Bishop State Community College and Troy University have created a partnership that will allow technical education credits from Bishop State to be transferred toward TROY’s Bachelor of Science in Occupational Education degree program.
The articulation agreement, signed Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at Bishop State, is the first for the state of Alabama allowing community college students to transfer technical education hours towards a bachelor’s degree at a major four-year college or university.
Bishop State students who complete the Associate of Applied Science degree in a technical program will be able to transfer up to 30 hours of technical education to TROY to count toward the Occupational Education bachelor’s program.
Bishop State Community College President Dr. Reginald Sykes said the partnership provides great benefit for Bishop State students.
“This is a great day here for Bishop State and a big day for our students,” Dr. Sykes said. “We appreciate Troy University and are grateful for this tremendous partnership. Many of our students who graduate in the technical programs go into the workforce and then, after a few years, decide they want to be in management. This provides them with the pathway to earn that bachelor’s degree that they need to advance in their careers.”
Dr. Lee Ammons, Coordinator of the Bachelor of Science Occupational Education Program, said the program is beneficial for Bishop State students in that it will save them both time and money in pursuing the bachelor’s degree.
“Allowing Bishop students to transfer these 30 hours of technical education will save the students, who are looking to advance their careers, time and literally thousands of dollars,” Ammons said. “Troy University is counting these hours and preventing the Bishop student from basically having to start over taking academic credit hours toward an academic degree program.”
The Bachelor of Science in Occupational Education provides a pathway for individuals with specialized skills to earn a bachelor’s degree to provide expertise in the design, delivery, and practice of instructional programs for adults in a variety of professional and technical vocations, including online education, workforce development, continuing education, higher education, and military education.
“The BSOE program combines theory with experience to prepare students as workforce development professionals in a variety of settings and occupations,” Ammons said.
Dr. Lance Tatum, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, said the agreement will make it easier for students to progress from a two-year degree to the four-year program.
“One of the challenges is that Associate degree credit hours do not always transfer to a bachelor’s program,” Dr. Tatum said. “Our B.S. degree in Occupational Education was specifically built for those types of students. For those individuals with technical backgrounds or individuals who have military credit, this program is a great way for students to matriculate into a bachelor’s degree. And, the program is online so it is a great opportunity for those who are place-bound, and we feel this will be of great benefit to Bishop State students.”