To offer more opportunities for bachelor degree attainment for South Carolinians, Coastal Carolina University is strengthening its partnership with the South Carolina Technical College System that began in October 2019. By offering a waiver of the general education requirements, graduates with Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degrees from the one of the state’s 16 technical colleges are able to enter CCU with junior standing and begin their major-specific coursework.

In concert with faculty at the University and partner institutions, CCU’s Office of Academic Outreach and Continuing Education recently finalized two new agreements:

• Graduates of Piedmont Technical College’s Associate in Applied Science degree, a program where students gain specialization in advertising design and photography, will now be able to enter CCU with junior standing and complete the Bachelor of Arts degree in graphic design in only two years.

• Students in Greenville Technical College’s honors program are now able to transfer up to 18 credits of honors courses to satisfy the 24 credits of honor courses required to graduate with honors distinction at CCU.

“The 2019 agreement helped students begin in programs in more advanced positions by recognizing the knowledge they had gained through their associate degrees,” said Casey Woodling, Ph.D., director of academic outreach and continuing education. “We seek to expand on that agreement by providing similar pathways to students graduating with one of the Associate in Applied Science degrees as well. The applied degrees from the technical colleges can prepare students for various bachelor’s degrees in unique ways.”

According to the most recent U.S. Census data, 24.3% of adults 25 years and older in Horry County have a bachelor’s degree, while in South Carolina that figure is 29.6%. The national average is 39%. The South Carolina Department of Commerce reports that for Georgetown, Horry, and Williamsburg counties, 15% of adults aged 18 to 64, the prime contributors to the workforce, have bachelor’s degrees. Woodling says holders of bachelor’s degrees typically have better lifetime economic and health outcomes than those without such degrees.

Lee Brown, Ph.D., dean of CCU’s College of Graduate and Continuing Studies, said, “Coastal is committed to growing this partnership and has the aspiration to be the premier transfer destination for the more than 150,000 students who wish to pursue a four-year degree after graduation from a program in the South Carolina Technical College System.”

Coastal Carolina University, which was established in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, has a natural connection to the 16 technical colleges throughout the state. CCU was recently ranked as 5th in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Value category for colleges in the South. This reflects the University’s commitment to not only delivering high quality education but also increasing access for students to pursue their academic goals.