
Architecture
Automotive Technology
Civil Engineering Technology
Computer Science Technology (various emphases, including Networking)
Construction Management
Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology
Electronic Engineering Technology
Finance
Graphic Communications Technology
Interactive Multimedia Production Technology
Landscape Design-Build (articulation agreement is in the works)
Mechanical Engineering Technology
Multi-Competency Health Technology/EMT
Nursing

Ohio University Lancaster Campus - Tech Prep Programs
Accounting
Agriculture Technology (Year 1 at Ohio University Lancaster Campus; Year 2 at ATI in Wooster, Ohio)
Computer Programming
Electronic Media
Electronics Technology
Industrial Maintenance Technology
Materials Management Technology
Medical Assisting Technology

Ohio University Chillicothe Campus - Tech Prep Programs
Computer Science Technology
Office Administration
Nursing

Contact Information for Our Partner Colleges
The four Heart of Ohio Consortium college partners are Central Ohio Technical College (COTC), Columbus State Community College (CSCC), Ohio University Lancaster Campus, and Ohio University Chillicothe Campus. All four have resources to assist you in making the best choice for your college experience. Contact them:

Online: Find college applications; financial aid information; and lots of great info. on getting your college degree!

www.cotc.edu/tech prep

www.cscc.edu

www.ohiou.edu/lancaster

www.ohiou.edu/chillicothe

The Electrical Trades Center

In person:

Sarah Quick, Academic Advisor
Central Ohio Technical College
1179 University Drive
Newark, OH 43055
(740) 366-9209
email: squick@cotc.edu

Laurie Johns, K-12 Administrator
Columbus State Community College
550 E. Spring St.
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 287-5998
(614) 287-5438 (fax)
email: ljohns@cscc.edu

Jodie Van Winkle, Assistant Director of Continuing Education
Ohio University Chillicothe Campus
571 West Fifth Street
Chillicothe, OH 45601-2299
(740) 774-7226
(740) 774-7280 (fax)
email: vanwinkl@ohiou.edu

Marcia Key, Development Coordinator
Ohio University Lancaster Campus
1570 Granville Pike
Lancaster, OH 43130-1097
(740) 654-6711 ext. 216
(740) 687-9497 (fax)
email: key@ohiou.edu

The Electrical Trades Center
947 Goodale Blvd.
Columbus, Ohio 43212-3824
(614) 463-5282

Tech Prep College Scholarship Information

Considering college but don’t know how you’ll pay for it? You’re not alone! Many students (and their parents) wonder how they will finance their college education. For College Tech Prep students, scholarships at our four partner colleges may help pave the way to a college degree. Central Ohio Technical College, Columbus State Community College, Ohio University Lancaster Campus, and Ohio University Chillicothe Campus all offer outstanding scholarship opportunities. There are even scholarships at some of our partner colleges just for Tech Prep high school graduates!

Click here to get more information about Tech Prep (and other) scholarships at our partner colleges.

Finding out about Financial Aid

Each partner college has information about financial aid posted on their websites. Go to www.cotc.edu or www.cscc.edu or www.ohiou.edu to find out more. Here are some other websites to help you navigate the financial aid puzzle:

www.ed.gov/studentaid -- A Guide to Student Financial Aid

www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/FYE -- Funding Your Education

www.fafsa.ed.gov -- FAFSA on the Web

www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/express.html -- FAFSA Express

www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/FAFSA -- Help Completing the FAFSA