Students who launch their technical career training at Laredo Community College will have a seamless and faster pathway to completing bachelor’s degrees at two major University of Texas system schools.
Laredo Community College has become a partner in two innovative educational initiatives, each led by the University of Texas at Arlington and Texas Southmost College/University of Texas at Brownsville. The announcement was made during a ceremony to sign two articulation agreements on Wednesday, August 25, in the Kazen College Center.
Participating in the partnership ceremony were LCC President Dr. Ramon H. Dovalina and Dr. Juan Maldonado, LCC Vice-President for Instruction and Student Development; Dr. Cubie Ward, Director of Interdisciplinary Studies at UTA; and Dr. Peter Gawenda, Special Assistant to the Provost/Director of Applied Technology at UTB. Ricardo Hinojosa, Director of the South Texas Tech Prep Consortium, coordinated the event. The federally-funded Tech Prep program, housed on the LCC campus, assisted the higher education institutions in the partnership.
“Laredo Community College is pleased to partner with UT-Arlington and UT-Brownsville to provide LCC students with greater opportunities for career advancement. These partnerships open new roads and greater educational benefits for LCC graduates,” said LCC President Dr. Dovalina.
Under the Texas TWO-STEP, which stands for the Texas Technology Workforce Opportunities through Seamless Transitions and Educational Partnerships, UTA will accept all General Education Core classes and 24 or more hours of technical classes from LCC students who graduate with an Associate in Applied Science Degree in certain career fields.
UTA will help the LCC transfer student tailor a program of study to fit the student’s career goals. Among the various AAS Degrees and certificates that fit into the Texas TWO-STEP project are Accounting, Banking, Business, Child Development, Computer Networking Technology, Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Electronics Technology, Emergency Medical Services, Health Science, International Business and Trade, Management, Multimedia Technology, Real Estate, Radiologic Science, and much more.
At UTA, LCC graduates will be able to continue their studies toward a traditional baccalaureate degree in established science disciplines or an Interdisciplinary Studies degree.
The Texas TWO-STEP project will save LCC graduates with an AAS degree one year or more in completing a traditional BA or BS degree from UTA.
At UTB, LCC graduates with AAS Degrees can benefit from the BAT, or Bachelor of Applied Technology, an inverted degree program in which the AAS Degree becomes the major. Under the new agreement, UTB will accept General Education Core classes and up to 36 credit hours of technical classes from LCC graduates with an AAS Degree.
Among the AAS technical fields that can be applied toward the BAT Degree are Computer Information Systems/Science Technology, Drafting/Computer Drafting and Design, Digital Imaging Technology, Network Information Management Technology, Engineering Technology (Manufacturing/Electronics/Mechanical), Nursing, Diagnostic Imaging and Respiratory Therapy. Technical fields not covered by BAT may benefit from the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences at UTB.
Hinojosa indicated that LCC graduates are starting to benefit from the partnerships.
“UT-Brownsville has already accepted an LCC graduate into one of their programs. The University awarded the LCC transfer student with technical transfer credit from his AAS Degree in Computer Information Systems,” said Hinojosa.
High school and college students who desire to learn more about these new educational opportunities are encouraged to contact the South Texas Tech Prep program at 721-5165.
University of Texas System school officials were at Laredo Community College August 25 to launch new educational opportunities for LCC graduates who complete Associate in Applied Science Degrees at LCC and desire to pursue bachelor’s degrees. Participating in the partnership ceremony were, from left, Dr. Cubie Ward, Director of Interdisciplinary Studies at UT-Arlington; Dr. Ramon Dovalina, LCC President; Dr. Ruthe Ann Ragland, Vice-President for Academic Affairs at UT-Brownsville; and Dr. Juan Maldonado, Vice-President for Instruction and Student Development at LCC.
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