CCU, HGTC team up for teacher education

Coastal Carolina University and Horry-Georgetown Technical College have established a teacher education transfer agreement aimed at addressing a teacher shortage in Horry and Georgetown counties. The agreement creates an Associate Degree in Applied Science in Teacher Education at HGTC, the first of its kind in South Carolina. After completing the two-year degree, aspiring teachers will be able to transfer to CCU to earn a bachelor’s degree from the Spadoni College of Education in just two years.

“We are happy to not only strengthen our partnership with Horry-Georgetown with this endeavor, but to also create yet another pathway for students to become qualified, successful educators,” said Ralph Byington, CCU provost.

The partnership smooths the transition for education students and provides substantial cost savings along the way. All the credits earned at HGTC will transfer to CCU. Students who fulfill all the other requirements for enrollment at CCU will be able to complete one of the following programs: early childhood education, elementary education, middle level education, special education (multicategorical) or physical education.

“The coursework students will take at HGTC will fully prepare them for the entrance exams and work they’ll be expected to complete at Coastal,” said Ed Jadallah, dean of CCU’s Spadoni College of Education. He said the program is just one of the ways the institutions are working to prepare more and better teachers for South Carolina schools.

“This program addresses some of the supply and demand issues we are facing in the state of South Carolina when it comes to teachers,” Jadallah said. “Working closely with HGTC, we are making sure that the quality of both programs ensures we are producing highly qualified, effective teachers.”

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